Drain plug leaking?

After trips where the boat didn’t really have to deal with seas or spray except on the hull, I notice that there is about a quart and a half or a half gallon of salt water in the far after bilge area right where the pump sits. The mid bilge by the second pump is just a bit damp as though a little water may run in there when I come off plane.

I think the water is coming into the boat through the drain plug, which I haven’t touched when I pulled the boat out for the first time.

I am going to put the boat on its trailer and replace the brass screw-in drain plug, and I am asking if anyone else has experienced a similar situation.

Also—is the plug a standard 1inch diameter or two inch so I can have the right size plug ready to replace when she is on the hard—it looked like a one in her for my 2019 R27 Outboard.

Thank you in advance for any discussion or advice!

Anything is possible, but I wouldn't consider that the most likely spot for water entry. Easy enough to check when you pull the boat out of the water; put some water in the bilge and see if it leaks out from the drain plug.

We get water in the bilge of our 2023 R27 through the vertical gaps on the inner cockpit wall of the center compartment (the vertical panel the aft seat is attached to). It happens mostly during a wash down of the cockpit, but the drain gutters could also overflow.

The drain plug (garboard drain plug) on our boat is bronze. A brass plug is not advisable .

Is the water salty?
Sorry, I only know of one way to find out.

Or maybe a 1-1/2inch T-Handle?

Yes—the water is salty but it tastes like it’s mixed with fresh water. Also the cockpit outside the glass door on my boat has a full canvas and isinglass enclosure that completely covers the entire area back to the swim step/motor mount deck, so I don’t get fresh or sea water in the cockpit area and I wonder how both fresh and salt water might be getting in.

AndThanks for the bronze versus brass reminder!

I had a drip coming from one of the fittings on the hot water tank that took me a while to find. Teflon tape on the threads fixed it pretty easy. Is your water pump cycling unexpectedly?

Thanks Venajeff but the water heater is dry as a bone. The only place I see a trickle of water is in the far back of the big center lazarette where there are three small drain holes—one port, one starboard, and one aft of the bilge pump—and they drain into the area where the propeller shaft would have passed through the hull. This area has a rough surface where the factory used fiberglass filler to cover it up.

Also I keep the through hull raw water ball valve closed and only use fresh water to flush the Raritan head and I don’t see any leakage around it or in the flex hoses.

I know all boats have some water in the bilge but I would like to find out how it gets in. It’s a small amount of water and in 4 months and 7 weekend sorties in various rain, wind and wave conditions I have only had about a quart to a half gallon of water to sponge and towel out, so I am not stressed about it—just curious.

Anyone else experiencing this?

I really like to keep my bilges dry and clean, makes seeing if there is a problem a lot easier. If you don't think the water is completely salty then it is unlikely your drain plug or ocean water getting in.
If it is your drain plug then I would suspect that it could be leaking around the drain plug housing just as likely as the plug threads.
The nice part of this will be all the other little issue you will find and correct while looking for your leak.

Is the garboard drain plug a 1 inch diameter or 1.5 or 2” bronze T-handle item? Thank you!

Check this thread (specific to an R25 but your R27OB should be the same).


On our 2021 R27OB, there are many screw penetrations through the hull that do not have sealant. A few years of hull flex can loosen those screws to the point that water can seep in. The primary offenders on our boat, so far, are the screws that secure the non-skid fiberglass panels to the top of the swim platform. On the sea, saltwater would seep through when the swim step was awash, and at the dock, it would be fresh water from washdown or rain. So far, so good after putting a bit of sealant on the screw threads and snugging them up.

Thank you Pandion—I really appreciate your pointing me in that direction—and the clue about the drain plug!