Another Clean-Out Plug Thread

[gthorson]

I had the boat out this weekend. The cleanouts were plum full of water. I haven't yet applied the bees wax. Any chance the water passing the plugs is overflowing into the storage area, down the drains, and then is pumped out the bilge? Maybe the pesky anchor storage locker drain is getting a worse rap that it deserves?

 

[drewkaree]

I had the boat out this weekend. The cleanouts were plum full of water. I haven't yet applied the bees wax. Any chance the water passing the plugs is overflowing into the storage area, down the drains, and then is pumped out the bilge? Maybe the pesky anchor storage locker drain is getting a worse rap that it deserves?

I promise you, that anchor locker drain has a well deserved reputation. True, it may not be in every case, but it's definitely one of the first (and easiest) things to check. The drink holders would be the easiest, but least problematic, the cleanout tray would be next, the scupper would follow, the ski locker fitting, and lastly, the rub rail.

The cleanout plugs should be regular maintenance items, with additional attention to details, as they are contributors as well, but you should be touching those at least twice each outing.

 

[bobholthaus]

I have a 2020 242 SE i bought new: Last fall when I had the winterization done, the dealer rebuilt both of my plugs because they were becoming almost impossible to get out. He told me that I should take them out at every outing so that they don’t swell. He also sold me some Yamaha Marine grease to use down in there; see pic. It’s blue and appears that it will be a complete mess anytime I have to use those drain plugs to dislodge the stuff I get in there from the Mississippi river. I’m assuming the beeswax would be a little cleaner and would replace the Yamaha marine grease he suggested I use? Also, do I apply the grease/beeswax onto to the metal parts of the plug (outside edge), or do I put it on the rubber lower part as well? Thanks in advance.

Btw: anchor locker lack of draining: am I supposed to do something about that? A link to a post would be appreciated.

 

[drewkaree]

I have a 2020 242 SD i bought new: Last fall when I had the winterization done, the dealer rebuilt both of my plugs because they were becoming almost impossible to get out. He told me that I should take them out at every outing so that they don’t swell. He also sold me some Yamaha Marine grease to use down in there; see pic. It’s blue and appears that it will be a complete mess anytime I have to use those drain plugs to dislodge the stuff I get in there from the Mississippi river. I’m assuming the beeswax would be a little cleaner and would replace the Yamaha marine grease he suggested I use? Also, do I apply the grease/beeswax onto to the metal parts of the plug (outside edge), or do I put it on the rubber lower part as well? Thanks in advance.

Btw: anchor locker lack of draining: am I supposed to do something about that? A link to a post would be appreciated.

The grease is an example of "when all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail". Yes, it will work, but no, it's not the best solution. Save that grease for maintenance items on the boat where that grease is called for, it'll be more useful there.

@FSH 210 Sport has some great info on his results and where he applied it, not sure if he posted about it, but he'll see this

The anchor locker has about an inch or two of water in it, right? I remove the leftover with a sponge, takes a few seconds. It's one additional reason I think it's a stupid design and a hassle that didn't need to be created in the first place

 

[bobholthaus]

Thank you for the reply. Does anyone make a tube of beeswax that would easier to dispense/store (with a lid?) Also, how often should I be putting it on?

This is my first boat; what else should I be greasing? I’m only using it 40+ hours a year. It still looks almost brand new, ha.

I haven’t looked in my anchor locker lately. I’ll check that for water. It does seem to be wet in there at times; it’s an open drain to the front, correct? Should I cork it or something inside to keep it dry? I hardly ever use an anchor.

 

[Cobra Jet Steering LLC]

I have used bees wax forever If you want a tube of it put the ring in an old pan and warm it up until it is a liquid then use an old paper towel cardboard tube and block it off on one end, I use metal tape on and around the bottom . have the tube sitting in another container just to be safe and pour the liquid wax into the cardboard tube let it cool off and you are all set. Resembles a grease gun tube.

 

[drewkaree]

Thank you for the reply. Does anyone make a tube of beeswax that would easier to dispense/store (with a lid?) Also, how often should I be putting it on?

This is my first boat; what else should I be greasing? I’m only using it 40+ hours a year. It still looks almost brand new, ha.

I haven’t looked in my anchor locker lately. I’ll check that for water. It does seem to be wet in there at times; it’s an open drain to the front, correct? Should I cork it or something inside to keep it dry? I hardly ever use an anchor.

Amazon may make a tube, or follow Jeff's advice on how to make your own "tube". Use some gloves, and just apply it by hand when you start to feel like you need to reapply it. Your own sense of when to apply it is perfectly fine.

Find the owners manual, and see what they lay out for maintenance, they should indicate what needs greasing, when, and how often to check and reapply. Not sure what the grease is that you were sold, let us know, and we'll have a better idea. I've tried using it on my wife, but the noise hasn't stopped ??

Yes, it's an open hole to the outside. Get a look inside to see if it's a good seal, or if it looks like they drilled the hole with a .45 slug. If you have the crappy drilling and the short anchor locker drain, you won't need to ask us, it will be crystal clear. If so, there's a link in my signature line for how I addressed it. Follow the link and the steps to do the job Yamaha should have done in the first place, if they wanted to add a hole to let water into the boat

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

Thank you for the reply. Does anyone make a tube of beeswax that would easier to dispense/store (with a lid?) Also, how often should I be putting it on?

This is my first boat; what else should I be greasing? I’m only using it 40+ hours a year. It still looks almost brand new, ha.

I haven’t looked in my anchor locker lately. I’ll check that for water. It does seem to be wet in there at times; it’s an open drain to the front, correct? Should I cork it or something inside to keep it dry? I hardly ever use an anchor.

First the anchor locker … read Drew’s thread here. https://jetboaters.net/threads/replaced-my-anchor-locker-drain-fitting-due-to-leaks.32891/

I highly recommend you replace the anchor locker drain fitting with a stainless fitting. Then if you look at post #125 in that thread you’ll see the plug I use in mine most of the time. My drain is very close to the water line and I have to deal with AIS so I don’t need any lake water getting in there.

These anchor locker drains are notorious for letting water into the bilge. I took some close up pics of mine so you’ll see what’s up with that.

The toilet bowl wax works great at sealing the clean out plugs. Recently I tried it for the first time and after driving the boat hard for a hour there was zero water in the wells. Yes I packed the little trough where the seal sits with wax.

I would not put any marine grease on those clean out plugs, the wax was messy enough I can’t image what water proof grease would be like. If you want to keep them working smoothly give them a healthy dose of silicone spray once and while where the parts rotate.

If you have not done so yet buy a service manual. Lots of great maintenance stuff in there and you should have already greased the intermediate bearings, be careful, read the manual carefully.

 

[drewkaree]

One thing @FSH 210 Sport learned the hard way (sorry I caught you too late), the toilet bowl wax is fairly easy to apply, the warmth of your hand should be enough to loosen it up for application. No need to warm it up in the sun ?

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

One thing @FSH 210 Sport learned the hard way (sorry I caught you too late), the toilet bowl wax is fairly easy to apply, the warmth of your hand should be enough to loosen it up for application. No need to warm it up in the sun ?

Yesssss. It was a bit messy in my first go but hey it worked.