MONTAUK: Drain Tubes - Moderated Discussion Areas

  ContinuousWave
  Whaler
  Moderated Discussion Areas
  ContinuousWave: The Whaler GAM or General Area
  MONTAUK: Drain Tubes

search | FAQ | profile | register | author help

Author Topic:   MONTAUK: Drain Tubes

jcdawg83 posted 07-09-2012 11:22 AM ET (US)
I know this has been asked before, but I want to be sure. I have a Montauk, a 1977 with a 90hp 4cyl Evinrude. If I leave it tied at a dock for an exteded period, say 2 weeks, should I leave the plug in or out? I know it won't sink, but is it a good idea to leave water in the bottom of the boat for that long? When I pull the plug, water comes up to the back of the gas tank under the rps seat. Would I be better off leaving the boat dry inside? I cannot imagine having enough rain to actually sink the boat.
martyn1075 posted 07-09-2012 01:11 PM ET (US)
Either way which is not a problem for your whaler short term will collect water which is inevitable especially if it rains. The best solution is a mooring cover for short term but in your case slightly longer term storage then you don't have to worry. Let it rain all it wants its not likely getting in or if its sunny great even better you can provide a good shade to the protect your boat from UV damage and oxidation which I find happens quite quickly in the hot sun. Typical to get one side blasted more than other as well.
If you don't want to use a cover for whatever reason then I wouldn't worry about if for a two week period and I would leave the plug in. If the forecast is rain for a week straight I would get a cover but thats just me.
Martyn
Dave Sutton posted 07-09-2012 01:56 PM ET (US)
Boston Whaler factory advice for Montauk's at a mooring was to leave the plug out. They flood a few inches of the aft area (motor weight keeps them transom low when at a mooring), and you simply run for a minute and then stick the plug back in to vacate the water (they assumed no bilge pump installed).
Alternative? Leave the plug IN and you will either find a dry boat (no rain) or a boat filled to the gunwales with water(rain over months of time).
Pick your poison. One way guarantees a few gallons, another way is a crapshoot based on weather. It's not really that critical for short periods of time.

Dave

.
andygere posted 07-09-2012 03:10 PM ET (US)
If you can move some weight towards the bow when it's on the mooring, you'll minimize the amount of water that pools in the stern area. Putting the fuel tanks in front of the cooler seat is one way to do this, although a bit inconvenient. If it rains a lot where you'll moor the boat, I'd leave the plug out.
swist posted 07-09-2012 06:39 PM ET (US)
Maybe you can't do this with older Montauks, but I have a small bilge pump in the well at the back of my 2004 Montauk 170 (came with the boat). I keep the plug in and the pump takes care of any rainwater.
I did leave the plug out once (and disabled the pump) and was not impressed with the mess in the boat with saltwater sitting there for days. But perhaps in clean freshwater that is less of an issue.
Teak Oil posted 07-09-2012 09:19 PM ET (US)
In some freshwater you can leave unpainted fiberglass for weeks and get no growth at all, and in some (like the Saginaw River) you would have some pretty funky growth inside your boat in two weeks.
I could not imagine keeping my boat in the sun without a good fitting mooring cover to keep the rain out along with the sun.
jimh posted 07-09-2012 10:02 PM ET (US)
Boston Whaler figured there would be some questions about how to handle the drain tubes, so they dedicated a whole section of the owner's manual to that topic:
http://continuouswave.com/whaler/reference/manual9-17/operations. html#drainTubes
swist posted 07-10-2012 09:28 AM ET (US)
Thanks for the reference. I guess the optional pump mentioned on 17' models has now become standard.
When I came to rely on the pump, I was concerned about battery drain, but it appears that the current draw of the standard (Rule) pump is not significant enough to have any noticeable affect on a fully-charged battery even during a particularly rainy period.
Having said that, I would be more leery of depending on this system in areas subject to tropical downpours or 5-inches-in-15-minutes thunderstorms (both rare in the Northeast). It is also clearly not the system of choice if the boat is unattended for long poeriods.
An ideal system would open the drain if the pump failed to operate, but I'd like to see how that would be done, given that, by definition, you couldn't use battery power.
conch posted 07-10-2012 10:01 AM ET (US)
My 27 foot hull drains thru two always open 3 inch drain tubes in the transom if the lower mounted bilge pump fails to operate or cannot keep up with the amount of water.
Chuck
swist posted 07-10-2012 10:50 AM ET (US)
That's because your cockpit sole is above the waterline. Not on option on the smaller Whalers.
jcdawg83 posted 07-10-2012 02:09 PM ET (US)
Here is an update for anyone who cares. I left the plug out and returned the next day to find the boat with about 10" of water in the stern. Apparently, I have quite a bit of weight more than what is expected in the boat. The boat has a '99 90hp Evinrude, a full gas tank (approx 25 gals), a single battery under the console, a Fishmaster t-top, and an oil tank in the rear corner (2 gals). I know the boat won't sink, I left it overnight, but I think I will keep the plug in from now on.
When I bought the boat, it had a bilge pump mounted in the floor well/tunnel area at the rear; now I know why. I removed the pump because I was concerned about battery drain and had confidence in the unsinkable nature of the boat. I still have the confidence, but the aggravation of getting that much water out of the boat is not worth leaving the plug out at the dock. Unless we have a tropical storm type event, I can't imagine that much water accumulating in the boat as I will never leave it unattended for more than a couple of days.
I agree a mooring cover is the best idea, but with the t-top, putting the cover on requires me to lower the t-top and that is a lot of trouble unless I'm storing the boat for a long period of time.
Teak Oil posted 07-10-2012 04:32 PM ET (US)
That is the same amount of water I used to get in my Montauk with the plug out, it's normal.
I would just put it on a trailer if you are going to be away for a long time
L H G posted 07-10-2012 06:28 PM ET (US)
I never leave the plug out in my Whalers, and I would not do in the Montauk either. Install a bilge pump of your choice and let it do the work, keeping the boat floor and rigging tunnel dry. I do not want the scum. algea and dirty water sitting on the boat floor and in the rigging tunnel.
In mine I installed a very compact Rule 500 GPH automatic, which checks for water every 3 minutes, and the current drain is minimal.
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v429/lgoltz/Montauk%2017/?action=view& current=Scan_Pic0008.jpg
swist posted 07-11-2012 09:05 AM ET (US)
I can corroborqate Larry's experience. I have the same pump - it runs seemingly forever on a charged battery. Some actual data - we had one of our not-so-unusual-for-Maine complete week washouts one of the past Summers - the battery voltage showed no noticeable drop after a week of rain, and indeed the engine cranked at the same speed it always did.
swist posted 07-11-2012 09:07 AM ET (US)
Note that "corroborqate" is a special form of "corroborate" used when agreeing with LHG.
jcdawg83 posted 07-11-2012 10:59 AM ET (US)
Thanks to everyone for the input. I guess I will have to live with the water in the boat, or leave the plug in. The boat will only be in the water for a couple of weeks, so it's not too big of a deal for me to check on it after any rain events.
Of course, the best solution would be for me to buy a bigger whaler, say a classic Outrage 18 that is truly self bailing. Maybe this can be my argument for a new boat to my wife?

Hop to:

Contact Us | RETURN to ContinuousWave Top Page

Powered by: Ultimate Bulletin Board, Freeware Version 2000
Purchase our Licensed Version- which adds many more features!
© Infopop Corporation (formerly Madrona Park, Inc.), 1998 - 2000.

Author	Topic: MONTAUK: Drain Tubes
jcdawg83	posted 07-09-2012 11:22 AM ET (US) I know this has been asked before, but I want to be sure. I have a Montauk, a 1977 with a 90hp 4cyl Evinrude. If I leave it tied at a dock for an exteded period, say 2 weeks, should I leave the plug in or out? I know it won't sink, but is it a good idea to leave water in the bottom of the boat for that long? When I pull the plug, water comes up to the back of the gas tank under the rps seat. Would I be better off leaving the boat dry inside? I cannot imagine having enough rain to actually sink the boat.
martyn1075	posted 07-09-2012 01:11 PM ET (US) Either way which is not a problem for your whaler short term will collect water which is inevitable especially if it rains. The best solution is a mooring cover for short term but in your case slightly longer term storage then you don't have to worry. Let it rain all it wants its not likely getting in or if its sunny great even better you can provide a good shade to the protect your boat from UV damage and oxidation which I find happens quite quickly in the hot sun. Typical to get one side blasted more than other as well. If you don't want to use a cover for whatever reason then I wouldn't worry about if for a two week period and I would leave the plug in. If the forecast is rain for a week straight I would get a cover but thats just me. Martyn
Dave Sutton	posted 07-09-2012 01:56 PM ET (US) Boston Whaler factory advice for Montauk's at a mooring was to leave the plug out. They flood a few inches of the aft area (motor weight keeps them transom low when at a mooring), and you simply run for a minute and then stick the plug back in to vacate the water (they assumed no bilge pump installed). Alternative? Leave the plug IN and you will either find a dry boat (no rain) or a boat filled to the gunwales with water(rain over months of time). Pick your poison. One way guarantees a few gallons, another way is a crapshoot based on weather. It's not really that critical for short periods of time. Dave .
andygere	posted 07-09-2012 03:10 PM ET (US) If you can move some weight towards the bow when it's on the mooring, you'll minimize the amount of water that pools in the stern area. Putting the fuel tanks in front of the cooler seat is one way to do this, although a bit inconvenient. If it rains a lot where you'll moor the boat, I'd leave the plug out.
swist	posted 07-09-2012 06:39 PM ET (US) Maybe you can't do this with older Montauks, but I have a small bilge pump in the well at the back of my 2004 Montauk 170 (came with the boat). I keep the plug in and the pump takes care of any rainwater. I did leave the plug out once (and disabled the pump) and was not impressed with the mess in the boat with saltwater sitting there for days. But perhaps in clean freshwater that is less of an issue.
Teak Oil	posted 07-09-2012 09:19 PM ET (US) In some freshwater you can leave unpainted fiberglass for weeks and get no growth at all, and in some (like the Saginaw River) you would have some pretty funky growth inside your boat in two weeks. I could not imagine keeping my boat in the sun without a good fitting mooring cover to keep the rain out along with the sun.
jimh	posted 07-09-2012 10:02 PM ET (US) Boston Whaler figured there would be some questions about how to handle the drain tubes, so they dedicated a whole section of the owner's manual to that topic: http://continuouswave.com/whaler/reference/manual9-17/operations. html#drainTubes
swist	posted 07-10-2012 09:28 AM ET (US) Thanks for the reference. I guess the optional pump mentioned on 17' models has now become standard. When I came to rely on the pump, I was concerned about battery drain, but it appears that the current draw of the standard (Rule) pump is not significant enough to have any noticeable affect on a fully-charged battery even during a particularly rainy period. Having said that, I would be more leery of depending on this system in areas subject to tropical downpours or 5-inches-in-15-minutes thunderstorms (both rare in the Northeast). It is also clearly not the system of choice if the boat is unattended for long poeriods. An ideal system would open the drain if the pump failed to operate, but I'd like to see how that would be done, given that, by definition, you couldn't use battery power.
conch	posted 07-10-2012 10:01 AM ET (US) My 27 foot hull drains thru two always open 3 inch drain tubes in the transom if the lower mounted bilge pump fails to operate or cannot keep up with the amount of water. Chuck
swist	posted 07-10-2012 10:50 AM ET (US) That's because your cockpit sole is above the waterline. Not on option on the smaller Whalers.
jcdawg83	posted 07-10-2012 02:09 PM ET (US) Here is an update for anyone who cares. I left the plug out and returned the next day to find the boat with about 10" of water in the stern. Apparently, I have quite a bit of weight more than what is expected in the boat. The boat has a '99 90hp Evinrude, a full gas tank (approx 25 gals), a single battery under the console, a Fishmaster t-top, and an oil tank in the rear corner (2 gals). I know the boat won't sink, I left it overnight, but I think I will keep the plug in from now on. When I bought the boat, it had a bilge pump mounted in the floor well/tunnel area at the rear; now I know why. I removed the pump because I was concerned about battery drain and had confidence in the unsinkable nature of the boat. I still have the confidence, but the aggravation of getting that much water out of the boat is not worth leaving the plug out at the dock. Unless we have a tropical storm type event, I can't imagine that much water accumulating in the boat as I will never leave it unattended for more than a couple of days. I agree a mooring cover is the best idea, but with the t-top, putting the cover on requires me to lower the t-top and that is a lot of trouble unless I'm storing the boat for a long period of time.
Teak Oil	posted 07-10-2012 04:32 PM ET (US) That is the same amount of water I used to get in my Montauk with the plug out, it's normal. I would just put it on a trailer if you are going to be away for a long time
L H G	posted 07-10-2012 06:28 PM ET (US) I never leave the plug out in my Whalers, and I would not do in the Montauk either. Install a bilge pump of your choice and let it do the work, keeping the boat floor and rigging tunnel dry. I do not want the scum. algea and dirty water sitting on the boat floor and in the rigging tunnel. In mine I installed a very compact Rule 500 GPH automatic, which checks for water every 3 minutes, and the current drain is minimal. http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v429/lgoltz/Montauk%2017/?action=view& current=Scan_Pic0008.jpg
swist	posted 07-11-2012 09:05 AM ET (US) I can corroborqate Larry's experience. I have the same pump - it runs seemingly forever on a charged battery. Some actual data - we had one of our not-so-unusual-for-Maine complete week washouts one of the past Summers - the battery voltage showed no noticeable drop after a week of rain, and indeed the engine cranked at the same speed it always did.
swist	posted 07-11-2012 09:07 AM ET (US) Note that "corroborqate" is a special form of "corroborate" used when agreeing with LHG.
jcdawg83	posted 07-11-2012 10:59 AM ET (US) Thanks to everyone for the input. I guess I will have to live with the water in the boat, or leave the plug in. The boat will only be in the water for a couple of weeks, so it's not too big of a deal for me to check on it after any rain events. Of course, the best solution would be for me to buy a bigger whaler, say a classic Outrage 18 that is truly self bailing. Maybe this can be my argument for a new boat to my wife?