Do I want to do this? Plug question.

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Frogman Ladue

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..on any random lake in NE Ohio...
I've got all the stuff together to build and weld in a plug bung on the bottom of my boats. I can't go out the transom, there's a rivet seam in the way. I've got numerous nay-sayers second guessing my design. Here's what I got in mind....I've got a piece of 1.5" HW tubing, that I want to weld into the bottom of the boat (bilge area) approximately 6" port of the "keel chine". It should protrude .5" from the bottom when done. This will hold the plug. Now, I got guys telling me the boat will track funny because of the bung protrusion on the bottm. I've seen boats with factory running drain "vent", off set something like my design...

What would you guy do? Weld it in, other option?
 
I am by no means an expert but I don't think its going to be a major issue. On the other hand...if you have a bilge why do it?
Chris
 
My last boat had a drain in about the same spot. I never noticed any tracking issues but, my old boat was painfully slow(8-9mph tops). It had a small sort of hydrodynamic shield over the opening and the water would drain out towards the stern if that makes sense. I thought I had a photo of it but, I cant seem to find it.
 
My Crestliner has a plug on the running surface about 6" port of the keel and 6" forward of the transom. The plug screws into the aluminum of the running surface from the inside of the boat. There is a hood on the bottom of the boat, over the plug hole, that has an open end facing aft. It sticks out 3/4 of an inch from the running surface at the open end and tapers to a smooth transition to the running surface about 2" forward of the open end.

At speed, I can drain the bilge by removing the plug.

The hood as no effect on the tracking of the boat.

Weld your part in...and then ask the naysayers if the transom mount sounder transducer they have sticking about half an inch below the running surface of their boats has any bearing on the direction their boats are pointed...
 
The boat may not track funny but you will be disturbing water flow very near the propeller. If I was you I would move it further to the side.
 

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