bilge drain installation

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bilge drain installation

Postby asabatelli » Sat Jul 27, 2013 12:42 pm

I'm finally going to install a bilge drain plug in my DSII (it never came with one, and I'm tired of hand-pumping). I have the part from DR. Anyone who's done this have any advice? The drain measures just under 1" in diameter... What size hole did you drill?

My thinking is, drill in using 1" drill bit, careful not to hit the self bailer where it comes down. Let it drain/dry out. Goop the hole with 3M 5200. Push in the new plug and attach with small stainless screws (first drilling small pilot holes). Sound right?

Thanks for any assistance,
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Re: bilge drain installation

Postby asabatelli » Sun Jul 28, 2013 5:48 pm

So I drilled in with a 15/16 bit, and only went through about 2/3" of glass before I came to a gap and some water leaking out. There's a gap of about 1/2" between the glass and wood. Have I gone in far enough, or do I need to go through the wood as well?? :roll: Some water is coming out, but it doesn't seem like enough...?? If I stick my finger into the hole, I touch wood less than an inch in. Looking down from above, I'm well short of the self bailer (not even through the width of the stern)... Any thoughts appreciated!

I guess another way of asking this question is: if you stick your finger into your bilge drain plug, how far should it go.....? :?
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Re: bilge drain installation

Postby Breakin Wind » Sun Jul 28, 2013 6:38 pm

Hello asabatelli,

My DSII apparently (at some point) had a bildge drain at the bottom center of the transom. Also apparently (because there is now a plug in the original hole) at some point it was moved about 1/2 way out to basically the waterline on the transom.

1271

Not sure why, but I've wondered if, because of the location of the self bailer, if the lower location wasn't maybe prone to getting plugged more readily? I have no idea, all I know is it looks like it was moved. In it's current location, I can stick my finder or even a pencil in and it hits nothing. With the plug in, and the boat floating at the dock, this drain plug is actually out of the water so even if it were to leak at some future point, it won't take in much water while docked.

I know this doesn't help you in your current situation, and I'm sorry I wasn't able to answer sooner to perhaps suggest you would want to put the bilge plug out a little further. Maybe others can offer clarification that will be more useful.

Good Luck! - Scott
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Re: bilge drain installation

Postby Thomasjbrothersjr » Sun Jul 28, 2013 6:45 pm

Over the spring I had a bilge drain put in professionally, not to say I couldn't have done it myself but he has a history of working on O'Days. It was placed off center, and just at the waterline. He explained that the fiberglass work supporting the deck around the cockpit drain there was solid in parts. I didn't like the way I was off center for sure. If you look back at my previous posts THE TRANSFORMATION OF THE KALEIGH B you will see he also installed a huge inspection port in the deck in that location and had GREAT ACCESS while installing the drain. As he was installing it he wanted to make sure he was right and had Rudy from D&R come over and take a peek.

As far as how far I can stick my finger in it... All the way. I have even put an electrical snake in to make sure we were clear after taking on a bunch of water while my forward inspection ports were out.

Breakin' Wind and I have exactly the same story going on with the drains, although the original on mine was filled in.
"It's not the towering sail, but the unseen wind that moves the ship"

1983 O'Day Daysailer II "KALEIGH B"
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Re: bilge drain installation

Postby asabatelli » Sun Jul 28, 2013 6:56 pm

Thanks, I ended up drilling in a bit farther, into the wood, with a smaller drill bit and unfortunately ended up with the drill going into the interior of the boat itself ( I looked over the transom, and there was the drill bit sticking out)!! I guess there was no need to drill through the plywood, after all. Interestingly, I'm at the absolute lowest point I can possibly drill, so if I drilled any lower, I would have come out the bottom of the boat. Fortunately, I drilled in with a small drill bit, and it will be an easy patch job.

I am wondering if the DSIIs had different hull designs in there derrieres.?? I've read on other posts that some have drilled in as far as 2 1/4 inches trying to install a drill plug, and others have mentioned being careful not to hit the self bailer. I just don't see this as a possibility on my boat.

The gap between glass and wood is about 1/2" and water does seem to be, albeit slowly, coming down that channel and out the hole I drilled, though still not sure if the bilge is draining fast enough (maybe that explains what I've read, and now see in your picture about some drains being moved starboard or port...) Interesting, too, that you hit nothing when sticking fingers/pencils in, as on mine, you'd hit wood in 1/2" (if I hadn't kept drilling....)

The mystery of the bilge drain continues.... :lol:
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Re: bilge drain installation

Postby asabatelli » Sun Jul 28, 2013 6:59 pm

Thanks Thomasjbrothersjr-- it's making more and more sense to put the drain off center and higher up... I may, yet, end up with one of those DSII's, like Scott's, with a plugged up bilge drain at the lowest point....
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Re: bilge drain installation

Postby Alan » Sun Jul 28, 2013 7:44 pm

asabatelli,

I've got exactly the same situation as Scott and Thomasjbrothersjr, and I'm pretty sure I've read of it in other DSIIs. There's a patched-over round hole, just big enough for a drain plug, in the bottom center of the transom. The drain plug is to starboard, in the same location as Scott's. It will flow a fast-moving stream of water the same diameter as the drain hole when the front of the boat is jacked up and there's a lot of water in the bilge. I can put a screwdriver 4 inches into it without hitting anything.

The reason my drain plug (and probably Scott's) is so far to starboard is that the hole goes into the hollow space under the seat (as close to the center of the boat as possible). I'm guessing that on at least some DSIIs (mine's a 1980) there just wasn't enough space between the hull and cockpit moldings for a drain plug between the seats.

If your boat's like mine (and probably Scott's), I'd recommend that you join the DSII Patched Transom Fleet and put your drain hole into the space under the seat.
Alan
 
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Re: bilge drain installation

Postby Thomasjbrothersjr » Sun Jul 28, 2013 11:42 pm

Location of my bilge drain.

TBone
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"It's not the towering sail, but the unseen wind that moves the ship"

1983 O'Day Daysailer II "KALEIGH B"
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Re: bilge drain installation

Postby Alan » Sun Jul 28, 2013 11:54 pm

Aha! Just as we thought...

TBone, looks to me like your drain plug is located just far enough to starboard to open into the space below the seat.

For anyone who doesn't have a DSII (or who hasn't spent a lot of time peering into its innards with a flashlight and inspection mirror, or a digital camera), the space below the seat is part of the airspace between the hull and deck moldings. The airspace in question includes the bilge.
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Re: bilge drain installation

Postby jdoorly » Mon Jul 29, 2013 12:49 am

My DS2 is a 1973 and my transom drain is on centerline and low in the "V" and works fine. I can understand that when fitting the deck to the hull that a little too much goop in the wrong place could prevent the drain from operating. The only negative trade-off with this fix is you might not drain ALL the water out and of course you wouldn't know it unless you looked in the inspection ports.
DS2 #6408 "Desperado"
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Re: bilge drain installation

Postby TIM WEBB » Mon Jul 29, 2013 10:39 pm

'79 DS2, and the bilge drain is right smack in the center. Drains just fine, but sometimes have to stick a screwdriver or some such thing in there to clear away the muddobber nests or what have you. I can see the bailer "tube" with an LED light shone in there. Most of what works it's way down to the drain is broken off bits of foam from the floatation under the seats ...
Tim Webb
1979 DS2 10099 The Red Witch
(I used to be Her "staff", in the way dogs have owners and cats have staff, but alas no longer ... <pout>)
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Re: bilge drain installation

Postby jeadstx » Tue Jul 30, 2013 2:02 pm

My 76 DS2 has the drain in the center. Never had a problem with it draining for those times when I have had water in the bilge. I have seen some DS2's with two drains offset from center, one to each side. Those were on the water line.

John
1976 Day Sailer II, #8075 - Completed the 2011, 2012, and 2013 Texas 200
1952 Beetle Boat Swan Catboat
Early Rhodes 19
1973 Mariner 2+2, #2607 - Completed 2014, 2015 and 2016 Texas 200
1969 Day Sailer I, #3229
Fleet 135; Canyon Lake, Texas
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Re: bilge drain installation

Postby Don » Tue Jul 14, 2020 11:58 pm

I have a 74 ds2 with bilge drains at the waterline on each side of transom. I will be at a dock. If I plug these drains to keep out passing waves I will then need to hand bail from some point. Any suggestions?
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Re: bilge drain installation

Postby GreenLake » Wed Jul 15, 2020 12:58 am

If passing waves can get in, do they drain back out?
~ green ~ lake ~ ~
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Re: bilge drain installation

Postby Alan » Wed Jul 15, 2020 11:48 am

GL wrote:
If passing waves can get in, do they drain back out?


If they come in over the sides or transom because the drains are plugged, the water will either sit in the cockpit or seep down past the inspection ports into the bilge. If they come in through the transom drains, the water will run directly into the lowest point of the bilge, which is about where the mast (or mast compression post) rests on the keelson.

To remove it, I've used a hand pump meant for kayaking with a hose on the suction end, extended into the bilge through one of the inspection ports behind the cuddy bulkhead. Another alternative, if the boat is on its trailer, is to raise the front of the trailer high enough that the transom drain hole is lower than the bilge.
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