by Roger » Tue Oct 25, 2005 11:55 pm
Interesting that the new plug is not where the original was! I suspect there was a reason for this. Either the wood was rotten or the po put in so much fill to fix the old hole that drilling here now, would lead you to a blind area.
What I have learned from working on my boat and trying to improve on others repairs, is that if a repair was fixed differently than expected, it was because the po ran into an unexpected barrier to fixing it in the standard way. The other reason that a non standard repair may be made by a po, was that they didn't know how to fix it properly. Either way, it may be wise to examine the area carefully to determine if a retrofit and restoration is possible. Drilling a small pilot hole into the area to see what is behind the gelcoat, may be a wise idea. If water does not come out, ie, the hole does not open to the bilge, then there is no sense in making a bigger hole there. I would still advise making a proper drain hole closer to the middle. At leas you would get better drainage. You could keep your costs down if you use the drain plug that is off to the one side, then seal the old hole.
Remember once you have drilled you new hole, to ream out the wood core in the transom with an allen key on your hand drill, then fill the collar area with epoxy, before redrilling the hole to insert your drain. This will keep water out of the wood core. Use lots of silicone when inserting your new drain as well.