PUT THE PLUG IN...

We've all done it! never again. Hope you got it back out soon enough. :)
 
Welcome to the club! Have you kissed bottom yet?!?
 
Two kinds of boaters. Those who have and those who will. At least once.
 
Noooooo. No way. Huh uh. Never done that in my life. (That's my story and I'm sticking to it)

Bob
 
Oddly I have never done that. Pretty much impossible with my current boat but even with the last two which were trailer boats, it never happened. Guess I should knock on wood. I had a pretty rigorous checklist before I ever got in line at the ramp. Since my wife can barely back her car up she was always the live captain at launch and retrieval. At most ramps in CA that also meant hovering around in the cove until I got the rig parked and came back to the dock. So if I would have forgotten, the boat would have been sunk by the time I returned for her to pick me up. And I would have had more problems than just the boat sinking. lol

I have seen people do it. And always found it interesting (okay mostly funny) how they decided to resolve the problem. Everything from jumping out of the boat and running for the truck and trailer to diving in and attempting to put the plug in underwater. I have also seen folks beach their boat.
 
There are two types of "experienced for many years boaters" and that is those that have done this and those that just say they never did. But we all know they have at some point... Other wise they just have not been doing it long enough...

It's kind of like have you ever tried to pull out of your slip with a line still tied to the dock?
 
I think that for some odd reason I've done it Once Per Boat. Our 13-ft, 17-ft, and 20-ft outboards. Lord Willing nothing such will happen with the current one being I/O, kept on a lift and threaded brass plug in from the outside! I've noticed a couple things:
1. For me, it seems the more "help" I have, the more errors of this type occur.
2. When rising water tells everybody the Plug Is Out, the emphasis seems to be on "Find The Plug!" when the goal should be Stop the Water. A sock, shirt, plastic bag...
 
A friend had a handheld gps... i say let's take my boat and see what she'll do.. leave the dock, fire up the engine, all good, put into drive it stalls... go through the whole "what the frig, I just had the thing serviced aargh..." look back and a line looks really tight... yikes it is tied to the cleat on the boat and in the prop!! When I cut the line it went ka-snap!!! Luckily I had let the engine kill itself and we got a few more summers out of the motor, but it could have been way worse had I throttled up and tried to start it again...
 
"It's kind of like have you ever tried to pull out of your slip with a line still tied to the dock?"

Now that I have done with my current boat.
 
I've done it but since i always lift the engine hatch before starting the engine while still on the trailer I identified the problem early and was able to have my GF pull the trailer out of the water as soon as I saw the water coming in to the bilge.

My routine now is to remove the plug (if there is any water in the bilge which is rare) and let it drain while I prep the boat for the tow home and them replace the plug before leaving the lake.
 
With the boat on a lift, I worry about leaving the plug in it even though it has a cover from windshield to transom. It still gets water in the bilge in a storm, and I don't want water over the starter. But, then, the lift doesn't raise the boat all that much above the highest "normal" tide. Boat wouldn't be able to float in an extreme high tide. So far, I leave the plug out.
 
There are plugs that allow 1-way flow. (drain only) Interesting idea, but I don't know how reliable they are.
 
quote:
Originally posted by SLW

There are plugs that allow 1-way flow. (drain only) Interesting idea, but I don't know how reliable they are.

Click to expand...


Duckbill type. Maybe OK for a small, trailered, day boat, but I would never trust it for a slipped boat.
 
Left the screw-in plug out once with our 18' Invader (trailered). Boy, did the wife complain when the water started coming in! I was parking the car and trailer. Pulled the boat back on the ramp (concrete) and reached underneath to screw in the plug. Left a dockline tied to a cleat on our 24' Classic cruiser. I didn't get very far before I was tugged to a stop. Haven't forgotten to disconnect shore power yet, and don't plan to! Hy
 
Be sure not to overload the boat too!

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Last year we towed in a 17 footer that the operators had left the plug out. It was a CC-type and they had put in the cockpit drains but had overlooked the bilge drain, went to the local waterfront pub and didn't notice the boat was sinking till the water was above the cockpit deck. The little bilge pump had killed the battery by then so the motor wouldn't start either (might have been just as well). We towed them to the nearest ramp with our little 10 footer and got there just in time, the boat sank on the ramp as they were getting their trailer. At least the powerhead stayed dry.

Worst part is it wasn't their boat... I imagine someone was REALLY pissed when he found out!!!
 
Yup, me too. I jumped in fully clothed to stick the plug in.

If you find you're filling the bilge and know for sure the plug is out, fire her up and go forward at pre plane speed. It'll suck that water right out.
 
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