Drain Plug ! WHY TAKE IT OUT AND LEAVE IT OUT?

[chifloater]

I take my drain plug out just long enough to get what little water is in there out, why do people leave them out ?? just to forget to put them back in. Am I missing something?

 

[73Trihull]

Re: Drain Plug ! WHY TAKE IT OUT AND LEAVE IT OUT?

If you store a boat outside, even covered, I would take the plug out. Otherwise you may end up with a lot of water in the boat.

I store it in the garage, so I'll unplug at the ramp and put it back in when parked in the garage. I figure any water should drain out during the ride home.

 

[gus13letter]

Re: Drain Plug ! WHY TAKE IT OUT AND LEAVE IT OUT?

Because many dont wire the bilge directly to the batteries so when the batteries are turned off the bilge pumps wont work. If the boat sits for a while and it rails a lot it can fill up with water and not be able to drain.

 

[chifloater]

Re: Drain Plug ! WHY TAKE IT OUT AND LEAVE IT OUT?

well it sits outside, but I must have a kick *** cover....with all the rain i get, my floors arent even wet.....yes my bilge pump is direct to batteries, but never herd them.....i guess im ok...thanks

 

[kenmyfam]

Re: Drain Plug ! WHY TAKE IT OUT AND LEAVE IT OUT?

Purely to drain anything in there. We lift our bow way high when we unhook from the tow vehicle and drain it right out. then lower it to a safe height. Precautionary measure. We always try to keep the water on the outside of the boat !!!!

 

[Stachi]

Re: Drain Plug ! WHY TAKE IT OUT AND LEAVE IT OUT?

I am trying to understand why removing the bilge drain plug and raising the bow is so hard to understand for some folks when your boat is on the trailer...it's a safety thing....even covered , with what ? a tarp , or even a custom made cover... ?... a branch could be blown off of a tree ,cut through your cover and swamp your boat...not to mention allowing any 'flotation' foam to drain ....maybe this is why so many older boats are crap.....

 

[RWilson2526]

Re: Drain Plug ! WHY TAKE IT OUT AND LEAVE IT OUT?

I am trying to understand why removing the bilge drain plug and raising the bow is so hard to understand for some folks when your boat is on the trailer...it's a safety thing....even covered , with what ? a tarp , or even a custom made cover... ?... a branch could be blown off of a tree ,cut through your cover and swamp your boat...not to mention allowing any 'flotation' foam to drain ....maybe this is why so many older boats are crap.....

Have to agree.....a few years ago when I bought my first boat I went to the guys house around lunch time and paid him the money but couldnt pick it up until after work. He asked me if I wanted him to put the plug in so I wouldnt lose it....said sure...well in that 4 hours I was gone they got hit with a good 1/2 hour summer thunderstorm and damn near submerged the whole motor...(on the bright side I immediately diagnosed a tear in the shift cable bellows because water was streaming out of it.) It does not take an extended period of rain to fill up the stern of the boat with 2'+ of water

With so many safety minded people and there boats its hard not to see the safety factor in taking it out when on the trailer.

 

[joed]

Re: Drain Plug ! WHY TAKE IT OUT AND LEAVE IT OUT?

I only take mine out for winter storage. It stays in all summer.

 

[oldjeep]

Re: Drain Plug ! WHY TAKE IT OUT AND LEAVE IT OUT?

I just take it out at the ramp and then put it right back in. Boat lives in a garage so rain isn't a concern.

 

[Stachi]

Re: Drain Plug ! WHY TAKE IT OUT AND LEAVE IT OUT?

Have to agree.....a few years ago when I bought my first boat I went to the guys house around lunch time and paid him the money but couldnt pick it up until after work. He asked me if I wanted him to put the plug in so I wouldnt lose it....said sure...well in that 4 hours I was gone they got hit with a good 1/2 hour summer thunderstorm and damn near submerged the whole motor...(on the bright side I immediately diagnosed a tear in the shift cable bellows because water was streaming out of it.) It does not take an extended period of rain to fill up the stern of the boat with 2'+ of water

With so many safety minded people and there boats its hard not to see the safety factor in taking it out when on the trailer.

exactly...what is the benefit of leaving it in while on the trailer ???????...not everyone has a garage or carport to tuck their baby under...

 

[ziggy]

Re: Drain Plug ! WHY TAKE IT OUT AND LEAVE IT OUT?

if ya wanna be safe, not sorry for storage.

bow high, plug out.

it ain't so hard to remember to put the plug back in when ya launch. my routine (and a routine is the key) is first thing i do at the ramp prior to launch is, put the plug in. it sits on the console of my van. i look at it all the time. wishing i had a use for it.... which when i go out boating, i do... i pull up to the prep area and grab the plug first thing out of the van... if i'm with my sweety, we talk about it to. like, yes dear, the plug is in... i also double and triple check as i'm prepping that yes, the plug is in..

the possibility of a boat load of water just ain't worth it to leave the plug in during storage.

 

[ajgraz]

Re: Drain Plug ! WHY TAKE IT OUT AND LEAVE IT OUT?

I have my plug attached to one of the stern eyes with a length of bright yellow plastic chain using a stainless split ring (key ring) at each end. It's always in the right place and I can't miss it at launch time

 

[5150abf]

Re: Drain Plug ! WHY TAKE IT OUT AND LEAVE IT OUT?

I trailer mine so the plug never ever comes out so it is impossible to miss.

 

[ovrrdrive]

Re: Drain Plug ! WHY TAKE IT OUT AND LEAVE IT OUT?

I fish saltwater so I want to get every last drop of salt water out of the bildge. I always take the plug out when the boat is loaded and put it back in on the next trip when I'm loading the boat. make it part of your routine and it's pretty easy to remember. It also helps keep the mold down in the bildge imo by letting all of the water out and providing a place for air to flow (at least a little).

To me it's hard to understand why anyone would leave it in...

 

[haulnazz15]

Re: Drain Plug ! WHY TAKE IT OUT AND LEAVE IT OUT?

My boat actually has two bilge plugs; one on the outside of the boat, and one that separates the bilge from the rest of the hull. If I pull the boat out of the water and left the plug in, all of the water from wet swimmers and skiers would remain in the hull, or in the bilge if I pulled the inside plug.

We also have a small piece of cable (think bicycle brake cable) that secures the outside plug to the bottom of the gimbal housing, so even if I somehow forgot to put the plug in, I could always jump in the water and know it was hanging right there next to the hole. Makes it easy to see when left out, you can't drop it in the water and lose it, and ensures you never forget the plug on your dash or at home!

 

[cheetah90]

Re: Drain Plug ! WHY TAKE IT OUT AND LEAVE IT OUT?

I always take mine out at the launch and throw it in the cup holder. let it breath


i have a routine when launching that seems to work pretty good.

1 unplug trailer lights
2 hop in boat grab plug turn on blower
3 remove tie down straps from back of boat and hey im bent down removing the straps with the drain hole right in my face pop it in and ready to go.

 

[Utahboatnut]

Re: Drain Plug ! WHY TAKE IT OUT AND LEAVE IT OUT?

wait till your local lake gets a quagga or zebra muscle scare, you have to certify every time you launch. You can fail a certification a number of ways including 4-5 ozs of water in the bilge. Not worth the hassle of having to get steamcleaned wait in line etc. when leaving the plug out assures me I won't have this problem. Same with the drive I know alot of people that leave them trailered up until they go to use them again. Bad Idea as that water that is still in the drive will fail you as well. Its not that hard to have the drain plug as part of your pre launch routine, you never forget you cell phone right.

 

[cheetah90]

Re: Drain Plug ! WHY TAKE IT OUT AND LEAVE IT OUT?

wait till your local lake gets a quagga or zebra muscle scare, you have to certify every time you launch. You can fail a certification a number of ways including 4-5 ozs of water in the bilge. Not worth the hassle of having to get steamcleaned wait in line etc. when leaving the plug out assures me I won't have this problem. Same with the drive I know alot of people that leave them trailered up until they go to use them again. Bad Idea as that water that is still in the drive will fail you as well. Its not that hard to have the drain plug as part of your pre launch routine, you never forget you cell phone right.

Agree,

I trim down when i get home not only to drain the drive but also take the stress of the bellows

 

[Mike Robinson]

Re: Drain Plug ! WHY TAKE IT OUT AND LEAVE IT OUT?

I take my drain plug out just long enough to get what little water is in there out, why do people leave them out ?? just to forget to put them back in. Am I missing something?

There is no advantage to leaving the plug in that I can think of.

If I decided to leave my plug in while the boat sits on my trailer on the driveway, (which I don't for reasons stated above) I would STILL be checking the plug to make sure it's there before I launched. It's possible for some one else to remove it without my knowledge or for my memory to fail.

 

[jetmart]

Re: Drain Plug ! WHY TAKE IT OUT AND LEAVE IT OUT?

I remove my plug after I pull the boat out. I then wire the plug to the hitch lock I have. ( I drilled a hole into the brass plug ) I then put the plug in the boat prior to hooking trailer to car. Can't miss it when it is hook to the lock I must unlock to get the trailer on the hitch.