CONTINUOUSWAVE

[I] just picked up a 2008 Boston Whaler 130 Sport. [I] downloaded the factory manual to try to figure out my simple dilemma and no explanation is given. I need an explanation of the drains, mainly the garboard (transom) drain, and the cockpit drain. Basically there is a thru-hull in both of these drains. You can either put a threaded screw-in drain plug on the outside part of the drain, or a snap-tite-type drain plug on the inside of the boat.

Since these are self bailing hulls it would seem you would want to put a snap-in drain plug on the inside of both of these drains and nothing on the outside, so that if you were on the water you could let the boat drain if needed by pulling the plug from the inside. The problem I see with this: then the outside drain is susceptible to water just sitting in there all season if the boat is in the water creating possible hull water intrusion.

Now if you put the screw-in kind of drain plug on the outside of the hull where there is threaded fittings, then water that enters the boat inside would be stuck in those thru hull pipes all season as well, and you wouldn't be able to use the self bailing function without getting in the water to unscrew the plug.

Can anyone explain how these drains are meant to be used?

Thanks in advance!

We have a 2003 130 Sport. Our boat lives on a trailer so while out of the water all three drain plugs are removed, then installed from the inside on the ramp. I believe removing the garboard (rear) drain would help some water to clear out while on plane but have never tried it. If water accumulates during a day on the water we have a plastic scoop and a sponge to clean things up. There is no sump area on our boat to facilitate a bilge pump, but the cockpit drain is probably the lowest part of the floor and the manual says that "the deck drain provides self-bailing capabilities while the boat is static in the water and no passengers on board." Hope this helps.

In all my years of boating and five different Boston Whaler models, I've never seen any value in plugging the thru-hulls from the outside. If leaving the thru hulls exposed from the outside will cause water intrusion, and severely damage the hull, then I think Boston Whaler would have been out of business decades ago.

I don't think there is reliable data on the water intrusion. Can it happen? Yes. Does it happen on all Whalers? I doubt it.
Did it have detrimental effect on the five models we have had, starting with a 1964 Nauset to our most recent 2005 150 Montauk? Not to my knowledge.

Good news: no matter what she ain't gonna sink.