Bilge drain plug (Swan 48)
Hi everybody,

after having our 48 lifted out of the water I was reminded that the threads of the bilge drain plug are worn. In fact, worn enough that we do not want to postpone the replacement, and possibly also worn enough that we cannot have the specifications measured on the plug itself.
Has any of you had to replace the plug, and/or would any of you have the specifications of the plug (most important are diameter and thread lead)? Alternatively, is someone close enough to his/her boat to take the measure (or have it taken regarding the thread lead)?
I assume that the material is bronze and that originally there was an O-ring-like seal around the stem (long gone before we bought the boat).

Best regards,
Martin
Age of Swan (48/039)

My boat is a 47. I hope i remember well, but there is no o-ring, or simply we lost it. We fair the surface with some plster there and apparently there is no leak there.
Matteo, Grampus 47/016

You might check with Jamestown Boat Yard in RI, USA. They keep a good supply of Swan parts. I got a new plug for our 411 from them.

Don F

Dear Martin,

I get a little confused with terminology sometimes - most recent confusion related to the "reverse gear-" but if you're asking about what I refer to as the garboard drain plug, this may help.  If it's something else, just skip this note. 

On my 43, I found a barely attached drain and drain plug that concerned me greatly; here's what I did:  Please see the pictures to follow on next post and the link to my blog which will give a better description.  And, if helpful, please contact me and I will offer any assistance that I can.

With warm regards,

Chris Mabel's Casse Tete  43/003

Dear Martin,

Here is a link to the page related to the garboard drain:  https://sites.google.com/site/mabelscassetete/home/below-the-waterline/garboard-drain-plug

And three pictures that may be helpful:

This is the original fitting - I was very worried

New Fitting and the router template

New Drain, sans plug, fitted to boat

Dear All
Not known if the original plug is made any more.
It appears that most drain plugs offered now are not flush, and do not have an O-ring.
Here a link to a nearly flush one with O-ring.
Kind regards
Lars
http://shop.classic-boat-supplies.com.au/bronze-boat-hardware/filler-caps-drain-plugs/bronze-drain-plugs/

Dear all,
thanks for the helpful replies and sorry for the delay - I was still en route from the winter place of the boat in the Med to my own winter place in northern Germany.
I found your various pieces of information very helpful, as I was neither aware that drain plug fittings or garboard fittings (Chris - I had to look that one up) were still available, nor had I ever thought about replacing the complete fitting. Nevertheless, I would greatly prefer to replace the plug only. The threads on the fitting are ok, and working on through-hull fittings in the underwater area is way outside my comfort zone.
Anyway, I will figure something out. Thanks, guys.
Best,
Martin

Im not sure if most would agree but I removed the bilge drain all together. Just this last week I was laminating the whole boat under the waterline and filled the hole with High density foam them glassed over it. One less through hull to worry about.

I guess for some people it could come in handy but for me I don't see ever really needing it.

Dear Aussie,

You make a good point and I was tempted to glass over mine. In the end, I bought a product that was substantial, installed it myself so I knew it was sound with the logic that the drain on my particular boat would be very useful - and that, unfortunately, is still true.

If one has a totally water-tight deck, including all fixtures, one can do without the drain. But...we all know how water gets in from time to time and it's nice to have it flow right out again.
Chris Mabel's Casse Tete 003/43

I have 007- 43. I never realized the boat had a bilge drain.
Are all 43's fitted with the drain? I obviously want to check it the next time the boat is out of the water. Can someone advise exactly where it is ? port/ starboard side in front of trim tab etc. Would be appreciated -
Will post photos and condition report

On the 43s the bilge drain plug is located on the starboard side just forward of the trim tab (if your boat still has an operable one at the base of the aft keel stub.

Chris Colton's photo and text shows this very well. I have attached some photos of mine for comparison. It was replaced with a new unit during the winter of 2003-2004. The old unit was in good condition but the slot on the plug had been chewed up by previous gorillas using too small a screw driver so I had it replaced when I was having some work done on the bottom back in 2003.

I have found the secret to keeping the plug from getting chewed up is to use a "Paul Bunion" size screw driver with a tip of at least 5/8". Also I remove the plug at the end of the season and carefully remove the "O" ring and clean the plug and receptor. I always apply a fresh coating of vaseline on the "O" ring and also copper "anti-sieze" paste on the plug threads. This guarantees easy removal the next year.

Someone earlier in this thread mentioned Jamestown Boatyard in Jamestown, Rhode Island as a source for the plug. This is coincidentily where I had mine replaced and they sourced out the plug.

Hiro

I value having the bilge plug and would not glass it over. In fact I have received many envious comments from other boat owners who wished they had the same.
As I do not have a dry bilge, I find it invaluable to empty out the last dregs and it allows me to be liberal with washing out the bilge which I do every time the boat comes out.
Our local metal fabricator made up a new plug for me which is as good as the original which showed similar wear to that mentioned in previous post.

Rob.
Sarabande. 47/029

I'd agree that having the bilge drain has so many advantages that I never thought about glassing it over. There is no advantage in summer while the boat is afloat; however, in winter on the dry it is way easier to clean the inside of the boat, and any condensation just runs down and out.
As I found out from the very helpful people at Nautor's spare part department, the bilge drain plug and fitting can still be obtained at a very reasonable price.

Martin
Age of Swan(48/039)