Hull (Bilge) drain plug

[Barry]

Has anyone found a source for obtaining a plug for the DSII's bilge that is NOT a wine cork and NOT a plastic retrofit from D&R?

[nmelby]

On Maelstrom, we pulled the autobailer out, and used 3M 5200 to put in a piece of tubing... and a basic boat plug. It's nice because it is easy to replace, removes water quickly, and is reliable (unlike the depersia bailer was). The only problem is that when you get water in the boat while you are underway, it becomes a manual bailing situation.

I'd like to have an autobailer, like the Elvstrom or Anderson, but that part of the hull (where the original bailer was) is so thick that I haven't found any that would work. It looks like it is solid from the deck in the cockpit through to the hull in that area. Some of the boats with bilge drains on the transom must have a hole right though that thick area into the bilge to drain (mine is not one of these, as it is a very early DSII).

Still looking though... I'll keep you posted if I find anything.
-Nate

[Bob Damon]

Barry, My first DS was a II. The plug had written on it "Barton" which was an English product and they are available but if I remember correctly they were like $10 or $12 to replace. I am not sure if they are currently manufactured. I simply pulled the whole housing and replaced it with one from West Marine , whole assembly about $3 and easily found replacement plugs. Easy job to do as well. Good luck.

[etonline]

I found a plastic threaded plug with o-ring at the home supply store that threaded in.

Can't remember the size off hand.

[bkafer]

In my auto bailer, I wanted a spare plug.
A 1/2 inch standard pipe thread plug fits.
You can buy them in brass or steel and in some places in plastic.
It was a bit sloppy so I wrapped it with teflon tape . No problem.
So now that I know it fits, I'm looking for one in plastic.

These are available in steel in all hardware stores. In brass in some stores
and I'm looking for plastic now, I'll keep you posted.

The inner hull plug . I bought a 3/4 inch standard boat plug. It didn't fit. There was a plastic ring around the inside of the fitting.
I hit it with a round file and it fits perfectly.

The upper plug was a standard 1 inch boat plug, no problems with that!

[etonline]

That's what stuck in my head was 1/2" pipe thread. I couldn't find the spare in the truck.....put it someplace safe I know!!

I be very careful of steel as a cross thread would damage the threads in the bailer. Brass would be somewhat better, but plastic is the softest.

The plastic one was a little sloppy but with the o-ring it sealed tight.

[bkafer]

Lets go back to my last message.
I bought a 3/4 inch standard plug for the hole for the inner hull.
Today i put the rudder on and as you turn the rudder, it hits the plug handle. Hit it a few times and the plug pops out.
So its back to the store to get the type that just twists into place and doesn't have a handle.
In the meantime I took a piece of rubber plug , shaped it to fit the hole , put a wire thru the center of it so you can pull it out. works good and I'll put it in the box of spare parts.

[sunsetbrew]

I plugged the center stern plug in through the inside to avoid the rudder problem. Sure wish I could find a replacement for the bailer.

[talbot]

Uh, folks, the drain plug is not the place to scrimp. It's very cheap compared to almost everything else on the boat, and unlike most other things, if it fails, the boat sinks. The easiest way to avoid problems is to install a currently-manufactured drain plug, and to get a spare plug at the same time. I replaced the plug on my last boat with a bayonet-type Laser plug, and found a better screw-in for my current boat. It cost $7.95 from my local sailing store. I've had ad-hoc plugs fall out while trailering, and last week I watched a motorboat sink at a launch ramp for the same reason. If the $7.95 is a concern, buy a cheaper six-pack on the way to the water.