Drain plug in the transom?

[jjan]

Hi again,
I am in the process of getting a 2009 Macgregor upon finalizing the sale of my current boat, hopefully this week. I have read numerous posts regarding water in the bilges and how to remove it. Can someone please tell me if this boat has a transom drain plug and if not, could one be installed. I ask this as my previous boats have all had them, just pull up onto the ramp and unscrew then the bilge drains.
Many thanks
J

[Retcoastie]

Nope! No bilge drain plug, sorry. But the good news is, You probably won't need one on your new 26M. Congratulations on that.

[Duane Dunn, Allegro]

It's not possible to really install one either. The bilge is made up of many cavities around the ballast tank channels so there is not a single space to drain. While you find manual plugs on small speed boats, I don't think you'll find them on many power or sail boats of this size, certainly not on real cruising yachts. One nice thing about the Mac is there are no through hulls below the waterline (except the one into the ballast tank) so there is less chance of an accidental flood.

[Divecoz]

Hummm Maybe I did an over kill ? I installed two bilge pumps. 1 next to the existing battery and one in the area under the starboard dinette seat.
Why did do it? I thought better safe than sorry? Honestly I caused some water problems that I hadn't had till I got the install right..
Now Should I ever have a problem I can pump about 16 to 17 gallons a minute . That's no less than 3 - 5, 5 gallon buckets full to the top, every 60 seconds.
More realistically that's 20 to 30 1 gallon buckets every minute... Peace of Mind for under $100.

[2BonC]

After a small incident having lots of water in the bilge without any bilge pump I installed three bilgepumps.
http://www.macgregorsailors.com/modt/in ... ?view=1048
I allways have now the -usual small amounts of water there but it´s so little that I never got one drop out of it with the bilge pumps. .

Rainer

[Kelly Hanson East]

I woke up at 3am one morning, with two kids on board, to find 18 inches of water in the boat.

I installed bilge pumps the next week.

[Remedy]

Nope! No bilge drain plug, sorry. But the good news is, You probably won't need one on your new 26M. Congratulations on that.

Hi Recoastie,

I just bought a 2006 and you have me wondering how I got so lucky! Will you elaborate on why I probably won't need one. I'm generally a believer in "Murphy's Law" so you can understand my curiosity.

V/R,
Jim

[Russ]

As mentioned, this isn't like any other boat where you can drain the water out the transom.

We have a 2008 M and have never had a drop of water in the "bilge". I put the word bilge in quotes because I don't know where it would really be. There are compartments and I guess there is a low area that could collect water. Since there is really no through hull fittings on a stock boat, sea water doesn't have a way in (although I've read stories of X's with holes in the bottom). Most water comes in via rain water and generally through the chain plates. I believe the factory has done a better job of sealing these with newer boats. Our boat has been rained on like crazy, many feet of snow, just about everything and no water has gotten in so far.

Now a prudent person might get a bilge pump, electrical plug and a hose that they could drop into a compartment and pump water out if a situation arose. A manual pump might also work. I suppose it would also depend on what kind of boating you plan on doing. We are never more than 5 minutes from a beach in an emergency.

--Russ

[Kelly Hanson East]

I suppose it would also depend on what kind of boating you plan on doing

Exactly. In the world of sailing, there is a lot of bad advice out there, and people who will dictate mantra as to "how things should be done" - in Macworld you can ignore a lot of this garbage.

If you are a lake sailor, there is no need for an intricate bilge pump system on Macs, if any at all. Regs say you should have a way of emptying the boat, but a manual bucket qualifies here just fine.

[Retcoastie]

Jim,

I have had boats with the drain plugs, and all those were open to the elements. Rain and spray could enter the boat and settle in the bilge. The Macs are not open to the elements except for the cockpit areas. This keeps water out of the bilge, as the cockpit drains overboard.

Congrats again on the .

Ken

[Divecoz]

I suppose it would also depend on what kind of boating you plan on doing

Exactly. In the world of sailing, there is a lot of bad advice out there, and people who will dictate mantra as to "how things should be done" - in Macworld you can ignore a lot of this garbage.

If you are a lake sailor, there is no need for an intricate bilge pump system on Macs, if any at all. Regs say you should have a way of emptying the boat, but a manual bucket qualifies here just fine.

YES BY ALL MEANS! The Above...
For Us , I am less worried about water getting into the cabin of the boat , when its on Lake Michigan, where the boat is slipped 6 months a year, than in Port Charlotte Harbor Fla. and South on that West Coast. How might water get into your boat? I am thinking a failed through hull or an accident / puncture. ON the M's with the sliding Galley . The Motor well drain and the sink share the same through hull and it has according to at least one on this board .... failed . It there by allowed water into the boat.
I suppose I could, when I am down there just try to immediately beach her and hope for the best, but I would like a little time to think over my options...
It is true, there is no real bilge area per say.
Everyone here sets up their boat for their personal needs . I have a raw water pump that I use, to wash the boat down, when I am on the hook. I can also with the flip of a switch rinse out the heads holding tank and with the twist of a valve, pump out enough ballast water to float the boat 4 to 6 inches in less than 20 minutes, should I find myself to be grounded. ( and I have been ) I believe I am the only one here with those options . But they make sense for me..... Its all about what you want or think you need.

[jjan]

Hi Again,
Sorry to go over this again but are some saying that there is no way that water can gather in a common area at the bottom of the boat because it is just a bunch of seperate sealed compartments? Does this also mean that if I were to fit a bilge pump that I should fit one in everyone of those compartments. The reason that I asked this is that I have read a lot of posts whereby people for what ever reason, have got quite a bit of water in the bilge area. There could be numerous ways for water penetration ie hatch cover left open, leak, failure or whatever. I recently looked at a new Mac on it's trailer that was very damp inside the cabin because someone had left the hatch open all weekend during the storms. I did not look in the bilges but the water must have went somewhere when it went down the rear of the cushions. I am just curious if there is an easier faster way to drain the bilges quickly other than sponges and fitting bilge pumps in every compartment, thus my question regarding the possibility and feasability of fitting a transom drain plug for fast effortless draining.
J

[mackatt68]

So Kelly
"I woke up at 3am one morning, with two kids on board, to find 18 inches of water in the boat."
Did you ever figure out where that much water came in?

[Russ]

My M does not have a "bilge". It has several compartments created by the water ballast shape. My keel boat had a true bilge under the floor. The Mac does not. The lowest spot seems to be the battery compartment under the steps.

My experience with electric bilge pumps is that they need to be submerged to an inch or two of water to begin pumping and never get a bilge dry. Unless there is a LOT of water in there, a pump isn't going to do much good.

So in my opinion, the only use for an electric bilge pump on a Mac is to pump in the event of a puncture or some sort of major leak or you have a lot of rain water coming in. If the 12 volt power went out a manual system might also be a good idea.

Frankly the fewer holes below the water line the better. Right now there is only one hole that drains the sink and cockpit. Putting another is asking for trouble and how many have forgotten to put the plug in their boats before launching? I've almost done that a few times.

If you want to sleep better, then install a pump with a float, but realize it may never be turned on. They aren't expensive. I have a sump pump in my cobwebed sump well in my basement that has never seen action.



--Russ

[Russ]

So Kelly
"I woke up at 3am one morning, with two kids on board, to find 18 inches of water in the boat."
Did you ever figure out where that much water came in?

I would never get back on board until I did.