Lost drain plugs... help!

Hi all,

Today I am preparing my hobie 16 for the first outing for the summer set for tomorrow. Either I removed the drain plugs last fall to keep them "safe" or someone took them as a prank. Anyway, the boat is all ready to sail tomorrow except for the plugs. I live near los angeles and the only option for parts is mail order. So my question; has anyone found a way to jury rig temporary plugs out of bolts or corks or something? I spent all day today preparing for tomorrow and hate to cancel because of this.

Thanks, Don

Wish I had an easy fix for you. I could use that little nugget of wisdom myself. But know that those drain plugs are used in lots of other water craft, other brand sailboats, kayaks, etc. They're not Hobie-specific. If you're near LA I'd bet you could find some near you somewhere if you look for watersport or outdoor "adventure" shops. I'd even call a surf shop hoping for a reference. Food for thought.

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'81 H16

If it ain't a blowin', I ain't a goin'

No help for the plugs but for the orings I use the seals for water hoses and it works great.

http://www.google.com/products/catalog? ... 8gIwADgA#p

I bought mine from West Marine and they work great - no need for mail order

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1985 Prindle 16

Always carry extra parts so you don't end up with this problem again...rudder pins,mast bearings,split rings,drain plugs,line,life jackets and of course beer...I once drove an hour to the lake only to realize my hot stick was at home.Thank goodness my original one(that I never used) was in my sail tube.Over the years I have acquired many Hobie's,some in bad shape but I always ended up with many extra parts that I sort out and can pretty much fix or make do with what I have with me.I can also help any other cat sailor with their problems too.

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Bill 404 21SE

If you are going tomorrow, you have plenty of time to come up with several fixes. Corks would be great if you have a couple that are the right size or bigger that you can cut down. Or whittle up a couple of plugs from good old pine wood. Be careful not to break the plug threaded area by pounding them in or something crazy like that. Come on. You're a sailor. That's better than being McGuyver. You can come up with something. Be imaginative. A carved potato comes to mind. Be careful not to push whatever you use inside the hulls. You'd have a bugger of a time getting it out. Anything but to miss a day on the water. Let us all know how you solve your dilemma. Have a great sail.

Thanks for all the great advice everyone! Well, I did solve the problem at least for today. I ended up making baffles out of an old drill bit case made from thick flexible plastic, the same shape as the plug base. After removing the bases, I flipped them around so that the threaded portion that goes into the hull was sticking out. I sandwiched the baffles in between the hulls and the plug base, added some silicone, and put the screws back in, essentially blocking the ports. After the new plugs and bases arrive, i'll trash the old bases (think they are the originals from 1980). I'll take your advice Bill and order extras! It was a great day at castaic, wind was a little light but we had a few good runs. Very few boats on the lake, only one other sailboat.
Thanks again everyone,
Don

Bill and Mdgann make good points (great reality check guys - I can see a potato in my future!). You can look at the parts included in the spare parts kit and convenience kits in the hobie catalog as go-byes for parts and pieces to put into a bag and clip to the tramp, permanently. I've done this and it's there every day I go out.

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'81 H16

If it ain't a blowin', I ain't a goin'

I don't know if it will work on a Hobie but I used to use plastic champagne stoppers if they still exist. Maybe on Wild Duck?

The same drain plus is used in all our kayaks as well - so find a Hobie kayak shop and you'll get plugs if you aren't having luck elsewhere...