Sealing Bilge Drain Plug Housing

[inAjet]

Hi All,

Need some advice. The other day when putting in the bilge drain plug in my 2000 Sea Ray 185 BR I noticed that the screws holding the drain plug housing in place were loose, and that the housing itself was turning. As we were about to hit the water, I tightened the screws and off we went. Today I removed the housing and cleaned it up. The transom looked to be in pretty good shape through the opening (attached photo).

Just wondering how best to re-seal the housing. I've heard that 3M 5200 is the best way to go, but it also sounds very permanent - maybe too permanent, in case you ever had to replace the housing. What other product would you recommend?

Also, when applying the sealant, is it adequate to apply around the opening through the transom and then around the plate, or does it have to be applied from the inside as well? This would mean pulling the motor. I also noticed that the screws used to fasten the housing went right through the transom and came out the other side. Is this normal? Assuming some moisture was able to enter the screw holes while the screws were loose, what's the best thing to do now to ensure I'm not trapping any moisture inside?

Many thanks in advance for any guidance!

 

[alldodge]

Boat sounds like it spends its life on the trailer. This would be good so far as least amount of water getting soaked into the transom

Drill the screw holes larger to see how far moisture has gotten in. Even if it breaks thru into the center.

Once you have dry wood, use some marine-tex and fill in the holes. Make something to keep most out of the middle

When dry, sand smooth and redrill holes.

Do use 3M 5200 because this should never need to be removed unless the transom needs to be rebuilt. 5200 is listed as permanent, but it just means its much harder to remove

 

[inAjet]

Thanks for the great advice, alldodge. You are correct that it is a trailered boat, so doesn't spend a lot of time in the water. I suspect it only did one or two trips with the screws slightly loose. The screws still have a lot of grab in the holes, so I don't think there's any rot in there. Do you think I can get through the summer with some silicon sealant and the screws in the existing holes, then doing the full repair in the off-season?

 

[Scott Danforth]

nothing is permanent. you can use 3M 4000 UV, 4200 or 5200

sillycone has no place on a boat, much less under the water.

 

[alldodge]

To add, silicone leaves residue which doesn't all come off. If anything else, get some 5200, put it all around the hole and put original screws back in. It should keep it sealed for a long time

 

[inAjet]

OK, got it - no sillycone! Thanks for the great advice, alldodge and Scott. I've got my tube of 5200 and am ready to go. Looking forward to getting the boat back in the water. With the garboard drain plug housing and associated screws removed for a few days of warm weather on the West Coast, hopefully whatever little bit of moisture that may have gotten in there was able to dry out.