Maiden voyage and plug issues

[96Pirate]

So I took her out on her maiden voyage tonight and experienced problems with getting the plugs seated and locking. Every 10 minutes or so she would cavitate and I would check on the starboard plug and it would be loose. But I was never able to get it fully seated. So looks like I will be taking @Julian advice and get the plug rebuild kits. Unless any other ideas. I noticed what could be gunk where the plug seats. Should that area be cleaned maybe? Would that cause the plugs to not seat? I will take pics of the opening and the plugs tomorrow.

Thanks!

 

[Kelso]

Definitely try to get the plugs and their seats as clean as possible. Maybe that kept it from fully engaging into its seat???

 

[Andy S]

Swap the plug locations and see if the non- seating plug moves. If the non - seating plug is always on the starboard side then there is something wrong with the tube. Could be junk in the tube slot where the ears of the plug engage to lock. If the non - seating plug moves, always the same plug, then you have to rebuild your plug.

 

[Julian]

What @andy07sx230ho said....but clean out the bottom rim of the plugs anyway....focusing on where the dogs plug in. But yeah....order the manhole cover repair kit while you are at it!

 

[Murf'n'surf]

Lock and unlock your plugs while holding them outside of the clean out ports. Do they lock and unlock? Compare the two plugs to one another.....any bulges or abnormalities?

 

[96Pirate]

I will try all these tomorrow. It didn't seem like the plug would come all the way out of the tube. I didn' try to force it but should it or do I need to remove the cover with all the screws?

 

[Murf'n'surf]

Your plugs should pull right out with ease after pressing the unlock button.

 

[Murf'n'surf]

If not you can use a 2x4 and piece of rope to force the plug up and out.

 

[txav8r]

Also, if the plug lower shell halves are swollen, then any gunk or corrosion in the aluminum neck below the seat and recess where the dogs lock in, will prevent the plug from seating all the way and if it doesn't, it is impossible to seat it and lock it correctly. The easy way is to rebuild them. You get a new rubber seal/gasket and the lower half of the plug which is made of ABS plastic, and it is easily distorted in shape by fuels and oils...and any swelling will corrupt the seating and locking of the plug. It is fixable!

 

[Gym]

I just cleaned my tubes out today. Take some sandpaper and sand the metal part of the tube where the plug seats. Then take a small screw driver and clean the two slots the dogs lock into. After that rinse the dust out and see if the plugs fit better.

 

[jetboater4life]

I will try all these tomorrow. It didn't seem like the plug would come all the way out of the tube. I didn' try to force it but should it or do I need to remove the cover with all the screws?

I think your referring to the white part of the cover that inserts into the black tube. This happened to me where the white part got deformed a little and the plug wouldn't come all the way out. I was able to fix it by shaping the white part with one hand while I pulled the plug up. Then I left the plug in the top of the hole for a while and then the white cover went back to the right shape (a circle). It's still a tight fit but is better than taking all the screws out and pulling the cover off.

 

[davel501]

I think your referring to the white part of the cover that inserts into the black tube. This happened to me where the white part got deformed a little and the plug wouldn't come all the way out. I was able to fix it by shaping the white part with one hand while I pulled the plug up. Then I left the plug in the top of the hole for a while and then the white cover went back to the right shape (a circle). It's still a tight fit but is better than taking all the screws out and pulling the cover off.

It sounds like the top of the cleanout tube is messed up. You can get to that from the inspection hatch without removing the whole cover. Removing that cover leads to putting the cover back in and stripping all that silicone is a total pain.

 

[jetboater4life]

@davel501 are you referring to my cleanout tube or his?

 

[davel501]

Both if neither of you can get the plugs out. It might be the ring holding the tube to the tray is over tightened.

 

[96Pirate]

The plugs came out fine. Starboard was a bit tight coming through the white trim but port came out easy. Plugs look like they lock fine. The tubes look really gunked up. I will be sanding the tubes tommorow and switching the plugs around. That is all I was able to do today. Out shopping all day for vests, tubes and other things.

 

[jetboater4life]

I can get mine in and out with some precision. It's a snug fit but isn't difficult. Mine was due to the white trim part being deformed by someone using a screw driver to pry it back to get a plug out and one point. If it becomes a problem in the future I'll check the large hose clamp on the tube holding it to the white trim.

 

[96Pirate]

So I sanded the tubes pretty good. I switched the plugs around and the port plug does work on the starboard side. The starboard plug would not lock on either side. So I just ordered the rebuild kits for both this morning but ETA is early June. So I need to find away to lock the plug so I can get out this weekend. I am thinking about sanding the plug down a little. My thought is that if they swelled well maybe removing a slight amount of material may correct it. I cleaned the grooves out but there was a good amount of silicone, for waterproofing between the plactic tube and metal cylinder I assume. I didn't want to remove too much of that but it felt clear enough for the dogs to expand.

I installed my Cobra EZ Locks so once I can get them to lock I should be ok. Just need a quick fix for this weekend. Thoughts/ideas?

 

[davel501]

Sanding them down used to be the only fix and you have the bottom halves on the way so I say go for it. Just be careful, they aren't more than an 1/8" thick if that.

 

[Andy S]

Before I do anymore sanding I would install both plugs and check the seating depth, from the top of the aluminum tube to the top of the plug. If your bad plug (starboard) sits down as far as the good plug then you don't need to sand the bottom of the plug. This would tell me that for some reason the dog ears are not able to fully extend into the slots in the aluminum tube. Since the problem stays with the same plug then the problem seems to be with the bad plug dog ears not fitting into the slots.

 

[Andy S]

Checkout one of @JetBoatPilot videos on plugs,