Another Clean-Out Plug Thread

[drewkaree]

First day on the water with the O-rings installed and no water on top of the plugs. I may buy a couple of plug rebuild kits as mine are very hard to rotate with the O-rings installed even after spraying them down with silicone. Based on how hard they were to rotate last weekend when I did a test fit, I made a tool out of 3/4” PVC that allows me to press down on the plug and rotate it with two hands. The U shape at the bottom fits on each side of the plug handle and it worked like a charm. It was a tight fit between the top of the plug tunnel so I will shave off a bit of material but I’m pretty happy with it.

View attachment 236092

Same with my plugs when I installed the O-rings today and tested. Starboard side was easier to turn, and not a problem.

Picked up 3/4 and 1/2 fittings, I think I may be going with 1/2"

How tall did you make it?

 

[WiskyDan]

I think the shaft piece was 13" long - the overall height is whatever the remaining PVC pieces added up to......

 

[JimmyB]

Another dry clean out tube! Replaced the clean out gaskets, added o-rings, applied a layer of wax, and then a little pool lube. Ran hard to test and both were bone dry. They were a little harder to remove at the end of the day so I may add a little more wax and/or lube next time. As always, a big thanks to this forum for ideas and information!

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

Another dry clean out tube! Replaced the clean out gaskets, added o-rings, applied a layer of wax, and then a little pool lube. Ran hard to test and both were bone dry. They were a little harder to remove at the end of the day so I may add a little more wax and/or lube next time. As always, a big thanks to this forum for ideas and information!

View attachment 236759

Right on!

All hail @TeeNGee LOL!

FWIW you do not need any wax. Always a good idea to lube the clean out plug seals and the new O ring. But, super important, liberally spray silicone spray into the moving parts of the clean out plug to help with installation and removal. Put your weight onto the clean out plug before you attempt to twist it and this will help too.

Stoked to hear of another success story!

 

[Spooky pantz]

Thanks to everybody that has reached out to help me offload my o-rings (bought them in bulk)! Mine is still working great and plugs are completely dry. My bilge is also dry now, so I think this was the source of one of my original leaks

 

[MattW]

I put O rings on mine this year, bone dry. They are a tight fit though, they go on easy, but they don't come off easy.
I made a tool to remove them out of a section of 1/2 inch re-bar, easy to bend, but it's only temporary.
I plan on making something out of aluminum or stainless so I can keep it on the boat.

 

[drewkaree]

I put O rings on mine this year, bone dry. They are a tight fit though, they go on easy, but they don't come off easy.
I made a tool to remove them out of a section of 1/2 inch re-bar, easy to bend, but it's only temporary.
I plan on making something out of aluminum or stainless so I can keep it on the boat.

Look up a few posts for the tool @WiskyDan devised. 1/2" PVC is the perfect size, and if you're concerned about it falling overboard, fill it completely with spray foam insulation, and it'll float

 

[WiskyDan]

After using my PVC tool the first few times I can remove the plugs without it now. Top of the plugs have been dry but I still had some water in my bilge after a few outings - maybe a few gallons. I now check the bilge after every trip and I get maybe a cup of water from the drain - way better than it used to be. I may have another intrusion point but this is light years better than what it was before the O-rings.

 

[drewkaree]

After using my PVC tool the first few times I can remove the plugs without it now. Top of the plugs have been dry but I still had some water in my bilge after a few outings - maybe a few gallons. I now check the bilge after every trip and I get maybe a cup of water from the drain - way better than it used to be. I may have another intrusion point but this is light years better than what it was before the O-rings.

Plugs are dry, so it's a good bet it's not your cleanout tray drain

Anchor locker drain? Plug it next outing for diagnostics

 

[WiskyDan]

Plugs are dry, so it's a good bet it's not your cleanout tray drain

Anchor locker drain? Plug it next outing for diagnostics

Already plugged - maybe an issue with sealing of the rub rail.......

 

[drewkaree]

Already plugged - maybe an issue with sealing of the rub rail.......

When you replaced the scupper, did you tighten down the clamps on the hose?

 

[WiskyDan]

When you replaced the scupper, did you tighten down the clamps on the hose?

Yes sir - I bought some new stainless hose clamps.

 

[anmut]

Already plugged - maybe an issue with sealing of the rub rail.......

This is where I think I'm still getting water in my boat. My rear rub rail spends a lot of time at or barely underneath the waterline even when we're not loaded for surfing, due to people standing on the transom platform when we're stopped or at the sandbar.

One of these days I'm going to put my GoPro down there and confirm.

 

[Cambo]

I sealed up my rub rail. There were gaps and you could see during assembly that they tried to use some type of adhesive to bond the lower hull to the upper. They used very little and missed by an inch. Its not hard to do ge silicone worked great.

 

[anmut]

I sealed up my rub rail. There were gaps and you could see during assembly that they tried to use some type of adhesive to bond the lower hull to the upper. They used very little and missed by an inch. Its not hard to do ge silicone worked great.

Good to know and exactly what I was thinking about doing. Might do that before winterization so it has a good long time to cure.

 

[drewkaree]

This is where I think I'm still getting water in my boat. My rear rub rail spends a lot of time at or barely underneath the waterline even when we're not loaded for surfing, due to people standing on the transom platform when we're stopped or at the sandbar.

One of these days I'm going to put my GoPro down there and confirm.

If we get the chance to meet up, I'll show you on my boat how easy it is to remove and reinstall. I know it's a bit of a gulp to tackle it at first, wondering how easy or hard it will be to do. It's one of the easier things to check, and even easier to seal up, since you're going to be covering it right back up with the rub rail.

You don't need to check the whole thing, really just the back, pull the rub rail over to the sides, and MAYBE to the rear of the tower. Anything further than that doesn't seem like it'll be cause for concern.

@WiskyDan & @anmut, have you guys checked that your rear swim platform cupholders drain out to the platform? It's eye-opening how much water can get into the bilge if those hoses aren't connected. The one that I had that wasn't connected was an absolute pain to get to, and I felt like if I had too much hose, any kink in the line would cause issues. I'm still not certain whether I'm just going to seal it up completely to avoid issues - gotta add one more cupholder to the upper swim platform, and I'll decide at that point whether or not to seal up everything, or run tees and elbows for all of them out to the drains.

 

[tdonoughue]

Given the effort to pull the tray and get visibility all the way to the back with a GoPro, I would opine that if the rub rail is suspected, given that is a highly suspect area, probably be easier to just pull the rub rail and check for/seal gaps. Worst case you find nothing and put it back on...

I only just plumbed from my back cup holders in the tub down into the bilge (having mounted my shunt near the one cup holder down by the batteries). I know I have found that wet after a rain or a spill before (and my boat stock was not plumbed on any of them, I think). I'd imagine the platform ones are the same or worse... Upside is that they go to the bilge (where there are not electronics), so that was a lower priority for me.

 

[jacoviii]

Some how I ignored this thread. So I have had cavitation since new. At 45hr I had sings of cavitation erosion on the impellers. I have done most of the other fixes to the pumps /impellers and pump Housing transom alignment. And it did mostly fix it. . I have always had the issue when coming off throttle water would push up past the manholes. But always had water sitting on top even after driving again. So water pushed past but not sucking water out when accelerating. So not sucking in air either? We'll this season I have noticed 1 not holding water. And started the rebuild. Both units had 2 or 3 broken plastic posts that the screws into.

During this rebuild I noticed that the seals didn't push down very well (poor design). So I added a spring and 2 nylon washers. This will apply more downward force.
I do plan to tryout the O-ring also.

Also a picture of the cavitation erosion.

 

[drewkaree]

Some how I ignored this thread. So I have had cavitation since new. At 45hr I had sings of cavitation erosion on the impellers. I have done most of the other fixes to the pumps /impellers and pump Housing transom alignment. And it did mostly fix it. . I have always had the issue when coming off throttle water would push up past the manholes. But always had water sitting on top even after driving again. So water pushed past but not sucking water out when accelerating. So not sucking in air either? We'll this season I have noticed 1 not holding water. And started the rebuild. Both units had 2 or 3 broken plastic posts that the screws into.

During this rebuild I noticed that the seals didn't push down very well (poor design). So I added a spring and 2 nylon washers. This will apply more downward force.
I do plan to tryout the O-ring also.

Also a picture of the cavitation erosion.

Did you replace the existing spring, or did you not even have a spring in your cleanout plug? There's one in there, but in thinking about it, I've never considered it as a potential issue.

It seemed like it was in there to allow some friction for the "SET" tab. I can honestly say I didn't think it had anything to do with the rubber skirt and the seal.

Looking forward to hearing your results on your ideas

*edit* the rubber skirts will not drain back out once water is in there for my boat - unsure of your setup. Water WILL drain when the boat rests overnight, but only down to the waterline, which is about an inch above the plugs for me.

While underway, no suction occurs, since the water is being forced past the seals. This is why the O-rings have been a success, as no water enters in the first place.

For me, at least on my starboard side, it's a godsend. Port side, I'm still dealing with intrusion, but I will be trying a 3D printed ring vs an o-ring, which will allow different heights.

If that works, I'll explain my theory at that point, and provide the STL files and possibly print some for others to test. It's a dead simple print, get the correct dimensions for the inside and outside diameters, and dial in the correct height, and/or spit out multiple heights.

The O-rings are a perfect solution for many, and a perfect starting point for those like myself, where it's just a frog's hair too much (or not enough), to solve one of the final puzzle pieces to get a dry bilge