GARBOARD DRAIN PLUG
©
2014 Tor Pinney - All Rights Reserved
It's as traditional as the name
suggests and as practical as ever when the boat's on the hard.
Every once in a while you
hear about a boat stored in dry dock that leaked rainwater
enough to fill the bilge and flood the cabin. What a mess to
clean up! Even a little water in the bilge, if it freezes, can
cause damage. Boats that are frequently stored on the hard can
benefit by having a drain hole at the bilges' low point. This
hole is called a garboard drain, a carryover from the days of
wood boats when the garboard strake or plank marked the turn of
the hull where it met the keel.
You simply drill a hole,
angled slightly downward, through the hull's side from the
lowest point of the bilge. Then epoxy in a garboard drain plug,
a threaded bronze fitting available from many marine outfitters,
which securely plugs the hole when the boat is afloat and can be
opened when she's in dry dock. Placing a small screen over the
open hole will prevent wasps and other insects from entering and
building a nest down there while you're away. A stainless steel
household kitchen sink drain screen, sold in hardware stores, is
perfect for this.
~ End ~
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