A bilge question?

[Joe ( Cold Spring on Hudson )]

I was down in the bilge of Tidbit this morning cleaning her out. When I found something weird. Tidbit has a port and starboard drain plug both have been removed and resting next to the hole they screw into. There is also a port and starboard bilge pump close to the holes. The port side has a nice bronze threaded plug. It was filled with some kind of grease so I cleaned it and then went over to the starboard side and notice a greased up plug but it looked a little different upon closer inspection it was nothing more than a sink drain plug full of grease.

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid201/p0153b1cfe9b514dc37c95966acf8266c/f0079587.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid201/p7cbd0e6adaa092f4c3fd6fd1b34014f0/f007953d.jpg

The other plug :rolleyes:

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid201/p43a44f4ce5329c9e701ccabe0eef09c1/f0079563.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid201/p3695e8325500eea31c9cd9748e3600a8/f00795ca.jpg

This is where it goes

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid201/p074d7f412dec86713b8e55fff52dfd1e/f0079627.jpg

So does anyone know a place that sells these? Do I have to have one machined? I do not want to put the sink strainer back :rolleyes:

[Peter Malcolm Jardine]

I would think any big bronze supplier would have em Joe...

[Dolly Varden]

here ya go, fresh from the walter drake catalog

http://www.wdrake.com/images/us/local/products/detail/p96805b.jpg
all stainless too smile.gif

Dutch

[Bob Cleek]

Strange... very strange. Did the boat float with just a greasy drain strainer in it? Amazing. I suspect that somebody removed the threaded plug and then stuck the strainer in there to catch something, maybe a nut or whatever that had fallen in the bilge, and then never got around to replacing the plug.

You should be able to bring the one you have to any machine shop and have one turned for you for not a bunch of money. I've never seen any sold separately from the whole through hull drain assembly. Turn the threads on a piece of round silcon bronze bar stock (maybe scrouge an old piece of prop shafting in the boatyard junk pile) and then put the square socket recess in on the mill. Do you have any machinist buddies? Maybe they could run one off for you on their lunch hour!

Don't replace it for the long term with a BRASS plumbing fitting. However, in the short term, and maybe even the long term if the boat will be dry stored, you could get a bronze plug at the plumbing store, if you can find one with the right diameter and threading. You could get lucky. (It will likely have a raised square drive, rather than the recessed one.)

[ 02-26-2006, 08:44 PM: Message edited by: Bob Cleek ]

[Joe ( Cold Spring on Hudson )]

Thanks Bob, your idea that he was using it to strain and find something stuck the strainer in there to catch something, maybe a nut or whatever that had fallen in the bilge, and then never got around to replacing the plug. Im going to look more around the bilge and pull up all the removable boards in hope that it will turn up. Also I will call the previous owner to see if I can jog his memory. He is a very thoughtful person and he took immaculate care of the boat for years. He even just sent me the original manual for the motor.

If that fails I have a local metal shop I can ask. They are working on a broken part on Dove.

[Canoeyawl]

That’s just a brass square drive pipe plug…readily available. A good hardware store or an industrial supplier like Mc Master-Carr will have them in a variety of drive types. Hamilton Marine or West Marine has a reasonable supply of this stuff. They are also available with T-handles. But why is that strainer in there?

[Joe ( Cold Spring on Hudson )]

Cleek you were dead on the money. I searched all around the bilge and removed all the boards, and there it was stuck to the bottom of one of the bilge pumps. smile.gif Thanks for the insight to what could have happened.