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I have 3 drains on my '73 DSII. One is the auto-bailer, the drain plug on the transom that opens into the cockpit, and the 3rd is on the bottom on the transom on the out side of the boat and leads to the bilge. When I bought the boat, there was a plug in the auto bailer and the transom drain but not in the drain that leads to the bilge. Is there supposed to be one in there? Also, what size should it be? It appears that it may be threaded and is a smaller diameter than the transom drain. I am not sure if the bilge drain is factory or if it was something that the previous owner added.

I think this is what I need. I guess it was originally installed on the boat.
http://drmarine.com/proddetail.asp?prod=DR236A

I've used cork plugs in my three drains for the life of my boat. They are available at almost any hardware store and inexpensive so I can keep spares in my tool box in case I lose one.

ChrisB wrote:I've used cork plugs in my three drains for the life of my boat. They are available at almost any hardware store and inexpensive so I can keep spares in my tool box in case I lose one.

Just a plain cork? Even on the outside of the boat? And does just friction hold it in place?

Yepper; just plain corks. Friction and the elasticity of the cork hold it in place. I've never lost the bilge drain plug while on the water.

ChrisB wrote:Yepper; just plain corks. Friction and the elasticity of the cork hold it in place. I've never lost the bilge drain plug while on the water.

Thank you for the advice. I am going to check out some corks at the local hardware store this weekend.

I got a plug from Tractor Supply that was the right size for the bilge drain hole. The plug I got was the type with the brass lever that allows the rubber part to expand to lock the plug in place.

John

The drains on the DS1 are a bit different but the transom drain there takes the kind that John describes. They come in two sizes, something like 1" and 7/8", and not everyone carries both sizes, if they have them. For marine use, I believe the "Sea Dog" brand supplies them and you might search for places that carry it.

The seat tanks on my boat had corks. They disintegrated - I don't know whether they were original (and survived 40+ years) or had been replaced. Rubber stoppers (the ones you see in Chemistry) do not work as well, they don't hold well in what is a thin wall.

The link that I posted earlier looks exactly like what is at the bottom of my transom, but I only need the plug. Worse case scenario is that I change out the entire drain for $4.95. Any thoughts?

If the full replacement is $4.95... at that price you may be overthinking this, no?

Corks are cheaper, and you may get them faster, but there's an element of psychology involved. For some, it might be easier to trust something replaced like for like.

I am one to replace it with the like and what was originally in it. However, the corks are pretty cheap too and I may pick up a package just to have them on hand for just-in-case scenarios. Thank you everyone for their input.