Compartment Drain Plugs?

[cane.mba]

Did my first oil change / spark plug replacement today and noticed several different compartment drain plugs. Do you leave these various plugs in while on the water, so that if there is a major leak it's compartmentalized? Do you chose option two, do you leave them out so water can move back and out of the boat?

 

[maboat]

Simple rule:

Boat IN water = all plugs IN
Boat OUT of water = all plugs OUT

 

[Gym]

There was a member on the other site that left his out while in the water. He had a clean out plug blow which quickly filled his boat with water. He made a quick dash to shore and found the water was half way up on his engines and his ski locker was quite full. If he had his plugs in all of the water would have stayed in the engine compartment and ruined both engines.

I leave my plugs out so if a compartment gets water, and we know that usually means the engine compartment, the water will equalize to the other compartments giving you more time to address the problem and making the boat easier to handle.

 

[davel501]

I just don't see that 1/2" hole moving enough water to save anybody's engines compared to what the engines can pump into the boat if things are really bad. Sounds like the guy nearly swamped his boat or worse by not taking care of a serious situation right away.

I think the big question is if your insurance covers the damage if the plugs are not all in.

 

[txav8r]

There was a member on the other site that left his out while in the water. He had a clean out plug blow which quickly filled his boat with water. He made a quick dash to shore and found the water was half way up on his engines and his ski locker was quite full. If he had his plugs in all of the water would have stayed in the engine compartment and ruined both engines.

I leave my plugs out so if a compartment gets water, and we know that usually means the engine compartment, the water will equalize to the other compartments giving you more time to address the problem and making the boat easier to handle.

I disagree with the analysis that member made of the situation Jim. I do because all the water in the ski locker and forward of the engines is now trapped and not able to be drained quickly or easily. The issue he had was continuing to run his boat with a blown plug, which was continuing to pump water into his boat rapidly at speed. If he had plugs in, then his boat would have cruised at a greater speed and the bilge pump would have been in play for 98% of the water in the boat, not only 25% of it. This is how Yamaha designed it to work. I'm not saying everything they say or do is perfect, but in this case, my own personal opinion is that your better off with compartments separated than joined on the water.

 

[Addicted]

I know the majority opinion on here is to leave them in while on the water, and I believe I even read it in the manual. I am unable to wrap my head around the benefit of leaving them in. I have heard the argument, and read Mel's post above, and I am not arguing the point, but I am just not seeing it, so they stay out for me. There is constantly water in my boat from ballast bags, people getting in and out, the occasional water over the bow, and wet toys in the ski locker. With the plugs in, none of the water that ends up in the ski locker will drain. It will fill the fuel tank compartment, and then back up into the ski locker, and you carry that water all day. With the plugs out, that water drains to the bilge and is pumped out. I realize that we have a scuppered deck, and I love that benefit of this boat. However, like we all know, there is still plenty of water that travels down before out.

Mel, I am not understanding your comment above regarding the plugs being in. How does leaving the plugs out only allow the bilge to pump 25% of the water? Honestly not arguing with your thought process, just trying to understand your theory. Like I said, your opinion seems to be the majority here, so I am trying to understand it. It is possible that I am doing it wrong, but logic always prevails for me. The bottom line is Yamaha put them there for a reason.

 

[maboat]

Ideally, the ski locker would have a one-way drain, but alas it does not. The issue with leaving the plug out is more of a safety issue in the case of some other leak in the hull. You don't want excess water in the bilge to be able to backfill into the ski locker and other compartments. For safety in the case of some breech you want to keep water compartmentalized. The less places water can go, the more likely you will stay afloat.

 

[Addicted]

I am not sure I agree. Yes, plugs in will compartmentalize the water. However, this is not the same as a large ship. A large ship is compartmentalized so that the compartment can be completely filled without compromising the boat. Therefore once that compartment is filled, the leak is in turn contained. With our boat, if you have a breech, the water continues to come in until the boat sinks. There is no way to contain the leak with the plugs. What does happen however is you have less time until your motors/electrical becomes disabled. When you have a breech, typically an alert boater will realize that something is wrong when the boat gets heavy and you notice the handling characteristics, or the sit of the boat change, and you will trouble shoot. No plugs simply give you more time.

With a truly compartmentalized boat, it is a no brainer. Our boats are not compartmentalized and a breech simply sinks the boat if not contained. I still do not see how installing our plugs helps this situation.

 

[BoaterGuy]

Where do all of the drains lead? I know the fuel drains to the engine compartment. What about the ski locker and engine compartment?

 

[Addicted]

Where do all of the drains lead? I know the fuel drains to the engine compartment. What about the ski locker and engine compartment?

The ski locker drains to the fuel tank.

 

[jetboater4life]

Ideally, the ski locker would have a one-way drain, but alas it does not.

You might be on to something here. Time to do some googling.

 

[Boat Crazy]

I guess all boats are not drained the same. 2010 AR240: helm storage drains to ski locker. Ski locker to center of engine compartment to rear of engine compartment to bilge. Fuel tank to front of engine compartment then through drain in that compartment to bilge.

 

[Boat Crazy]

There must have a built up ridge between the ski locker and engine compartment since it takes some time for the water to get from ski locker to engine compartment.

 

[maboat]

No plugs simply give you more time.

I know you're trying to think this through, so lets think about this:
How does no plugs give you MORE time?
If, as you say, a hull breech is going to sink the boat either way, then certainly having plugs out is going to speed up the process, right?

Perhaps you're thinking that you have more time before water fills the engine compartment and kills the engines? If the whole boat is going to sink either way, then who cares about the engines? Wouldn't you prefer to stay afloat as long as possible?

Perhaps you're thinking that having a little more time with the engines running will get you closer to shore? Consider all that extra water from all those open compartments will rush to the back of the boat (where the engines are) while you are racing to get back to shore. Now the engines are flooded AND you are sinking faster with all the plugs out AND its probably too much water for the bilge pump to keep up.

Compartments don't have to be sealed air-tight at the top to be effective. Consider how removing the clean-out plugs doesn't sink the boat. Those clean-out tubes are a "compartment" to contain the water and they are open at the top.

 

[Glassman]

hmmmm, this looks like it has all the makin's of a good thread...I'll just cozy on up here with ma coffee and see how it boils down.

 

[BoaterGuy]

I think the whole argument is conditional... hitting a rock and cracking the hull has a different outcome from flooding the engine compartment with water due to a blow out. You can argue either way. The blow out will not necessarily cause you to sink no matter what.

 

[maboat]

I think the whole argument is conditional... hitting a rock and cracking the hull has a different outcome from flooding the engine compartment with water due to a blow out. You can argue either way. The blow out will not necessarily cause you to sink no matter what.

Agree. I forgot to use my standard line which is always "it depends"

And hitting a rock (or stump) will not necessarily cause you to sink no matter what. Maybe @scokill will chime in. He hit a stump that put a huge hole in the hull and he motored back to shore somehow. Who wants to take bets on if his plugs were in or not?

 

[Glassman]

I got a buck on IN.

(disclaimer, I have $100 on "He didn't even think about plugs!)

 

[Lspeedss]

Damn interesting topic here.
I thought that these all drain from the sub bilge compartments to the true bilge.. directly. The bilge pump, In the stock location, is pumping only fluids from the sub bilge..right underneath the engines. If you do not have your sub bilge plugs open you will have to wait for accumulated water to build above the ribs at each compartment before it would hit the pump to escape the boat. Which is better? Earlier to the bilge or a lot at one time.? In what I understand if you had a serious hull breach.. it would not matter. Our sub hull are not sealed at the top. Say you have all sub compartment plugs in place. If enough water comes in and can not get pumped out, say it gets deep enough in the true bilge to run over the ski locker compartment wall into that compartment you have I ton of water in the boat that has not even hit the pump. Imagine filling the sink with water and slowly pushing a drinking glass down into it.glass stays dry until you push down far enough to were water rushes over the rim. Fills up very fast.. Versus with the plugs out your bilge pump can address the leak earlier.maybe you would notice the bilge running earlier. Hence at 500 gallons a hour pumping capacity on stock pump..with plugs out you can address a leak at that capacity without issue..hypothetically with the compartment plugs in at the same leak rate you would have 1000 gallons of water already on board before you had any overtake the sub wall and start pumping at 500 gph. If the leak is at the same rate you will be able to address all over that 1000 gal. Maybe the latter is better as maybe you notice the boat sitting lower or feeling heavy prior to the bilge pump firing up.?
Either way 500 gph leak.. you should be able to save the boat. Any leak larger than that..your chances go down no matter what. Of course decreasing as the hull breach size is increased.
Thoughts?

 

[Boat Crazy]

Where is BuckBuck1 when you need him. "The sub move master" these boats will hold a lot of water and I do not know if they would totally sink. When in doubt, do what the book says: in when in water out when out of water.