Keychain ring for drain plug

[wesc]

Hi all,

I just took delivery on a 2015 Ranger 27 last week. (!) Here's my first small customization:

A keychain ring around drain plug. I clip it to the keychain with the key to the boat, ensuring I see it before launching. It also provides enough torque to tighten and loosen the plug without tools.

I made it with some silicon bronze welding rod bent around a pipe. I was somewhat concerned with using a regular steel keychain due to dissimilar metals reacting in saltwater.

 

[Captain Nice]

Nice idea; and first post! Welcome.

Two problems I have with this for my 21:

Boat doesn't have a key, and;

The little gal couldn't stand the extra drag :lol:

CN

 

[knotflying]

It may screw in easily, but after being in for a while you may have difficulties twisting it out. You may still want to carry a wrench. 🙂

 

[NorthernFocus]

I suppose it depends on one's habits and/or personality whether this would be effective. All it would do for me would be to throw me into a wild panic after launch when I climbed aboard to start the engine and saw the plug on the keychain :shock:

 

[Two killicks]

Good idea, I was thinking about something similar, to drill a hole in the plug and use a key chain to let it hang in front of the helm so that I cannot miss it when setting up the chartplotter and VHF...

 

[knotflying]

I engraved in large letters at the winch PLUG.

 

[BradOwens]

If you run the rings through the lock on your trailer hitch, you won't be able to hook up your tow vehicle until you move the drain plug. Might prevent the "Uh oh" moment when you go to start the engine and realize you're already in the water with no drain plug.

 

[Scuffy]

I use a marine type never seize on our drain plug. So the key chain thing is out for me. I put mine in with a wrench. I would be worried about getting it tight enough that I would not worry about it. But that's just me.

 

[baz]

Good idea for sure for those that believe water will accumulate in the bilge and for the bilge pump to not be working or not having power etc.

For me, I never remove the drain plug. If my boat is on its trailer and stationary I leave the canvas and sides up so no water can enter the cockpit. If I'm trailering and without the canvas up I guess some water can get into cockpit during rain conditions. If so then I would drain water by removing and replacing the drain plug before launching.

I do remove and replace now and then just to keep it working and to avoid any prolonged seizing issues.

 

[stwendl]

If I recall, the cockpit drains are NOT draining in to the bilge but have separate overboard drains. I could not imagine any type of rain that would overwhelm those drains, unless clogged. It was suggested elsewhere on this site to enlargen or remove the cockpit drain screens.

If however you get a wave over the cockpit chances are that the cockpit drains are insufficient and water will be entering somehow the bilge. Leaving the bilge plug out would not be advisable at that time since your boat is most likely in the water 🙂

So if the boat is on a trailer, there is no real reason to remove the plug. If you choose so, I would somehow tie this situation to the straps that hold the boat down to the trailer, as I would not move the boat without those straps. Straps on, plug out. Straps off, plug in.

 

[S. Todd]

I have been in more than one down pour on the highway that has and could overwhelm the scupper drains so I always trailer with the drain plug out. But it is 200+ miles to the lake for me, so that may be a different circumstance than for others. Plug goes in at the ramp and comes out at the ramp. This is also proper procedure for preventing the transfer of invasive species.

 

[NorthernFocus]

If you run the rings through the lock on your trailer hitch, you won't be able to hook up your tow vehicle until you move the drain plug. Might prevent the "Uh oh" moment when you go to start the engine and realize you're already in the water with no drain plug.

Exactly. Needs to be somewhere that it can't be overlooked and before the boat is in the water. Of course you still have to have the discipline to put it in immediately when you remove it from the lock. If you're like me it's easy to get sidetracked... 😳 Luckily I spell memory W-I-F-E 😀

 

[wesc]

Thanks for the ideas.

In the boats I have owned in the past, the cockpit drains have loaded up with leaves and blocked them, so I think it's good practice to keep the drainplug out when storing the boat on land.

I am now going to stow the drainplug on the hitch. If I am ever towing a long distance and think rain could be an issue, I will move it to my keyring before transport.

I also applied a fair bit of grease to keep it easy to loosen.

-Wes

 

[baz]

Make sure you have a spare drain plug... just in case. 🙂

 

[LADY JANE]

When our R-21ec gets back onto the trailer bed after a saltwater or freshwater trip, we always wash the boat right away with soap & plenty of fresh water. That's when the bilge drain compartment would completely get flooded. So, the bilge drain plug needs to be removed before then to allow for any draining from ramp to ramp. As soon as the (2) tie-down straps are attached to the boat for trailering, I remove the drain plug from the bilge for draining. The removed plug immediately goes into the parts bag (marked "plug") tied to the left tie-down strap. It stays there, strapped to the boat until the next launch/ramp. When the tie-down straps are loosened & removed for launching, the drain plug gets removed from the "plug" bag & is re-installed back into the bilge drain. The (2) straps get stowed in the aft boat-locker, inside their own ("straps") bag. I always know where the drain plug is, or else, the boat will sink. Never forget to apply new coat of "ANTI-SEIZE " to the plug threads as previously mentioned. And a spare drain plug is always on my trailer hitch spare keyring in the truck. This is the routine we've learned from other Tugnuts. It keeps our boat safe & sound.

 

[rayzickrick]

I made a laminated sign maybe 2” X 3” PLUG?
I hang it in my tow vehicle where I keep the plug.
In MN we have to pull the plug every time we trailer
the boat. I think the fine can be up to $500 if you get
caught with the plug in while trailering.

 

[desertug]

Has any one been checked by fish and wildlife for Quoga mussels and been denied entry because the bilge was not dry?

 

[Crazy Heart]

Just a note of caution. I trailer a lot from Utah to the PNW and California. You need to stop at the watercraft inspection stations (for invasive species) or you will be chased down and ticketed. They typically require you to have the drain plug removed.
Entering California at about 100 degrees, I had to crawl on hot asphalt and remove the plug. Lesson learned as I had installed it just before leaving home to avoid the "Oh no did I install the drain plug???"

 

[mike121]

Hi all,

I just took delivery on a 2015 Ranger 27 last week. (!) Here's my first small customization:

A keychain ring around drain plug. I clip it to the keychain with the key to the boat, ensuring I see it before launching. It also provides enough torque to tighten and loosen the plug without tools.

I made it with some silicon bronze welding rod bent around a pipe. I was somewhat concerned with using a regular steel keychain due to dissimilar metals reacting in saltwater.

hello
May i know the material by which this keychain is made??

 

[Dorman]

We have a launch check list, the drain plug being one of the real important items. Other items include disconnecting the running lights in the anchor locker down to putting my reading glasses or sunglasses in the boat.
We always remove the drain plug when trailering which allows any water in the bilge to drain out of the boat as we are going
up hills.