Drain Plug idea day!
So I got many of my ideas from Dan Newland from Port Hadlock/Port Townsend, WA. He made a phenomenal T37 that I was lucky enough to see in person last Saturday at the T37 National Championships.
Dan's boat is simply a work of art. He's a professional boat-builder and his boat shows it. He was generous enough to share many of his ideas and I'm incorporating as many as I can into my boat.
One of his ideas was to install a drain plug before installing the deck. Other T37 sailors I've talked to agree so I thought I'd do it.
STEP 1:
I started by gluing into my transom a small wedge of mahogany that I had sitting around. I bedded it quite well in thickened epoxy, as well as the back bottom edge of the transom.
STEP 2:
Went to the local hardware store and bought some 10-24 x 3/4" stainless screws as well as some nylon screws in the same size. They also sold both tiny O rings and some flat neoprene washers that fit snugly over the screws. I bought several different sizes and types so that I could experiment.
Also make sure to get at least one stainless steel screw that is longer. Long enough that it will go all the way through the hole and touch the bottom. You will use this to cast your threads.
STEP 3:
Drill a hole through your transom and through the bedded piece of wood. Angle it such that it's flush with your transom but also so that it will drill through quite low to your bottom. Use a bit that is over-sized so that the screw can slide in and out without screwing in. Clean up the areas on the outside of the hole with sandpaper so that there is no sawdust or particles.
Take the longer screw that you bought in step 2 and rub in across a wax candle. I also "screwed" mine across the the candle too to get as much of it coated as possible. The take your fingers and rub it in quite well so that most of the larger bits of wax are worked out and there remains a nice coating of wax on the threads.
Mix up the smallest batch of epoxy and using a pipe cleaner wet out the inside of the hole. Let that soak in while you mix plenty of phenolic powder into the remaining epoxy. Make it fairly thick.
Using a stir stick or whatever works for you, do your best to stuff the hole with the thickened epoxy. Then take the long waxed screw and coat it with epoxy too around the threads. Carefully insert the screw into the hole. Work it back and forth so that the epoxy can evenly fill in around the threads. Make sure that you have inserted the screw all the way to the bottom. You should see it stick out on the inside of the hull.
With a bit of paper towel carefully clean up around the screw on both the inside and outside to minimize sanding later and to make sure that you can cut away the exposed epoxy on the inside after it hardens so that you can expose the hole.
Let it harden overnight.
Below you can see that screw that is set in the epoxy. It will harden overnight. Don't touch it!
STEP 4:
Once it's completely hardened remove the screw by giving it a sharp twist with the screwdriver (or Allen wrench in my case). It should just snap free and then you can unscrew it all the way.
Take a hobby knife and clean up around the inside of the hole so that water can easily flow out.
In the picture below you can see the epoxy threads. I took out the mold screw and replaced it with a shorter one that I'll use for the actual plug. But making the mold with a longer screw insures that you will completely clear through the hole.
STEP 5:
When painting or epoxy coating the hull, keep a sacrificial screw in the hole so you won't accidentally fill it.
Keep a number of spares in your kit along with some washers that work for you.
Here is my drain plug made for about $.50. I made several so I'll have spares. Also made some out of nylon screws in case they work better.
Good luck!
So I got many of my ideas from Dan Newland from Port Hadlock/Port Townsend, WA. He made a phenomenal T37 that I was lucky enough to see in person last Saturday at the T37 National Championships.
Dan's boat is simply a work of art. He's a professional boat-builder and his boat shows it. He was generous enough to share many of his ideas and I'm incorporating as many as I can into my boat.
One of his ideas was to install a drain plug before installing the deck. Other T37 sailors I've talked to agree so I thought I'd do it.
STEP 1:
I started by gluing into my transom a small wedge of mahogany that I had sitting around. I bedded it quite well in thickened epoxy, as well as the back bottom edge of the transom.
STEP 2:
Went to the local hardware store and bought some 10-24 x 3/4" stainless screws as well as some nylon screws in the same size. They also sold both tiny O rings and some flat neoprene washers that fit snugly over the screws. I bought several different sizes and types so that I could experiment.
Also make sure to get at least one stainless steel screw that is longer. Long enough that it will go all the way through the hole and touch the bottom. You will use this to cast your threads.
STEP 3:
Drill a hole through your transom and through the bedded piece of wood. Angle it such that it's flush with your transom but also so that it will drill through quite low to your bottom. Use a bit that is over-sized so that the screw can slide in and out without screwing in. Clean up the areas on the outside of the hole with sandpaper so that there is no sawdust or particles.
Take the longer screw that you bought in step 2 and rub in across a wax candle. I also "screwed" mine across the the candle too to get as much of it coated as possible. The take your fingers and rub it in quite well so that most of the larger bits of wax are worked out and there remains a nice coating of wax on the threads.
Mix up the smallest batch of epoxy and using a pipe cleaner wet out the inside of the hole. Let that soak in while you mix plenty of phenolic powder into the remaining epoxy. Make it fairly thick.
Using a stir stick or whatever works for you, do your best to stuff the hole with the thickened epoxy. Then take the long waxed screw and coat it with epoxy too around the threads. Carefully insert the screw into the hole. Work it back and forth so that the epoxy can evenly fill in around the threads. Make sure that you have inserted the screw all the way to the bottom. You should see it stick out on the inside of the hull.
With a bit of paper towel carefully clean up around the screw on both the inside and outside to minimize sanding later and to make sure that you can cut away the exposed epoxy on the inside after it hardens so that you can expose the hole.
Let it harden overnight.
Below you can see that screw that is set in the epoxy. It will harden overnight. Don't touch it!
STEP 4:
Once it's completely hardened remove the screw by giving it a sharp twist with the screwdriver (or Allen wrench in my case). It should just snap free and then you can unscrew it all the way.
Take a hobby knife and clean up around the inside of the hole so that water can easily flow out.
In the picture below you can see the epoxy threads. I took out the mold screw and replaced it with a shorter one that I'll use for the actual plug. But making the mold with a longer screw insures that you will completely clear through the hole.
STEP 5:
When painting or epoxy coating the hull, keep a sacrificial screw in the hole so you won't accidentally fill it.
Keep a number of spares in your kit along with some washers that work for you.
Here is my drain plug made for about $.50. I made several so I'll have spares. Also made some out of nylon screws in case they work better.
Good luck!
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