‘22 AR 250 manhole plug

[MillsyMO]

I bought the boat new a few years ago. It’s always taken on a little bit of water as in when I pull the drain plug after running it all day there’s probably about a qt of water drains out. I water tested the anchor drain hole with a garden hose running in the anchor compartment and not a drop came out of the hull plug hole as water ran out of the anchor compartment drain hole as designed. This last weekend I took the boat out for the first time this year and my starboard side manhole plug had failed so I was taking on water to the extent the bilge would kick on about every 4-5 mins. I’m thinking that manhole plug hasn’t ever worked 100% correctly since I took it apart and 3/6 plastic threaded screw nipples were broke and the pieces weren’t inside the sealed housing. This leads me to believe they’ve always been broke since the pieces weren’t there and the other 3 screws were the only thing holding it together and those 3 finally failed causing the catastrophic failure last weekend. Anyways, that’s a different story but my question is, should there be any water in the manholes after running the boat if the plugs are working correctly? Thanks

 

[CauseTheImplications]

I've seen plenty of videos on YouTube that say yes its normal. I've also seen a YouTube go-pro video from inside that access hatch while underway where the water is obviously coming in from around the plug's gasket.. so again yes it is possible that its not normal.. lol..

I've been down the rabbit hole on these plugs for a few days... seems like the answer is always yes

 

[MillsyMO]

The plug was covered under warranty and I no longer have any water in the hull when I pull the drain plug after a day on the water. The man holes are definitely full of water though when I check them. I just pull them and let the water out when I pull the boat out of the water just like I do the drain plug.

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

By man holes I’m assuming you’re talking about the clean out plugs. If you want to eliminate water coming up through the clean out plugs refer to these threads. I as well as many others have zero water coming up into the clean out plugs after installing these O rings. The biggest single anti water intrusion fix for these boats.

Thread 'Another Clean-Out Plug Thread'

Nov 20, 2023

There has been lots of discussion about water on top of the clean-out plugs and that its fairly normal. Many people believe that water gets into the inspection port area from the swim platform when stopping, etc. and it fills the clean-out access tube.

I used to subscribe to that theory as well.... until I purchased the 275SD. The inspection access covers and clean-out ports sit pretty high up off the swim-platform. You would need to stop dead from 50mph or have a 3 foot wave come over the back of the boat to get water on top of the clean-out plugs. When I first started using the boat I...

• Judge
• Replies: 248
• Forum: General Discussion

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Boat Stuff Thread 'O-Rings for Clean-Out Plug'

Jul 7, 2025

O-rings to help seal the clean-out plug(s) and prevent water from sliding past the plug. On my boat, I found that my plug was always full of water and may have been overflowing into the inspection tray. Thanks to @TeeNGee, who found that this O-ring could help better seal the plug and prevent water intrusion (Thread). Since installing this O-ring, my plugs are bone dry.

These aren’t super easy to find/buy so I bought them in bulk. I now have a BUNCH to move

$5 each, shipped to CONUS via USPS. You’ll need 1 per plug

• Spooky pantz
• Replies: 7
• Forum: Classified Ads

When the clean out plugs are leaking, the amount of water exceeds what the clean out tray drain can get rid of, to further enhance the ability of this area to not allow water into the bilge you can install a mechanical hatch riser from Jet Boat Pilot.

While the OP ran water into the anchor locker with a hose and didn’t see any water coming out of the hull, an examination of the anchor locker drain thru hull would show that the anchor drain would still add water to the bilge as this area gets submerged while on the water.

Read through this thread… my anchor locker thru hull drain posts begin at #118, and there is a couple of guys with 25’ boats that chime in after my posts.

Thread 'Replaced my anchor locker drain fitting due to leaks'

May 15, 2021

Do you have some mysterious leak in your boat and you can't figure out where it's coming from? Well, if you found this thread from a search, you're trying to track it down, and you've maybe even taken a look in there to see what people might be talking about, and if your boat is affected. My money is on EVERY one of the models that have an anchor locker drain having this issue with varying degrees, with the best situation being that the fitting juuuuuuuuuuust reaches inside the anchor locker.

I've removed the piece inside my anchor locker that would support an anchor that fits the...

• drewkaree
• Replies: 166
• Forum: Member Tips and Ideas

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