drain plug

[hullken]

there are two holes in the back of the used boat i just bought. one has a screw and a gasket and one is open. do both of these need to be plugged.

 

[5150abf]

Re: drain plug

Does this boat have a livewell or bilge pump?
Are both these holes below the water line?
I'm not sure what a "screw and gasket" is.
A drain hole should be just that, it is a hole at the very bottom center of the hull to drain water, so if one of these holes has any kind of hose attached it is either a livewell or bilge pump.
Post pics if you can and say what kind of boat we have here.

 

[jtexas]

Re: drain plug

this is a trick question, right?

if there's an open hole below the waterline of your boat, for pete's sake, man, plug it!

[Edit: ok, I thought you meant it was open on both sides - if it has a thru-hull fitting with something on the inside to collect the water for some purpose (see all the replies below), then Sorry, never mind.]

 

[marine4003]

Re: drain plug

Open hole...water....not good. Unless 2nd is for baitwell,if she has a baitwell pour water into,see which hole drains,plug remaining hole.Happy Cruising.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: drain plug

Look at it this way -- If a bucket has a hole in the bottom and you set in the lake, would it sink? Answer: Of course it will. Nearly every boat has a drain hole as low on the hull as possible. Drain plugs are available at any store that sells boating supplies. The next question you will ask is does the plug go in from the inside or outside. Most folks use a drain plug that has a brass "T" type of handle on it. Stick the plug in and turn the T to tighten it. Others use a simple flip type handle style. They can go in from either side -- whatever is easiest for you to reach. Any other holes in the stern are for live well pump intake water or washdown pump. You need to make sure there is a hose connected on the inside of the boat or you will revert to the "hole in the bucket" scenario again. The long and short of this is that you cannot have a hole in your boat that is below the water line if there is nothing to stop water from coming in on the inside of the boat.

 

[External Combustion]

Re: drain plug

You did not say what type of boat you have. We need that information to help and pictures would be even more helpful.

If your boat is an inboard, then one of the holes could be a raw water intake for your engines cooling system. If that is true then the hole (s) should not be plugged or your engine eill overheat. If this is the case then there will be a seacock just on the inside of the hull to shut it off in case of a hose breakage or other disaster.

Other reasons for a raw water intake is older head systems had them and some washdown systems have them. Some boats also have below water ports to eject bilge water and some older ones have the through hulls to empty the heads (These now have to be plugged off in most curcumstances). These also should have seacocks. If you have something like this then you should exercise the seacock several times a year to make sure they are not stuck.

What type of boat do you have?

 

[HondaPower]

Re: drain plug

If it is like my boat a Lowe Bass Catcher the open hole is connected to the live well overflow, and will not create any problems as long as the hose section going from the drain on the live well to the drain fitting in the transom is intact and is not leaking. A picture of your setup would answer the question very quickly.

 

[hullken]

Re: drain plug

tahnks everybody got it figured out.