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Internal Drain Plugs

Hellacool

Jet Boat Junkie
Messages
132
Reaction score
34
Points
127
Boat Make
Yamaha
Year
2016
Boat Model
AR
Boat Length
24
2016 AR240, I see a two drain plugs in the engine compartment, one looks to lead from the ski locker and the other to the lower bilge. Open or closed? I have not seen a plug system like this before.
 
@Julian, can you see if you can get guidance from Yamaha on this subject? Yamaha put these plugs where they are for a reason. They installed plugs, not drain holes, so I assume that they think that the compartments should be sealed in some situations and open in others.
Wouldn't it be nice if they could share their logic with the community who uses their product?
 
I found out this weekend that one of those plugs can be used in place of a drain plug....I have no idea what happened to my drain plug:-/
 
I only use the ski locker compartment plug when I fill it with ice to make it a cooler. The rest of the plugs live in a Ziploc bag. I want any water in the boat (outside of a ballast bag) to find its way to the bilge and out of the boat. Just my $0.02.
 
I only use the ski locker compartment plug when I fill it with ice to make it a cooler. The rest of the plugs live in a Ziploc bag. I want any water in the boat (outside of a ballast bag) to find its way to the bilge and out of the boat. Just my $0.02.
Wow, that would hold a lot of cold drinks!
 
Here we go again... :facepalm:
 
@Julian, can you see if you can get guidance from Yamaha on this subject? Yamaha put these plugs where they are for a reason. They installed plugs, not drain holes, so I assume that they think that the compartments should be sealed in some situations and open in others.
Wouldn't it be nice if they could share their logic with the community who uses their product?

The owners manual of my boat says:
  1. Ski locker: Remove the ski locker drain to drain water out of it, then to "Securely install the drain plug in its original position"
  2. Regarding draining bilge water: "This model boat is equipped with a fuel tank compartment drain plug, engine compartment drain plug and a hull drain plug." "Be sure all drain plugs are tightened before operating your boat. Otherwise water may flood the boat causing it to submerge"
  3. To drain water from the fuel tank compartment, open that drain. Same for engine compartment. Once drained - "Securely install the drain plugs in their original position"
Does anyone else's manual differ in the directions/instructions? In short, only remove the plugs to drain water. Otherwise...PLUGS IN. (hopefully they are all the same!)
 
Last edited:
Yeah....never ending debate for sure.

If you are boating in the ocean and are taking repeated waves over the bow and aren't paying attention to the general status of your boat (how low and sluggish she is running) and don't have constant forward momentum that is forcing deck water to drain from your scupper....you are going to swap....then sink. The presence or not of a drain plug isnt going to make much difference. I do typically leave my ski locker drain out just because I want that locker dry and regardless of how I'm operating my boat there should never be water in it. I leave the other 2 drain plugs in, and open them on occasion.....to check for water.

This isn't something I lose sleep over. The gas tank compartment can't hold much water.....the gas tank occupies 95% of the space. The engine bay can't hold much water....it is only to drain any water between the engine supports. So neither of those bother me at all. I keep the engine bay spotless. Never anything in there and pristine white gelcoat.
 
Yeah....never ending debate for sure.

If you are boating in the ocean and are taking repeated waves over the bow and aren't paying attention to the general status of your boat (how low and sluggish she is running) and don't have constant forward momentum that is forcing deck water to drain from your scupper....you are going to swap....then sink. The presence or not of a drain plug isnt going to make much difference. I do typically leave my ski locker drain out just because I want that locker dry and regardless of how I'm operating my boat there should never be water in it. I leave the other 2 drain plugs in, and open them on occasion.....to check for water.

This isn't something I lose sleep over. The gas tank compartment can't hold much water.....the gas tank occupies 95% of the space. The engine bay can't hold much water....it is only to drain any water between the engine supports. So neither of those bother me at all. I keep the engine bay spotless. Never anything in there and pristine white gelcoat.
@Julian, that's exactly what I do too. Great minds think alike.
 
I found out last year that leaving drain plugs in on the floor of the engine compartment did not let the rain water that was leaking in (hole in cover) and into the ski locker (thru a bad gasket) would stay under the engine bay and move back and forth, never finding its way to the bilge pump above. Discovered 4 gallons of water under there just before things froze for the winter. Posted about this on another thread and the water only came out of the hull drain after the trailer jack was up all the way. I will still leave them in, but be more aware, and open the engine compartment drain, more often. Outa site, outa mind.
 
The owners manual of my boat says:
  1. Ski locker: Remove the ski locker drain to drain water out of it, then to "Securely install the drain plug in its original position"
  2. Regarding draining bilge water: "This model boat is equipped with a fuel tank compartment drain plug, engine compartment drain plug and a hull drain plug." "Be sure all drain plugs are tightened before operating your boat. Otherwise water may flood the boat causing it to submerge"
  3. To drain water from the fuel tank compartment, open that drain. Same for engine compartment. Once drained - "Securely install the drain plugs in their original position"
Does anyone else's manual differ in the directions/instructions? In short, only remove the plugs to drain water. Otherwise...PLUGS IN. (hopefully they are all the same!)
On the 2014 242 limited is there a drain plug in the fuel compartment. i only see a hose leading to the engine compartment.
 
On the 2014 242 limited is there a drain plug in the fuel compartment. i only see a hose leading to the engine compartment.

I think you will find a plug in the forward side of the engine compartment that connects it to the fuel compartment.
 
I never understood having plugs. I've been on lots of boats and they all have drain ports. Boat out, rear drain out. Boat in, rear drain in. That's it.
 
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