2004 DAUNTLESS 220 Leaking Drains

[whalerron]

On my 2004 Dauntless 220 the two splash well drain tubes and the transom drain tube are plastic. Each is a two-piece design made of two different size plastic tubes. One half is slightly smaller in diameter than the other half. One piece is pressed into a transom hole from the outside of the boat and the other half is pressed into that hole from the inside of the boat. When the two halves meet, the smaller diameter one slides inside of the other and locks the assembly together. On my boat, Whaler did not put any sealer where the two halves slide and lock together and they have been leaking water through that joint into the wood of the transom. Although Whaler did use sealer where the drain tube flanges rest against the gelcoat, that sealer was no longer doing its job on the starboard splash well drain tube. That tube was loose enough that I could spin it around in the hole by grabbing the tube's flange with my hand and rotating the tube.

The tubes have been removed from my boat for a while now as I try to dry out the wood. I don't see or feel any rot in those three holes but the plywood there is wet.

In my boat, the drilled holes for these tubes are 1-1/4-inch in diameter. I couldn't find brass tubes of that diameter. So, I ordered new plastic ones from Sue at Twin Cities Marine.

--Ron

[jimh]

Re the two-piece drains used on many recent-vintage Boston Whaler boats: the Boston Whaler factory has recorded the method used to replace those drains and posted it on youTube. See

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zby76eoKO-I

The presentation shows the two-piece drain tube replacement. In their demonstration, they check the hole the drain will be passing through to make sure it is completely sealed against entry of water. (Scrub forward in the recording to the 1:30 mark to see this segment.)

The two-piece through-hull fittings used in the demonstration thread together; they are not a slip fit. Plenty of sealant is applied to the threads to make sure there is no way for water to leak from the drain.

[myakka]

The same [leaking] happened on my 2002 Dauntless 220. I switched to bronze from plastic [for the replacement drain].

http://www.marinesurplusinc.com/1-1-2-thru-hull-bronze-scupper/

[whalerron]

myakka--how did you finish those bronze scuppers in the splash well? Did you cut them off? If you left them as is, they would protrude into the splash well. Could you post a picture of them installed in your boat?

jimh--the tubes on that Outrage are different than the ones used in my Dauntless. See the attached picture from TH Marine:

TH Marine Splashwell Drain Tube part # SWD-4W

SplashwellDraintube.jpg (63.52 KiB) Viewed 4914 times

The two halves of that tube shown [above], press together. The larger diameter half is ribbed on the inside and the smaller diameter piece is ribbed on the outside. When the two pieces are pressed together, the ribs grab each other and the parts cannot easily be disassembled. The ribs are definitely not threads.

The tube installation video that you found bothers me in two ways:

--it shows sealant being applied where the inner piece of the tube meets the outer piece, and

--It shows sealant being applied to the wood before the tube is installed.

Neither of these things were done to my boat when the tubes were installed. Wow!

Here is TH Marine's description of the part used in my 2004 Dauntless 220

These splash well drains are molded of a high strength material that has some flex to allow for imperfect hole saw cuts and installation impacts. There are many import copies from other manufacturers, but our made in the U.S.A. splash well drain tubes will not break down from UV or chemicals. These drain tubes are far superior to other molded tubes on the market that are very susceptible to breakage. Unlike other molded tubes in the past that screwed together, these drains simply snap together and are impossible to pull apart.

This tube allows for a very simple installation with only a hole saw and a small amount of silicon sealer. The tube lip covers up raw hole saw cuts and fiberglass splinters. These parts are not only economical on a part cost basis, they also save a tremendous amount on installation time and the elimination of expensive flaring tools that are necessary for the metal drain tubes.

High strength, UV Stable polymer
Push together for secure fit
Semi flexible to prevent breakage
Available in 1" and 1-1/4" drain tube sizes
Available in black, white, and chrome plated

[Masbama]

whalerron:
I hope you are still on this board.
I am going through the same thing with my 2003 Nantucket.
A poor design led to rotted wood in my transom and I am devastated.
Chuck Bennett recommended getting wood out and filling with polyester resin but I wonder if that is good enough.
Did you ever get a transom replacement?
Thanks!
Michael