FORGOT PLUGS - Add me to the list

Time to add my dumb*$$ to the list. Distracted by my family, a busy boat ramp and just being out of routine, we committed the potentially catastrophic mistake.
Our scupper valve probably handle most of the water while we were traveling. The bilge worked so hard on the rest that it sacrificed itself and burnt out. It stayed alive just long enough for us to discover and insert our plugs. Scared the crap out of us.

Are you talking about the cleanout plugs or the bilge plug? Anytime I forgot to install the cleanout plugs the only issue I had was no thrust when I advanced the throttles. It would be immediately noticeable. What you're describing sounds more like a forgotten bilge plug.

Drain plugs.
The "don't ever forget these or your family will drown" plugs.

If it ever happens again keep the speed up to help drain the water until you can beach it to replace the plug.

They make a sticker that you can place by your ignition switch that remind you or you can copy this picture and place it in a very visible location
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Gym said:

Anytime I forgot to install the cleanout plugs the only issue I had was no thrust when I advanced the throttles. It would be immediately noticeable.

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Yes!
However, the worst case scenario with those is to have them in but not completely - in other words if they get stuck, not blown out, but not sealed - they will cause the bilge and engine compartment be swamped through leaks in cleanout access tubes and the hatch in a hurry!

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Bilge alarm is your friend!

You need to know that the water level is unusually high as soon as possible so you can take corrective action.

Could be plugs, could be broken cooling hose, could be broken fitting... The earliest you know, the more likely you are to save the boat!

Beachbummer said:

Bilge alarm is your friend!

You need to know that the water level is unusually high as soon as possible so you can take corrective action.

Could be plugs, could be broken cooling hose, could be broken fitting... The earliest you know, the more likely you are to save the boat!

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What are you using?
Any experience and/or recommendations that you could kindly share?

I already have a secondary bilge pump with a float switch, I suppose I could rig it to set off an alarm?

My thinking has been that I will see the stream coming out of the hull cap secondary bilge outlet, but it would be possible to overlook it.

And if the cleanout plugs failed but held on inside with the EZ locks I could still have enough thrust to keep going but could flood the bilge and engine compartment quickly, and not even notice until too late...

I think a bilge alarm maybe a really good idea.

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I wired a light and a piezo beeper from Radio Shack into the dash. It's fed from the power from the bilge float I added. I made a small plate to indicate what it lights up for.

It saved my derriere in a prior boat, so I swear by it. If it was up to me, this would be required equipment.

That's what it looks like on the boat.

(And the small red light on the green dash is how it looked on the older boat. No text on that one, just the light and buzzer, but I knew what it was for.)

Beachbummer said:

That's what it looks like on the boat.

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Great idea

I added a second, higher volume float bilge that is connected to the battery a d always on. I haven’t made he mistake yet but you can bet I’ll be adding to this sometime soon. I agree that this idea of a drain plug should be modernized.

4x15mph said:

I added a second, higher volume float bilge that is connected to the battery a d always on.

Click to expand...

This should be a sticky.

I tried the self closing drain plug that uses a ball to seal. I used it 6 times before it failed to seal and the alarm alerted me to the fact that way too much water was coming in.( I did not tell you but I also added 2x1200gph pumps, so it was keeping up quite well) I removed it to never be used again.

@Julian has a cool set up for the bilge alarm. I just followed his set up. It has not gone off yet but it is a matter of time ......

Sorry to hear that my brother, I put a automatic (750 gal) in mine. It still works with the switch but its the comfort of knowing its automatic makes a BIG difference.