Drain bolts in or out; Teflon or sealant liquid

[GoneBoatN]

For those of us who store "dry blocked":

So I'm curious who leaves there drain plugs in or out.

and if you use Teflon (tape?) for a sealant liquid.

So it is my understanding that the threads will rust less if you store with the drain bolts in place. Also I use Aviation Form-a-Gasket from Permatex. It does not harden and I've never had a drain plug freeze in place on me. It coats the threads so it will inhibit rust (my thoughts). I see people mention using teflon tape for their drain plugs and I don't understand what the advantage of doing so (other than a little less mess).

My boat is in a garage that also contains the house heater and hot water heater, in an area not prone to freezing. So I'm not horribly worried about a little water that might have been missed when winterizing. I would not think this to be a concern anyways if you drain correctly.

Let another off season debate begin...

[Ben]

In. I left out one year and the manifold threads got really rusty. Had to rethread with a shirt nose tap from a plumbing store. PIA. Won't do again

[JimN]

Originally Posted by GoneBoatN

For those of us who store "dry blocked":

So I'm curious who leaves there drain plugs in or out.

and if you use Teflon (tape?) for a sealant liquid.

So it is my understanding that the threads will rust less if you store with the drain bolts in place. Also I use Aviation Form-a-Gasket from Permatex. It does not harden and I've never had a drain plug freeze in place on me. It coats the threads so it will inhibit rust (my thoughts). I see people mention using teflon tape for their drain plugs and I don't understand what the advantage of doing so (other than a little less mess).

My boat is in a garage that also contains the house heater and hot water heater, in an area not prone to freezing. So I'm not horribly worried about a little water that might have been missed when winterizing. I would not think this to be a concern anyways if you drain correctly.

Let another off season debate begin...

Anti-sieze works, too. Best practice is to use brass or bronze plugs in cast iron- different metals don't fuse like similar but with some metals, a galvanic reaction occurs, which degrades the metals' integrity- this is the reason anodes are needed for stern-drive boats- the aluminum loses material due to electrostatic imbalance between the water and the engine and the aluminum is the less "noble" material. Zinc is even less noble, so it's sacrificed, for the good of the aluminum.

The longer plugs are allowed to stay in place, the better the chance that they won't come out without damage to them or the cast iron. Both dealerships I worked for removed the plugs and bagged them, attaching the bag to the throttle or the steering wheel- it was standard practice so it didn't matter who summerized the boat- we always knew where to look for them in Spring. This was done to all boats, unless the customer specifically requested that we re-install them. Obviously, if anti-freeze was used, they stayed in place. Leaving them out also eliminates the chance that any water that may have remained can't move if the boat is trailered from the dealership, settling in a low spot and causing damage by freezing.

[mikeg205]

^^ +1 end of debate.

[ttu]

i always do as jim said and then coat all the threads with a light coat of oil.

[Lumbergh]

I take all my (brass) plugs and hull plug out, dry block.

But the boat also sits in my garage all winter, and its above freezing in there regardless.

Then teflon tape when installing plugs for season.

YMMV.

[mikeg205]

Originally Posted by ttu

i always do as jim said and then coat all the threads with a light coat of oil.

^^+1 - you don't need to over torque the the riser plugs, block petcock or knock sensor. Keep them oiled up. I just make these plugs hand tight and then an 1/8 of a turn and never had a leak. I have the graphite packing in my shaft log and my bilge is usually dry..depending on how long my friends stay on swim deck to drain a bit before re-entering boat.

If you dry block - oil or anti-seize... if you have money to burn check out the www.evaporust.com - I spent $100+ and removed a bit rust.....may spend $100 to keep water jacket channels clear on my 1995...

[GoneBoatN]

Originally Posted by mikeg205

^^ +1 end of debate.

Originally Posted by mikeg205

^^+1 - you don't need to over torque the the riser plugs, block petcock or knock sensor. Keep them oiled up. I just make these plugs hand tight and then an 1/8 of a turn and never had a leak. I have the graphite packing in my shaft log and my bilge is usually dry..depending on how long my friends stay on swim deck to drain a bit before re-entering boat.

If you dry block - oil or anti-seize... if you have money to burn check out the www.evaporust.com - I spent $100+ and removed a bit rust.....may spend $100 to keep water jacket channels clear on my 1995...

You seem to still be debating.

At least now I can rest easy knowing I'm not the only one not using teflon tape on the block plugs.

[mikeg205]

Originally Posted by GoneBoatN

You seem to still be debating.

At least now I can rest easy knowing I'm not the only one not using teflon tape on the block plugs.

ok...time to st(farm)u...