1985 Outrage 18 Unusual Drain Hole in Transom

Repair or modification of Boston Whaler boats, their engines, trailers, and gear
JamesA2021
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1985 Outrage 18 Unusual Drain Hole in Transom

Postby JamesA2021 » Thu Sep 23, 2021 1:14 pm

I am renovating a 1985 Outrage 18 I acquired early in 2021. This 1985 OUTRAGE 18 boat sat outside for several years with no covering. I live in northern Michigan [later mentioned as in Charlevoix area]. The boat was exposed to several winters.

I've decided to remove everything to see what I will be working with. I have removed the 1989 150 HP Yamaha two-stroke-power-cycle engine, the console, the deck, and fuel tank.

The hull seems to be in decent condition except for a large crack along the top of the transom. The transom seems very solId.

After removing the three brass drains in the transom, I discovered the wood is very solid but a little damp.

There is also a drain plug at the very bottom near the keel. This drain was unplugged was open when I got the boat and no water comes out even when I lift the bow.

BWC6.jpg
Fig, 1. Note unusual situation with four drains in transom, including one just above keel.
BWC6.jpg (24.49 KiB) Viewed 3933 times


Q1: What does the drain at the bottom near the keel drain?

I thought [the Unibond hull of Boston Whaler boats] are filled with foam.

Q2: Could [the drain at the bottom near the keel] have been installed by previous owner?

Q3:[ do readers have] any idea [what drain at the bottom near the keel was for]?

Thank you [for reading this post].

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Phil T
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Re: 1985 Outrage 18 Unusual Drain Hole in Transom

Postby Phil T » Thu Sep 23, 2021 1:59 pm

There is also a drain plug right at the very bottom near the keel. It was open when I got the boat and no water comes out even when I lift the bow.


Any rain or deck water enters the sump in the aft starboard corner, forward of the splashwell front wall. There is also a drain from the center fuel tank cavity into the sump. This water exits down and through the drain tube. There is a Perko clamshell cover partially covering the drain tube to create a vacuum to pull the water out.

Typically the sump drain is plugged from the inside.

Some owners install a bilge in the sump, some do not.
1992 Outrage 17
2019 E-TEC 90
2018 LoadRite 18280096VT
Member since 2003

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Phil T
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Re: Boston Whaler Unibond Hull Construction

Postby Phil T » Thu Sep 23, 2021 2:02 pm

The entire space between the outer skin (hull) and the inside liner (deck) is foam filled, even the gunwales.
1992 Outrage 17
2019 E-TEC 90
2018 LoadRite 18280096VT
Member since 2003

JamesA2021
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Re: 1985 Outrage 18 Unusual Drain Hole in Transom

Postby JamesA2021 » Thu Sep 23, 2021 2:38 pm

I've found the drain in the aft starboard corner. That was plugged with rotten pine needles but I cleaned it out. There was a sump pump there, too, pumping water out the starboard gunwale. The forth drain I'm unsure about is on the very back of the boat about one-inch above the keel [See Figure 4 below]. It had a screw-in plug, I removed the plug to investigate. I stuck in a long screwdriver to see how deep it went and it only was about six-inches deep.

BWC7.jpg
Fig. 4. A close up of the drain hole at the bottom near the keel.
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Phil T
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Re: 1985 Outrage 18 renovation

Postby Phil T » Thu Sep 23, 2021 4:34 pm

Someone added that. Not a good sign.

Typically novices add that in the misguided attempt to drain water from the foam. This is misguided.
Inspect and shine a light inside. Do you see exposed foam? If damp, use a hair dryer to get surface dry, Fill with expanding foam and then seal with fiberglass and resin and finish with gelcoat.
1992 Outrage 17
2019 E-TEC 90
2018 LoadRite 18280096VT
Member since 2003

jimh
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Re: 1985 Outrage 18 Unusual Drain Hole in Transom

Postby jimh » Thu Sep 23, 2021 4:40 pm

JamesA2021 wrote:Q1: What does the drain at the bottom near the keel drain?

Apparently this hole leads nowhere, as you describe in your narrative. If it only goes in six inches, then it will only drain the water that collects in the space of the six inches of the hole.

JamesA2021 wrote:I thought [the Unibond hull of Boston Whaler boats] are filled with foam.

Yes, a Unibond hull has no free open space between the hull and liner. All that space is filled with foam. If you need more clarity on how a Boston Whaler boat is made, see my article:

Boston Whaler Factory Tour
Where Legends Are Made

https://continuouswave.com/whaler/refer ... ctory.html

JamesA2021 wrote:Q2: Could [the drain at the bottom near the keel] have been installed by previous owner?

That is certainly a possibility. I have doubt it was there when the boat left the factory.

JamesA2021 wrote:Q3:[ do readers have] any idea [what drain at the bottom near the keel was for]?

About all that can be guessed is someone thought it would be a good idea for some unknown reason to drill a big hole in the transom of their Boston Whaler boat.

The OUTRAGE 18 boat has a shallow engine splash well that is a full width splash well. I have never seen a drain in the hull that was at the keel on the transom and goes nowhere. This was never done by Boston Whaler. NEVER.

Since you just bought the boat a few months ago, perhaps you can contact the seller of the boat. Ask the seller of the boat about this unusual transom drain that goes nowhere just above the keel.

It is a shame that the boat was modified this way. The keel is the strongest point of the hull. If someone has bored a 1-inch diameter hole into the hull for 6-inches, they have weakened that area.

To have no water come out from this added hole after you removed the plug is a positive sign: there was no water trapped in there.

I agree with Phil: repair this unusual added hole in the hull that is well below the waterline. For advice on how to make repairs to a Boston Whaler Unibond hull, see several articles on that topic in the REFERENCE section.

Reparing Hull SDamage the Whaler Way
https://continuouswave.com/whaler/refer ... epair.html

Instructions--Hull Patch Kit
https://continuouswave.com/whaler/refer ... tions.html

The Epoxy Cure
https://continuouswave.com/maintenance-logs/epoxy/

jimh
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Re: 1985 Outrage 18 Unusual Drain Hole in Transom

Postby jimh » Thu Sep 23, 2021 5:00 pm

JamesA2021 wrote:I am renovating a 1985 Outrage 18 I acquired early in 2021.
Regarding the restoration of this fine 1985 OUTRAGE 18 boat, you have a lot of work ahead of you.

If the hull is being stored indoors in a heated area, make sure all the moisture surrounding any of the FOUR holes in the transom is dried out. I would let the boat sit for several weeks while in a hot, low humidity environment. Then check for the presence of any moisture in any of those four holes.

The non-factory hole at the keel should be repaired.

The three engine splash well drains should be replaced. See the FAQ for advice on how to repair brass drains.

https://continuouswave.com/whaler/reference/FAQ/

If you are new to Boston Whaler boats, read the ENTIRE FAQ.

Start a new thread for further advice on a SPECIFIC problem. Long rambling threads that switch to dozens of topics are not encouraged and generally hold little useful information.

ASIDE: Where are you in northern Michigan?

JamesA2021
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Re: 1985 Outrage 18 Unusual Drain Hole in Transom

Postby JamesA2021 » Fri Sep 24, 2021 7:17 am

Thank you for all of the comments, they all pretty much confirm my initial thoughts. I already have many more questions that I will start a new threads for.

ASIDE: I am located in Charlevoix, Michigan.

jimh
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Re: 1985 Outrage 18 Unusual Drain Hole in Transom

Postby jimh » Fri Sep 24, 2021 8:50 am

JamesA2021 wrote:I've found the drain in the aft starboard corner....There was a sump pump there, too, pumping water out the starboard gunwale.


Most Boston Whaler boats will have a cockpit sump, either on centerline or on the starboard side, located at the aft end of the cockpit, in front of the engine splash well dam that separates the cockpit from the engine splash well. All these cockpit sumps will have a drain to the sea through the hull bottom.

The sump drain can be left plugged or unplugged, depending on the particular model, the weight of the engines, the trim on the boat, and the type of unattended storage used for the boat.

For many Boston Whaler boats using the classic OUTRAGE V-hull design, the cockpit sump on starboard will fill with some water if the drain to the sea is left unplugged. Exactly how high the water will rise in the sump and to what extent the water may overflow the sump and start to rise into the rigging tunnel will be determined by the static trim on the boat and the waterline at the stern.

The waterline at the transom will be affected by many influences, including the weight and number of outboard engines mounted, the weight and number of large cranking batteries in the stern, the weight of any oil tanks in the stern, and the general distribution of weight on the boat. The ingress of substantial water into the interior of the Unibond hull can also affect the boat's static trim.

If the boat's static trim causes too much water to accumulate into the starboard cockpit sump when its drain is unplugged due to seawater entering via the drain, then the drain can be plugged. Water from the cockpit that flows into the sump will then collect there. If the boat is stored uncovered and exposed to rain, a significant amount of water will be collected by the large open cockpit. This water will flow into the starboard cockpit sump and collect there. To remove this water a sump pump is used. Typically the sump pump will be operated automatically using a float switch or some other mechanism to detect water in the sump.

The usual arrangement for a factory-installed sump pump is to exhaust the water via a hose that exits though the hull sides several inches above the expected waterline. This insures the water leaves the boat, as long as the boat's trim is in a normal condition. Generally the pump is a centrifugal pump.

Because the typical Boston Whaler cockpit sump pump is a centrifugal pump, it cannot lift the exhaust water very high. For this reason the exhaust hose of the bump should not be routed upward to gunwale height. Adding a foot or two of addition necessary lift on the output of a centrifugal pump will cause the rate of water flow to significantly reduce. Routing the exhaust of the cockpit sump pump to flow into the engine splash well is also not a good approach. The pump exhaust hose should go directly to an outlet to the sea, not into another part of the boat.

If a boat is to be left unattended on a mooring, and if the boat's trim is good and little water enters the cockpit sump when the drain is open, then the usual practice is to just leave the cockpit sump drain open. In this way no water will collect in the sump from rain.

Note that the drain is on starboard side because in most instances the rigging of the boat would put the engine battery on starboard side and perhaps also the engine oil reservoir tank on starboard side. This tends to create a static trim on the boat with the boat listing slightly to starboard. As soon as water begins to collect in the cockpit it will flow to the starboard side.

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Re: 1985 Outrage 18 Unusual Drain Hole in Transom

Postby jimh » Fri Sep 24, 2021 8:56 am

JamesA2021 wrote:There is also a drain plug at the very bottom near the keel. This drain was unplugged was open when I got the boat and no water comes out even when I lift the bow.


I hope the drain was unplugged when you got the boat because the previous owner had recently removed the plug while the boat was out of the water. If the previous owner left that hole unplugged while the boat was in the water, there is good reason to be very concerned about water getting into that area.

If the boat was left sitting outside with that hole unplugged, there could have been some water enter from rain dripping down the transom, but that would not be nearly as much concern as if the boat was operated in the water without that hole plugged.

Again, having now water flowing out of that hole at the present time is a good indicator.