What is this plastic thing on the bottom of my boat?

[ward cleaver]

I just bought a trailer and while adjusting the bunks for my aluminum 1982 16' MirroCraft, I saw something on the bottom of the boat that I have never noticed before. There may even be another one of these things on the other side as well. It looks like the weight of the boat will eventually crush this thing on the bunk. You can see where I tried to mark where I need to make a cutout in the bunk to accomodate this thing. I can either cut the bunk shorter so that it is clear of the bunk or make a cutout in the bunk for the thingie to sit in. This plastic thing is about 80" from the transom. I put a screw driver in the boat to indicate where this thing is. BTW the bunk is made of decking...the manufactured stuff. I plan to cover it with some carpet to allow the boat to slide over it easier without get scratched up. Maybe I should replace that stuff with lumber and cut the bunk short of the plastic thing.

Is it a drain hole? or maybe its a through-hull port for a transducer? Either way I don't think I want it sandwiched between the bunk and the boat. Do I need that much support from the bunks or can I just shorten them so they are out of the way?

 

[Woodonglass]

Uhmm if you tried to post a pic it didn't post. Best way to do it is to open a Free Photobucket account and then copy and paste the IMG Code link directly into your iBoats thread.

 

[ward cleaver]

Pictures should be there now.

 

[Woodonglass]

Got any live wells in the boat?

 

[Scott Danforth]

livewell or cooler drain

 

[GT1000000]

Definitely a drain, what for, I don't know...you can fill some interior compartments with some water and see which one its connected too...
Can you shift the bunk over an inch or two to clear it...or...trim an inch off of the bunk along its length...maybe even bevel the edge to clear it...?
I would not recommend making a notch for it as that might cause it to get hung up when loading/unloading the boat and cause some unwanted damage...

 

[greenbush future]

That's a strange location for a drain to the outside of the boat, given where the trailer guide is located. The aftermarket handle is also not really located well either. Those both are mot factory IMO. What is on the inside to the boat behind the drain in the picture?

 

[Scott Danforth]

could also be inlet (suction) for livewell.

 

[Rickmerrill]

Whatever it is I think your best moving that bunk over like GT mentioned. Some wave action or just a wake and that thing could land on the bunk and damage itself or maybe even the hull. Don't like the notch idea for that reason.

 

[ward cleaver]

Notching does not seem to be a good solution. Cutting the bunks shorter would be best but still present a hazard when launching. The top of this plastic thing is under the decking (which I plan to pull up, but not now). I think I am going to have to lift the boat again to assess the situation more fully. Not sure if I can widen the bunks to allow it to sit between them. Its always something.

 

[Woodonglass]

You did not answer the questions as to whether or not the boat has on board live wells. If it does, more than likely those are inlet/outlets for the livewells that are plumbed under the deck. Pour some water into the live wells and see what happens.

 

[ward cleaver]

No Title

I decided to lift up the bow to get access to the bunk. Cut about two feet off the length of that sucker with my saws-all. This looks much better now and I think there is still plenty of support for the boat with the portion of bunk still in place.

 

[ward cleaver]

It appears that there is (was) a live well under one of the seats (it folds back). But it also appears to have been caulked over. So I guess I can look into that later on.

 

[greenbush future]

I have a water drain fitting on the hull of my boat, but it is flush mounted, and up front away from the trailer pads. I expect the previous owner did this and now you will need to be careful with beaching the boat, or loading her on the trailer. If you damage that fitting, you could end up taking on water. I originally thought this fitting was on the side of the boat, not underneath. Make sure your bilge pump is in good running order before you venture out.

 

[jigngrub]

That would be a livewell drain, I have one in about the same location on my Tracker. When I pull the stand pipe in my livewell all the water drains out that hole.

 

[Daniel1947]

I have the same thing only it is closer to the center of the hull and it is (was) connected to forward live well drain. Since I am rebuilding my 89 Astro F&S, and have removed all of the drain and inlet fittings, I am wondering what would (or should) be used to seal the fittings back up after re-assembly?

 

[Woodonglass]

Aluminum or Glass boat?? Daniel I think you have a glass boat so if you have access to the inside where the hole is then it's a matter of glassin over it and then doing the same on the outside. Pretty simple to do.

 

[ward cleaver]

The more I look at that fitting, the more I want to get rid of it. I don't need or want a live well. And I certainly don't want to damage it while launching, then find myself swamped out in the lake. I'm with Daniel: Is there a way to replace it with a flush mount plug (permanently) so that it is not going to get damaged? Or is that fitting made of strong enough material that it would take a pretty hard knock to cause it to leak enough to cause a serious problem. My bilge pump is the manual variety. I could keep up with a leak. But not a hole in the bottom of the boat.

 

[ward cleaver]

Aluminum

 

[Woodonglass]

Ward, I was actually asking Daniel, but I'm thinking his is glass so his patch is fairly simple. Your's being Tin, is a bit more involved, but I"m NOT a tinner so I'll let the Tin Heads talk to you about what all's involved with taking care of that.