Anyone installed a drain plug in a Walker Bay 8?

[SFS]

I've searched this site, CF, and the internet, and cannot find an answer to the following issue.

My used WB8 dinghy does not have a drain plug. The company sells a plug, and I have been in touch with customer service, who has provided me with the dimensions and precise locations of the holes that need to be drilled on the transom. What the rep cannot tell me is at what angle to drill the hole, and to what reference line that angle is measured.

I'll drill the hole from the outside of the transom side, because the measurements apply to that side. But obviously I want the exit hole for the drill bit to come out at the proper place inside the boat. A mistake will not be easy to fix, as this is not a fiberglass boat, and not everyone has the proper gear to weld polypropylene. Has anyone installed a drain plug in this dinghy, and can offer advice.?

My other options are:
1) I'll attempt to get in contact with the factory on Monday, but WB is surprisingly hard to find. Corporate HQ is supposedly in Yakima WA, but one search says Fairfield CA. Phone numbers supplied for both of those locations are no longer in service.
2) Go to my club, where there are about six copies of the WB8, at least 3 of which have plugs. I will attempt to determine the best reference line to use and measure and angle. (I had to laugh when the customer service rep said ALL of their dinghies have drains, as it is a Coast Guard requirement. I think I upset him when I told him that I've been looking at used copies for about a year, and it's about 50/50 between drain and no drain.)

 

[Crazy Dave Condon]

take a photo of your dinghy both from the inside and out side which will give us an idea. You may want to take a photo of one on the other dinghys as there are some that will do the job. Then send me a privat message. I do have some idea of boats as I use to be a sailboat dealer.

 

[Charles Erwin]

Put a very small diameter (7/64") drill from outside to inside This is your experimental center. Now measure on the inside to verify whether this center is high enough to accommodate the (yet to be drilled) final 3/4" (or whatever it is) diameter hole. If so OK. If not change the angle. Very reliable this approach. Consider a hole saw to do the final hole rather than a spade bit. In either case, the outside dia. of hole saw/bit = slightly greater than outside diameter of plug shell liner. Calk the liner outer surface before squeezing it tight.

By the way - transom drains are supposed to get most the water out but not necessarily all of it. So a bit high on the inside surface is no sin.

Charles

 

[SFS]

Charles, thanks for the response. What caulk will stick to polypropylene?

Dave, I'm really swamped (no pun intended) right now, so it will be a while before I can go down to the club, shoot some pictures, and PM you. Thanks for the invite to correspond again.

 

[Charles Erwin]

Consider Boatlife Life-Calk. Polysulfide so check to see it does not 'de-plasticize' polypropylene. Truth? Just about anything to keep the seep out. It's not like anything is going to rot. Personally I would go ahead with whatever I had in the shop since you can always change to something else later.

Charles

 

[dspurgeon]

I obtained a small thru hull that fit inside the recess going down the center line of the floor. I drilled a hole to size and installed it just prior to the transom. This method drains the entire floor. A simple cheap install that is plugged with a rubber cork or bait well plug.

 

[Bad Obsession]

On kayaks the preferred thing to use is called Goop. That stuff works well to seal things. I believe the walker bay is made out of the same stuff as most kayaks. With the amount of people owning kayaks and the amount of modifications that they make to them, there has to be something behind the reason that they use Goop.

 

[Crazy Dave Condon]

Bad Obsession;
thank you for that observation on a kayak for sealant. My kayak is called the Titanic. You know me and that name is appropriated for my kayak. You are always invited to stay with us at the head of the James and thank you so much for letting Ann and I know about Joan. Sure do miss Jim though.

 

[Bad Obsession]

Jim will always be missed. He was a huge personality that everyone enjoyed knowing and enjoyed hanging around.

Here is a link for Goop: https://www.lowes.com/pd/Amazing-GO...f5e3bf7eb398&gclid=CJer2rKPzNMCFY5WDQodvRkC_g

 

[SFS]

Update:
1) None of the copies of this dinghy at my club (and there are now 4) have drain plugs. So much for looking at an install.
2) I may be worried unnecessarily about the angle at which to drill. I envisioned the hole ending up like a tunnel, and covering a lot of ground fore and aft. Turns out that the "wheel well" doesn't really factor in - it looks like I'm only going thru the transom, which is about 1/8" thick.
3) I ordered the plug, which should be here on Friday with my new sail, so I will report back next week with pictures.

 

[seadaddler]

My inflatable had the drain hole all the way to one side so if tilted very little the water drained very well,my now drain in middle does not drain as well and use a sponge to wipe up the rest.
Nick

 

[pateco]

I too am looking to add a drain plug to my polypropylene dinghy. However with the rear bench (see below) I will need to put a pipe through the foam flotation all the way to the transom. I should also run a pipe under the center bench to drain the bow section. I was going to just use PVC pipe, but was wondering how to bond PVC to polypropylene?

 

[dspurgeon]

Here is the photo of a 1/2 thru hull located about 6in prior to the wheel in the floor . Also of a cork or baitwell plug that can be used.

 

[seadaddler]

I don't know for sure how it was done and what glue was used but my friend has drain hole front to rear of center seat and than drain on rear transom solved his rain water while on davits.