Clogged rear drain hole

[2ndWind]

This is my first sailboat and post!1Hey Hey ..hope to be a contributor in the future..
I have a 2002 26x and can hardly wait to get it on the water but of course gotta clean her up(so says the wife), change the name, registeration etc etc...I'am almost exhausted already but love this site. Okay the aft drain hole under the motor is clogged. It was clogged two weeks ago when I bought it. To make matters perhaps worst, I was draining the lower unit oil and set the drain plug on the transom and ..my wife was climbing out down the ladder and ..u guessed it the plug went somewhere, I can't find it so guess where I think it is. Any suggesstions would be appreciated. Any ideas to keep this from happening again.
Thanks in advance

[kmclemore]

Welcome! Nice to have you here.

To answer your questions...

Losing the drain plug is pretty common. Any dealer for your motor brand can get you one pretty quickly. To keep from it happening again, put the plug in your toolbox's top tray, not on the boat!

As for the drain hose, this clogging is also very common. Try back-flushing it with a garden hose, or you could use compressed air, but you don't want to put too much pressure on it as you may dislodge the hose inside the boat. And if the drain plug found its way in there, it will come popping right out.

[restless]

I find a home jet wash pretty effective. Showed me I had a loose hose clip the first time I tried it... was a bit messy but glad that I found it then rather than at sea.

[K9Kampers]

More fiber?!

Strong magnet on a string, or remove hose elbow down below.

[Mac26Mpaul]

Not sure if the X is the same as the M but mine was clogged with leaf/plant material. The hose wouldnt clear it and from memory, I straightened out a wire coat hanger and jammed that in to unblock it.

[Catigale]

Use a fish tape or coat hanger to push a string through the system, Now tie a big knot that will pass through the hose in that string, and loop it - leave the string in the drain permanently. You can know clean out the pipe whenever you want

If you plug it, you dont have to worry about the transom well cracking from ice imhe.

[Wind Chime]

I dropped a bolt into our 2000-26X drain once before and could not get it out by flushing or mag on a string, so I removed the hose from inside.

To remove the hose:
Remove the interior transom material cover (4 screws), this exposes the transom and the drain hose.
Remove the two hose clamps, and it comes right out.
Put good marine sealant back on the hose connections, so it will not leak.

Stop it from happening again:
I learned this trick on this site.
Put a garden hose screen washer over the drain hole in the motor well.
Put a small amount of sealant on it to make it stay in place.

[fishheadbarandgrill]

I use a shop-vac to remove leaves, etc. I also is good to suck out any standing water which can get pretty stinky.

Bob

[Sloop John B]

I have all kinds of tree debrie bouncing off the tarp but the transom sticks out to gather it into the well. It's a quarter inch hole in the bottom, the same as your two sinks. Take one of your black rubber stoppers and plug the well hole. The well will fill and overflow with pine needles, leaves, and rain water. Oh, heavens. Now you must dunk your dainty mitt into this mess and scoop it all out. Once cleared, pull the plug out and the rain water shoots out all over your new boat shoes. Nonetheless, it's the easiest way to keep the drain open once you've cleared it as suggested above.

[oldsalt16]

In the early days, I had the same problem with my '01X. Fortunately, I never dropped any hardware down the drain but clogging with leaves was an ongoing problem. Luckily, the backwashing remedy with a nozzle always worked. Then one day, I stumbled upon a fast, cheap, and effective solution: After flushing my Suzuki 50, and as I removed the duct tape covering the intake vent, I spotted a roll of fiber glass mesh tape (used for dry wall seams) that I had left in the back of my truck. Hm......I cut off a small piece, covered the drain, and taped down the edges with narrow strips of duct tape. In less than two minutes, I had a nearly flush leaf screen. This was intended to be a temporary measure until I had the time to borrow and install a far more elegant solution from the good people on this site. Until that time comes, my little patch works and stays stuck through the season. Good sailing & best wishes to all.

[Catigale]

If you cant see the transom cover (and can see the front of the transom fiberglass inside the boat) then someone probably broke into your boat one night and stole the cover. They are as rare as hens teeth on ebay, so dont say I didnt warn you.

[carriacou]

Try this for a clean drain:
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/5 ... AA300_.jpg
Just poke it the the drain and start the water going, slow at first and up a bit at a time.

It cleans the drain just like Roto-Rooter

don

[K9Kampers]

If you cant see the transom cover (and can see the front of the transom fiberglass inside the boat) then someone probably broke into your boat one night and stole the cover. They are as rare as hens teeth on ebay, so dont say I didnt warn you.

I forget why, but the 2nd time I had to remove the transom cover to inspect back there, I just left it off. That'll make it easier to access when / if underway, just install again at time of sale.

[wallville]

When I took the A2Z from the previous owner, I noticed then the transom drain was clogged as well. So I used a coat hanger, but ran into very stiff resistance within 6 inches from the top down path. She's in the water, so I couldn't see where the drain exits the hull. I pulled the hanger out and realized that I don't quite understand the path that the drain plug takes. Could anyone advise me where to look exactly for that drain down and exit is? I have a bad feeling my drain holes are clogged with barnacles and Annapolis brackish water "stuff". I don't want to break anything, but would gladly replace parts. Any help is help that I could use. P.S. I tried all of the above suggestions. Hose with pressure, hanger wire, even a plunger...all to no avail.

[Russ]

When I took the A2Z from the previous owner, I noticed then the transom drain was clogged as well. So I used a coat hanger, but ran into very stiff resistance within 6 inches from the top down path. She's in the water, so I couldn't see where the drain exits the hull. I pulled the hanger out and realized that I don't quite understand the path that the drain plug takes. Could anyone advise me where to look exactly for that drain down and exit is? I have a bad feeling my drain holes are clogged with barnacles and Annapolis brackish water "stuff". I don't want to break anything, but would gladly replace parts. Any help is help that I could use. P.S. I tried all of the above suggestions. Hose with pressure, hanger wire, even a plunger...all to no avail.

A little Draino maybe?
No, just kidding, don't do that!!


The drain exits the transom on the port side just about the waterline. So DON'T use a coat hanger again. You may puncture the hose and flood the boat.

Locate the white drain exit on the transom and try blasting a garden hose into it. That often helps unclog mine. The cockpit drain goes to a "T" fitting where it meets the sink drain. That's the resistance you are getting with the hanger.

If all else fails, go into the aft bunk and remove the guard by unscrewing the screws and you will have access to the drain. There you can remove the hoses and clean them if nothing else works. I would first plug the drain on the transom before removing them.

Here's what the drain looks like on the transom.