Drain Hole Repair - Threaded Brass Plug

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Johnny

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okay - here it is . . . .
Removed the boat drain scoop scupper from the boat.
cleaned with hot solvents and stainless wire brush
drilled out and welded a few cancer holes with aluminum brazing rod
cleaned inside thread with a 1" Dremel stainless wire brush (in a hand drill on low).
put masking tape on the inside of the scoop as this is a "through fitting".
applied the release agent to the brass plug and set aside.
mixed the Loktite PC-3967 Stripped Thread Repair epoxy.
did not fill the hole full, just applied a thick coating of epoxy to the threads only.
after 20 minutes, removed the brass plug.
waited 30 minutes and cleaned with hot water and trimmed off the excess flashing.
brass drain plug fits tight and bottoms out at the bottom of the hole snuggly.
problem: in my haste (you only have 5 minutes to do this) I did not ensure the
brass plug was perpendicular with the drain face . . . so it is a little crooked.
which is okay - if - I always remember to start the plug at a slight angle.
if I am not satisfied with this repair, I can burn out the epoxy and do it all over again.
next time, put the drain scoop in a clamp to hold securely so the plug will
fit properly in the perpendicular straight and normal fashion while the epoxy sets up.
if this epoxy repair does'nt work, I will remove all the epoxy, clean well and weld filler in the
threads and retap with a 1/2" NPT pipe tap. I will have to cut a hole in the scoop
for the tap to fit through, weld a plug to close the hole that was made for the tap.

I also used this material and same technique to repair some bolt holes in a
lower unit of a 1958 outboard that had stripped heli-coils. There was no way
to install new heli-coils so this was the best option. Everything appears to be holding fine.

If you do this with your boat and you do not want to remove the drain scupper,
follow the directions with the epoxy pack and ensure the plug is perpendicular to the hull.
if you are using the plug with the twist top and rubber gasket, ensure the gasket bottoms
out snuggly...... this is a tapered plug, so how ever you install the plug is the exact
position that it will bottom out as. Not deep enough and the gasket will not form a seal.

just another way to skin a cat
 

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Nice repair Johnny!

If that doesn't work, or even if someone wanted to add a drain to a tin boat that doesn't have one - here's another option - a Moeller drain tube for aluminum boats. this drain tube kit is made specifically to put a drain into an aluminum boat. Only $7 from here: https://www.carolinaboatoutfitters....boat-drain-kit-moeller-020848001-p-79684.html

The O-ring goes towards the outside of the transom around the end of the drain tube. There is a grooved edge on the larger aluminum piece and the grooved edge will go towards the O-ring to help seal. And here's a post I put with info on how to make your own DIY flaring tool to set brass or aluminum scupper and/or drain tubes: https://forum.tinboats.net/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=37298
 

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