Drain Plug

[Curious]

Most of the garboard type drain plugs, including the Sea Dog or the Atwood with the "captive" feature, screw into the transom from the outside and seemingly offer no protection to the core transom material from standing water in the bidge.  In other words, it isn't deep enough to seal the transom core material from moisture from the inside (bildge).  Is there a way to install one of these inside the brass sleeve so the water standing in or draining out of the bildge does not come into contact with the transom core?

[Blue Agave]

Seal it with some resin or gel.

[Circle Hooked]

I had a problem with mine coming loose, when i re did it i sandwiched the drain in with 5200 then wiped of the residue, so the whole hole is coated.

[love2fish]

I've thought about using one of the "hull" mounted drains, for when i redo mine, that way there is no hole in the transom.  It seems like no matter what, theres always a little water left in the bilge.
Smililar to this:


I think this is from Perko... anyone have experience with this style plug?

[seabob4]

I've thought about using one of the "hull" mounted drains, for when i redo mine, that way there is no hole in the transom.  It seems like no matter what, theres always a little water left in the bilge.
Smililar to this:


I think this is from Perko... anyone have experience with this style plug?

Oh yeah...I hate those things!!!  Used to install them in the mid cabin bilge on Stamas 37s.

The thread height on the t/hull itself is very short, so you'll have to grind out the inside of the hull to allow thread for the backing nut to thread on and seat properly...


I used to have one I "borrowed" from Stamas sitting on my desk at Proline...just to remind me!

[Curious]

So if I want to install one of these:



Do I intall a brass sleeve first and install this inside of it?

[slvrlng]

So if I want to install one of these:



Do I intall a brass sleeve first and install this inside of it?

Yes. You will need a double flanging tool to make the sleeve stay where you want it.

http://www.jamestowndistributors.com/userportal/show_product.do?pid=9550&familyName=Moeller+Marine+Flanging+Tools

[fitz73222]

Some tricks I've learned when installing the brass drain tubes...

1) Cut the drain tube with a nice sharp tubing cutter about 3/16-1/4 longer than the thickness of the transom with a drain plug installed and tightened in the area that you want to cut. This keeps the drain tube from collapsing and deforming while you cut it and allows you to clamp the tube in a vice holding the SCRAP end in the vice jaws. Buy a tube about and inch or so longer than you need so while your are cutting so there wont be interference between the tubing cutter and the vice jaws.
2) With a fine file completely deburr the cut inside and out. Just deburr, no need to take off too much material.
3) Take a propane torch and heat the area on the brass tube where you are going to flare until it just till it starts to glow red. Stop and let it air cool. (No water quench)
4) The deburring and heatreating (annealing) process helps minimize splits when you flare it.
5) There are a lot of junk surplus overseas produced brass drains inserts out there that are rock hard from the deep drawing process and not final annealed, so buy and extra insert or two in case they split while you are cutting them or flaring them.
6) Don't over tighten the flaring tool when installing the insert. Just tighten it enough ooze out the 5200 and get a light seating against the transom. If you over tighten the flare tool it can start to crush the transom core and wrinkle the ID of the insert causing it to split or have issues sealing with the drain plug.

Seabob may have some more tricks but this is what I do when installing the inserts.

[seabob4]

This what I do.  Very simple.  Drill the hole.  Coat the entire exposed transom material inside the hole with 5200...spread with your finger.  Yes, your finger, so you can feel the 5200 getting into where you want it to get into.  Let kick off for a couple days.  Install garboard drain.  Have beers...

Don't over engineer.  And whose to say the sealant BEHIND the brass tube is going to seal completely?  You don't know that, you can't see it once the tube is in place.

Sorry, Fitz, I've been to the double flaring school, your way of annealing the brass is a great idea, and for splashwell drains (that's how we did them at WC/AS), that method is fine...

BTW, a little trick on where to cut brass tubes for drains, in order to swage them over properly.  Insert the tube in it's hole, then wedge in place.  Place a sharpened pencil on it's side perpendicular to the drain tube, then trace around it, keeping the pencil on the inside surface or the outside surface that is perpendicular to the tube (usually the splashwell).  Cut on those lines are they'll roll over for you every time...

Did enough of them.  Part of transom prep before I hung the motor(s)...  

[gran398]

Bottom line:

A chain is as strong as its weakest link. The garboard drain is any hull's weakest link.

Feel  the 5200 pushed into the sides of that hole. Bed it in, so the outer tube doesn't roll. If it never rolls...when launched, water under depth pressure won't intrude the hull.

A new rebuild..using Coosa as a new transom core...or, a quality poured  transom: both can leak without a proper garboard drain install as discussed. Won't rot, that's great...but so what?

 Makes no difference regarding the core material.  The water/weight can intrude.  Adding weight to your boat, every time it goes in the water.


 A correct, timely garboard drain install is imperative.

[seabob4]

Believe it or not, many builders will have the hull crew drill the garboard drain hole, install the drain with 5200, clean it up,  and walk away...never even considering sealing the hole...

That would take too much time and materials...equating to $$$...

[Curious]

Thanks for the info, guys.  I am going to be pouring the new transom with (most likely) Nida Core pourable transom compound.  One thought I had was to install the brass tube while the transom is hollow, and only 5200 the two flared ends.  Then when I do the pour, the material will flow around the brass tube.  I guess the other method would be to plug the hole with a wooden dowel during the pour,drill out once cured and install the brass tube as described.

At any rate, I want to install one of the Atwood stainless steel "captive" plugs and I still need the brass tube in place, correct?  Otherwise there would be exposure from bilge water to the transom core and although not wood, I still can't see where this would be ok.

[seabob4]

Curious,
If you really want the brass tube, go ahead and install one.  But if you simply seal the entire hole with 5200 as I described above, that will take care of the transom core...

Then install your drain plug.  BTW, you'll love the captive feature of that plug.  Never lose another plug again, plus can be removed completely for better drainage when cleaning the bilge and stuff like that...

[Curious]

Seabob,
I misread your first post, (kinda skipped right to the part about having beers....) I thought you meant spread the 5200 and then install the brass tube.  Now I understand what you mean-  just spread the 5200 and be done with it.  I like the sounds of that- quick and easy!
Thanks, Dan

[GoneFission]

OK, I know this whole thing is getting to the point of making your hair hurt, BUT - here goes...

The garboard is the first plank adjacent to the keel.  So a garboard plug/drain can only be one in the bottom of the hull next to the keel.  

A drain or plug in the transom is - have you guessed it - a transom drain or plug!  

I ran into someone recently that said they put a garboard plug in their livewell - I thought "OK, but that's a strange place to put a livewell..."    But then, that near-useless livewell in the back of CCPs is almost low enough in the hull to have a garboard drain.   :tongue:

See ya on the water!