richg99
Well-known member
My -new-to-me- 2007 Lowe 1756 was a barebones tinny at its origin. Its prior owner added decking; a side-console; and a "coffin" for storage.
The "coffin" was the first thing that I removed. I gained a lot of foot space and didn't need all of that storage.
Last night, as I thought about a number of odd additions that had been done to this craft, I realized that I didn't see any way to drain water off of the deck. In my prior 1652 G3, when I added decking, I also added a large grill for that purpose.
On more than one occasion, while driving back home from a fishing trip, I've had major rain downpours hit me. An hour of Houston rain could fill a boat up. With a well-drained deck, the rain would normally just exit via the open drain plug.
On one occasion, I forgot to remove the drain plug. The boat and trailer felt a lot heavier as the rain poured on and on. Once I realized what I had done, I was able to pull over and remove the drain plug. Water poured out for the rest of the trip!
Today, I decided to add a drain plug to my newest Lowe craft. I "thumped" the middle of the deck until I found a hollow sounding area. The last thing that I wanted to do was cut my hole right on top of a cross-brace! Once the unsupported deck area was established, I simply drilled a 2 inch opening with a hole saw.
My drain was a simple PVC fitting from the plumbing department at Lowes. I could have purchased 2/3/4/5 inch sizes. I didn't want to weaken the deck any more than necessary. I felt that the two-inch fitting would do the job. I sprayed it gray to match the boat's carpet and dropped it in.
If your deck doesn't have any way for water to exit, you might consider adding a drain.
The "coffin" was the first thing that I removed. I gained a lot of foot space and didn't need all of that storage.
Last night, as I thought about a number of odd additions that had been done to this craft, I realized that I didn't see any way to drain water off of the deck. In my prior 1652 G3, when I added decking, I also added a large grill for that purpose.
On more than one occasion, while driving back home from a fishing trip, I've had major rain downpours hit me. An hour of Houston rain could fill a boat up. With a well-drained deck, the rain would normally just exit via the open drain plug.
On one occasion, I forgot to remove the drain plug. The boat and trailer felt a lot heavier as the rain poured on and on. Once I realized what I had done, I was able to pull over and remove the drain plug. Water poured out for the rest of the trip!
Today, I decided to add a drain plug to my newest Lowe craft. I "thumped" the middle of the deck until I found a hollow sounding area. The last thing that I wanted to do was cut my hole right on top of a cross-brace! Once the unsupported deck area was established, I simply drilled a 2 inch opening with a hole saw.
My drain was a simple PVC fitting from the plumbing department at Lowes. I could have purchased 2/3/4/5 inch sizes. I didn't want to weaken the deck any more than necessary. I felt that the two-inch fitting would do the job. I sprayed it gray to match the boat's carpet and dropped it in.
If your deck doesn't have any way for water to exit, you might consider adding a drain.