Bilge drain plug ideas?

[westward]

Greetings. I've had the new boat out a couple of times now and starting to get used to it. One problem I'm having and would appreciate your advice concerns my bilge drains. Surprisingly Stabicraft uses a nylon bilge plug system for all 4 drains on the boat. Similar to a kayak drain system, it is frankly less than what I'd expect on a boat of this type and price range. The performance has been dismal. 2 of the 4 have consistently leaked when the boat is in the water for a few hours or longer, resulting in salt water draining out of the (otherwise sealed) floor air chambers when pulled out of the water and the plugs removed. This is with the plugs screwed down hand-tight as much as my 52 year old hands can manage. I'm disinclined to crank on plastic fittings with a wrench for fear of over-stressing and eventually breaking them. I'm wondering what drain/plug system some of the other boats use (Pacific, Wooldridge, etc.) I'm thinking I may need to switch to something more robust (like the threaded metal ones on every other boat I've owned), but I'm obviously concerned about metal compatibility below the water line. That part of the transom on my boat is 5083 I believe. I'd appreciate suggestions and photos if possible. Thanks so much, Mike.

[goatram]

The problem with either SS or aluminum ones is that you might strip the bung hole fitting. The plastic pipe plugs will strip first prior to the pipe welded bung. The fittings are cheap at Lowes or Home Depot. I do use a wrench to tighten my to Dow. If you cross thread it; throw away a $1.50 and get a new one. No one will know.

My two cents.

No luck in the San Juan's today in the derby. Hopefully the fish gods will let me get one tomorrow.

[westward]

My problem is that the base itself (ie the female threaded part) is also nylon, not a nylon plug that screws into threaded metal pipe. The seal is provided by tight O-ring contact rather than tapered IPS threading. The only way we've been able to seal it so far is by applying additional torque via a wrench, and even that has not been proven in the water over time. I would have no problem giving a plastic plug an extra quarter turn with a wrench and keeping a few spares handy if I were screwing into metal. My choices seem to be: either the proper re-installation of the same system, or coming up with a new system altogether. I suspect the base part of my system fits over a 1" or 1.25" hole placed in the transom. It's secured in place by 2 screws which appear to be SS. and bedded in sealant. I understand that leaking in this area has been an intermittent problem with Stabicraft boats, so hopefully they can provide my dealer with some direction for a permanent fix. The idea of heading 25 miles offshore with my sons for tuna in a boat that takes on water concerns me to say the least! I also have concerns about saltwater getting into inaccessible chambers, being trapped in there, and doing possible damage. Good news is the dealer has been attentive and really seems to be making efforts to correct the situation. I'm hoping for a solution that has us chasing salmon, halibut, and tuna very soon! Cheers! Mike

[Chtucker]

http://aluminumalloyboats.com/viewtopic ... 503#p39503

Is this what you need? I believe I recall the Stabicrafts having a plastic version of these inspection plates?

[Chtucker]

Or something like this http://www.austinkayak.com/products/203 ... Shopzilla/

[3f8]

I am removing the bottom paint and wanted to replace my plugs. The holes are 30mm. An inquiry to Stabi returned a source for new plugs. "Our supplier in New Zealand, Tenob Marine, supply to a company in the USA called Marine East – www.marineeast.com Part numbers are Medium Size 4220 Large Size 4210." The distributor list the 4220 as small not med. They should fit the 30mm hole for the flange. I have an order in. I'll let you know how it works out.

[westward]

I think that careful replacement with a new Tenob assembly is probably the best next step. If correctly installed it should be watertight. The middle of my 3 transom plugs has never leaked, so the system can work when done right. The base component of one of my plugs was clearly installed incorrectly, resulting in a tweaked mating surface between the base and plug. The mounting screws look crooked and over-tightened, the flange surface is bowed out (the back of the flange does not sit flat against the aluminum transom), and the plug's sealing ring doesn't touch the base uniformly when you screw it in. Hence the need to really crank it down to get a seal. As with most things, "the devil is in the details". If this fix works I'll regain confidence leaving the boat in the water for extended periods and I'm back in the saddle. Thank you all for the suggestions. Anyone planning on fishing the Columbia river? Mike.

[3f8]

I will be using polysulphide sealant. A good suggestion noticed on a different forum. Only snug the screws then let the sealant set. Come back latter for the final seating of the screws. This will help prevent a dry seal squeezing all the sealant from the surfaces with too much torque.

[westward]

3F8: are your setting screws stainless? Will you re-use or replace your screws? Good idea on the bedding process, thanks. Will you also seal over the screw heads after or leave them exposed to the air? I think I'll have the dealer rotate the base slightly on one of mine to allow for new pilot holes. Thanks, Mike.

[3f8]

I will be using stainless. And may tap the hull. I just removed several stainless screws holding sensors and anodes. They were put in tapped holes last year using Tef-Gel. It was wet slipped for the entire year. They all came right out without problem. I love the stuff. Not cheap but works.