78 Oday 20 plug question

[AJLajoie]

Hi. In my 78 O'Day 20 footer, there are a few holes in the bottom of the hull. I know they are for drainage for the sink, cockpit, cooler and the hull. My questions is and I have gotten different answers from the locals here in PA, do I need drain plugs for any of these? Some say I do and others say no. I feel so stupid asking the question, but it is my first boast. Thanks. Tony

 

[Sunbird22358]

In theory, none of the original drains on the 20 would seem to have needed plugs. Obviously, the cockpit drain would not need/have a plug as it should be above the waterline and needs to be open to allow free flow of water out to self-bail the cockpit. Sink drain is same, but may (I doubt it though!) be equipped with a close-able valve/seacock on the inside of the through hull to prevent flooding if hte hose were to break/pop off the thru-hull. I guess technically, you should have a shut-off on hte thru-hull for the cockpit drain as well (same reason) but I am pretty sure O'DAY didn't install one. Cooler drain (if it goes thru-hull) may have a plug in the inside of the cooler to prevent cold air/water from escaping as well as outside water from back-flowing in. The 20 did not have a hull drain from the factory, but if a previous owner added one, that one DOES need a plug (type will depend on what kind of drain was installed).

If stil lin doubt, post a picture of each drain that you found and we can comment.