Brass T-Drain Plug

T

Tug

New member
Is there a better quality Brass T- Drain Plug than the ones you buy from Sea D-g. I have already stripped two of these tightening them in the drain tube.Yesterday i was checking the drain plugs and one was kinda lose..i had to re-tighten it almost one complete turn. I do not know how it had became lose.. The new T-Drain Plugs that they sell are really inferior to the ones that they used to make even 10 years ago. Does anyone know who makes a better quality drain plug. ....If need be is it possibe to take out the old drain plug and replace with a new one while the boat is in the water. Thanks Tug
 
If need be is it possibe to take out the old drain plug and replace with a new one while the boat is in the water.
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Only if you're real name is Jack B. Nimble...
 
Tug,
Everything I buy lately seems very cheaply made and unlikely to work as advertised. However if you have someone to drive the boat for a few minutes while on plane you can pull the old plug and install a new one without any water getting in. Of course this requires that you install the plug from the inside. This of course calls for days of discussion concerning the pros and cons of installing the plug from the inside versus from the outside.
 
Though I have not tried this, I would think if you had a friend in shallow water you would easily be able to switch from an innie to an outie or vice versa slowly and carefully. For that matter a friend on the other side with a fat thumb, or a little dutch boy, should allow you to change a plug as well.

I've had good luck with the kind that has a lever you push sideways to expand it but I always have another tied next to it.
 
Tug":jgdpl8ps said:
Is there a better quality Brass T- Drain Plug than the ones you buy from Sea D-g. I have already stripped two of these tightening them in the drain tube.Yesterday i was checking the drain plugs and one was kinda lose..i had to re-tighten it almost one complete turn. I do not know how it had became lose.. The new T-Drain Plugs that they sell are really inferior to the ones that they used to make even 10 years ago. Does anyone know who makes a better quality drain plug. ....If need be is it possibe to take out the old drain plug and replace with a new one while the boat is in the water. Thanks Tug
Click to expand...

Custom Rubber Products makes the automatic drain plug system. I think they were made by tempo Marine products years ago. That is what C-Dory used in 1987 when our boat was built and has sure done the trick for us over the years. You can do a Bing web search and get Custom Rubber Products web site.
 
I'm prepping Luna and thinking about getting a new garboard plug — I never trust them more than one season because they tend to get hard, and re-use does not seem prudent. Putting them in from the inside will be difficult, since the tube is smack-behind the bilge pump, so I have always installed a T-handled plug from outside, where at least I can see it. I worry about the vulnerability, but I keep a lanyard on it in case it does come out.
This situation requires me to snug up the plug several times over a while until it stops weeping.
Short of putting in a threaded pipe (several refs to Custom Rubber Products from several sources have not panned out,) I wonder about bonding the plug in place with a light adhesive. I have used a little Teflon tape, but worry about improving the ease with which the plug can pop out rather than stopping leaks.
Has anyone tried bonding in the plug, or other ways to secure the whole enterprise? Thanks.
Rod
 
Jeff & Mimi":2ls7t71f said:
Tug":2ls7t71f said:
Is there a better quality Brass T- Drain Plug than the ones you buy from Sea D-g. I have already stripped two of these tightening them in the drain tube.Yesterday i was checking the drain plugs and one was kinda lose..i had to re-tighten it almost one complete turn. I do not know how it had became lose.. The new T-Drain Plugs that they sell are really inferior to the ones that they used to make even 10 years ago. Does anyone know who makes a better quality drain plug. ....If need be is it possibe to take out the old drain plug and replace with a new one while the boat is in the water. Thanks Tug
Click to expand...

Custom Rubber Products makes the automatic drain plug system. I think they were made by tempo Marine products years ago. That is what C-Dory used in 1987 when our boat was built and has sure done the trick for us over the years. You can do a Bing web search and get Custom Rubber Products web site.
Click to expand...

Jeff-

Is this your plug?



Click on image to view description.

One came with my 1987 CD-22 Cruiser, but I've never used it, using a screw drive T-plug, instead, like so:



Click on image for details.

The latter seems fundamentally simpler and more secure, to me, at least, and especially when combined with a bilge pump or two. YMMV!

Joe. :teeth :thup
 
Joe,

When looking closely at your picture of the screw-in plug there appears some word on it that looks a lot like "C_H_I_N_A stamped into the metal disk. I don't know about you but that would make me nervous.

I also had one jerked out on my 22' CD when a large branch went under the boat and pulled the plug out while anchored up 10 miles offshore. I stuck my finger in the hole while the wife found the spare plug. My finger swelled up when it was in the hole so removing it was a real chore.
Have a good summer.
Jack
 
Jack in Alaska":1s6a28l1 said:
Joe,

When looking closely at your picture of the screw-in plug there appears some word on it that looks a lot like "C_H_I_N_A stamped into the metal disk. I don't know about you but that would make me nervous.

I also had one jerked out on my 22' CD when a large branch went under the boat and pulled the plug out while anchored up 10 miles offshore. I stuck my finger in the hole while the wife found the spare plug. My finger swelled up when it was in the hole so removing it was a real chore.
Have a good summer.
Jack
Click to expand...

Jack-

The photo and listing are from a supplier, and are not my plugs. I just used them for reference/visual illustration. Mine (I have three to choose from) are as old as my boat, and none made in China, as far as I can tell from their markings. All still work, A-OK!

Yes, we share a marked dislike for products from China, especially when we think or know they may be inferior.

What would happen if the current or some future C-Dory manufacturer decided to have the boats build under contract by a Chinese outfit? :amgry

(Would make a good April Fool's Day post!) :lol:

Joe. :teeth :thup
 
Two comments:
It is not that difficult to replace any thru hull, in the water, including putting in a new one. (Austin's method has been in use for over 30 years, and involves 1/8" bit, a hand drill, and a short plumber's friend). Many of the speed logs are paddle wheels, on a thru hull, which is easily removable to be cleaned when fouled with kelp or grass. These can be as big as 2" diameter. There are some quick movements involved, and a little clean up with a bilge pump and sponge after.

I have my reservations about fittings made in China, as much as the next guy. But consider that many high end boats, such as Grand Banks, Nordhavn, Symbol, Ocean Alexander, Cheoy Lee, SunSeeker, Azimut,Merdian, Nova, Marine Trader, Hampton, Marlow, Norseman, and some really high end one off mega yachts.
 
thataway":3fegu3wd said:
(Some deletions)

I have my reservations about fittings made in China, as much as the next guy. But consider that many high end boats, such as Grand Banks, Nordhavn, Symbol, Ocean Alexander, Cheoy Lee, SunSeeker, Azimut,Merdian, Nova, Marine Trader, Hampton, Marlow, Norseman, and some really high end one off mega yachts.
Click to expand...

Thanks, Bob. I knew that, just tried to make a (somewhat shallow) humorous comment juxtaposing some different attitudes and beliefs.

Joe. :teeth :thup
 
Hey Bob, remember the first time you pulled that paddle wheel to clean it. I had rags, a tapered plug, and a hammer handy. I didn't know if I would be fighting a fire hydrant, Old Faithful, or ???. I had no idea how I would force the cleaned gizmo back into the hole. Anticlimactic! No problem.
 
I checked my two drain plugs, which I use interchangeably as I store them next to each other under the gunwale and just grab one without looking.
So I checked and one is made in USA and twice the weight of the imported model. I have never had any trouble with either one. Both many years old.
The USA model is made by Moeller Industries and they still make them. They have a website, but other stores also sell them. Just FYI.
Regards,
Mark
 
I would guess that Moeller has shifted production overseas. Just bought an outboard ear muff and they were from China. An expandable plug is also a low cost item.

However, Moeller has a good reputation, so that's probably the best of the lot.

Boris
 
Well, it's been 7-8 years since my last post on this subject and I am still using the four T-Handle Drain plugs that came with the boat. I have tried others but they all stripe when I turn the T-Handle and never get tight enough to stay in place and feel good about it. I just returned two threaded drain plugs , they didn't fit in my 1985 Angler. My drain plus are getting real old , I 'm not sure what to try next, any suggestions ??
 
Hi Tug, Never had my plug get loose but got tired of water getting in so started wrapping it with teflon tape and bilge now stays dry. If it is quality bronze it may be ok but a brass plug in a brass fitting with roughly machined threads will feel tight before the pipe threads insert far enough. The teflon not only helps seal the fitting but lubricates the threads so the tapered male plug goes in farther before it stops turning.

Give it a test during winter layup. Mark the plug - thread in dry and count how many turns it goes in. Then remove - wrap with teflon and see if it turns in farther when lubricated.

Good luck and make sure your bilge pump is working - you don't want too much water getting in where you boat! :P

Regards,

Rob
 
My boat is stored for the Winter but I retrieved all my T-Handle drain plugs and will check them again . If all fails I will just plug the two drain holes up and install a Brass screw in type drain plug behind the gas tank just high enough to install the fitting. Thanks for the advice and Happy Thanksgiving to all my C-Brat friends South of the border.
 
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