# Drain Tube Leak



## bryan.w (Dec 15, 2020)

sledge hammer should do the trick


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## skinny_fishing (Aug 30, 2021)

I'm seriously considering getting a Hog Island plastic skiff after dealing with this BS lol


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## LowReynolds# (Mar 23, 2021)

Sucks. I would let it dry out as much as I could then mix up some epoxy resin and install a metal tube like this one. 









Moeller DRAIN TUBE-BRASS


Special alloy. Flanged 90" one end. Functions as drain for transom motor well livewell or baitwell. Use similar metal between tubes and plugs. Designed for use with Moeller Snap-Tite Turn-Tite and Trail ?n Bail Plugs. Wall thickness is .035". Length under flange given.




www.iboats.com





Clean up the hole and paint some resin in there with a small brush to seal the hole first. 

I guess you could drill a few holes in the transom at select spots to try and see how bad the transom is rotted.


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## skinny_fishing (Aug 30, 2021)

Wouldn't I need some sort of flange tool for that as well? I don't know if that's even worth it for this skiff tbh.


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## Sawyer Martin (Jan 30, 2019)

I would be willing to bet that the transom on that thing is toast. It would make perfect sense that the bulk of the inside of it is wet, given how the top of it was splitting. I never bought that the split in the top of the transom was due to voids. It was likely delaminating due to moisture buildup in there, which started by the drain plug area. 

You've got a decent skiff worth repairing still, in my opinion. I'd replace the transom though, assuming you take some core samples & find that the wood around it is wet, too. 

Or say screw it & throw a new drain tube in with some good sealant & run it as is. Wouldn't blame you if you did that either, given the cost of the boat.


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## skinny_fishing (Aug 30, 2021)

I'm wondering if i should take it back to Rabco again.....I mean this hull isn't even a year old yet. Is it possible for the transom to get completely ruined in less than a year from a leak in the drain tube?

But since it's titled in my name officially now and I'm not the original owner, they don't have to honor the warranty if they don't want to. What a crock of BS this is, how do you screw up such a simple design other than not giving any F's when you put the drain tube in, literally saying "screw it I don't care".


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## Sawyer Martin (Jan 30, 2019)

skinny_fishing said:


> I'm wondering if i should take it back to Rabco again.....I mean this hull isn't even a year old yet. Is it possible for the transom to get completely ruined in less than a year from a leak in the drain tube?
> 
> But since it's titled in my name officially now and I'm not the original owner, they don't have to honor the warranty if they don't want to. What a crock of BS this is, how do you screw up such a simple design other than not giving any F's when you put the drain tube in, literally saying "screw it I don't care".


Not only is it possible, it's highly likely in this case. The boat was kept in the water, meaning it wouldn't take long at all for that transom to leech up a bunch of water given that the drain tube wasn't properly sealed up. 

Not sure if they'll help you or not, but I guess it would be worth taking it over there to see.


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## skinny_fishing (Aug 30, 2021)

I just sent the owner an email so we'll see what happens. What a pain in the dick.


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## skinny_fishing (Aug 30, 2021)

After just today in the sun the top of the hole seems to be pretty dry, but the bottom of it is still wet tho. Could be at least that it didn't wick upwards which is a good sign, I'll see how it does in the next few days in the sun. Maybe I could get lucky this time.....Lol.


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## D. C. Ward (Oct 26, 2015)

I don’t know anything about rabco but I’m pretty shocked there’s a builder still using wood as a core.. hope you get it sorted man that really sucks


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## MikeChamp12 (May 17, 2021)

Dang that boat is trouble. Put the drain tube back in and use it for a year. Get your money’s worth. After that dump it.


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## skinny_fishing (Aug 30, 2021)

Rabcos are cheap knockoffs of Carolina J skiffs, they offer an all composite option at a cost but I wouldn't trust them to do it right. Mine is the poverty spec version, wood transom and riveted on decks for the win yo.



MikeChamp12 said:


> Dang that boat is trouble. Put the drain tube back in and use it for a year. Get your money’s worth. After that dump it.


Yeah that's the plan, it's what I'm gonna use until I find something used or go on a waiting list somewhere. I just wanted a skiff to get in the water and go fishing and this one apparently doesn't want to do that lol. I should have been fishing a month ago already.

Just gonna see how dry it will get in the next few days then try to figure out what to seal it with....Maybe a thickened epoxy would work if it's still a bit damp? There's gotta be something that will work decent enough for the time being.

Like I've said before, I didn't spend a lot on this boat at least so there's that. I still got a good trailer and motor out of it.

_*knocks on wood_


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## LowReynolds# (Mar 23, 2021)

skinny_fishing said:


> Wouldn't I need some sort of flange tool for that as well? I don't know if that's even worth it for this skiff tbh.


Measure the hole ID. I think the tube OD is 1.07 inches. You may not need the tube expander and possibly could just coat it with resin and tap it in. Or, if its smaller than 1.07 you could open up the hole a little bit to match the tube OD.


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## mwolaver (Feb 6, 2014)

skinny_fishing said:


> I'm wondering if i should take it back to Rabco again.....I mean this hull isn't even a year old yet. Is it possible for the transom to get completely ruined in less than a year from a leak in the drain tube?
> 
> But since it's titled in my name officially now and I'm not the original owner, they don't have to honor the warranty if they don't want to. What a crock of BS this is, how do you screw up such a simple design other than not giving any F's when you put the drain tube in, literally saying "screw it I don't care".


I went through this with an old, classic skiff that I didn't want to part with. If that transom is wood, your in trouble and disregard the rest of my post. If foam board, I used a little vacuum pump like they use to evacuate your AC system, some duct tape, and basic drew a vacuum on that drain hole. I took a long time, but I got the point where I essentially thought it was mostly dry. If I had to do it again, I would drill small holes in the transom ON THE INSIDE to allow the water to migrate better, then cover them with 5200. For the drain repair, I used quick cure 5200, which cures in contact with water, and buttered the inside the drain hole all through the transom. When it was all cured, I installed a stainless garboard drain on the outside and called it macaroni.


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## skinny_fishing (Aug 30, 2021)

LowReynolds# said:


> Measure the hole ID. I think the tube OD is 1.07 inches. You may not need the tube expander and possibly could just coat it with resin and tap it in. Or, if its smaller than 1.07 you could open up the hole a little bit to match the tube OD.


Im not worried about fitting it in the drain hole, those brass tubes need to be flanged out tight to the transom after you put it in and I don't have a flange tool to do that. I'm just going to use a threaded plastic tube again, this skiff isn't worth buying tools I'm probably going to use once and then throw in my shed to collect dust. I have enough of those already 



mwolaver said:


> I went through this with an old, classic skiff that I didn't want to part with. If that transom is wood, your in trouble and disregard the rest of my post.


 Uh yeah it's wood. Probably going to start drilling some holes on the inside tho to see how bad it really is.


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## Sawyer Martin (Jan 30, 2019)

skinny_fishing said:


> Rabcos are cheap knockoffs of Carolina J skiffs, they offer an all composite option at a cost but I wouldn't trust them to do it right. Mine is the poverty spec version, wood transom and riveted on decks for the win yo.


Not like it's important, but just a heads up, they're not a knockoff of the J series skiffs. The Rabcos are a classic tri-hull style hull, unlike the J skiffs, which are a flat bottom style. Totally different style hulls! 

Either way I hope you get it sorted man, hate that you're stuck off the water right now because of these issues!


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## skinny_fishing (Aug 30, 2021)

Good to know, I was told by someone that it was a J knockoff but i didn't know that J's were flat hulls. Cockpit areas look identical tho (same riveted on decks) so i assumed it was true.

My son is pretty bummed because we were planning our first outing this weekend, and now another setback. I want to give it at least another week while the weather here is good (sunny, warm and dry) to dry it out as much as possible while I have the chance. Might drill a few holes on the inside today to see how far it goes. Haven't heard back from Rabco but i don't really care, kind of don't want to deal with that anyway tbh.


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## skinny_fishing (Aug 30, 2021)

I drilled two holes on the inside of the transom, one on each side of the drain hole about two inches away. No water came out which is good.....And the wood that came out with the drill bit was not really wet, not completely dry either, but I would say it was a bit damp. More importantly is was the normal color of what it should be and not black which I was dreading seeing so there might be some hope for this thing if I let it dry out for a week or so. My wife is bringing a moisture meter home from work so that should tell me more. If anyone knows how to decipher moisture meters and what acceptable levels are that would be great, if not I'll just have to research and find out


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## mwolaver (Feb 6, 2014)

Butter up the hole with 5200 quick cure and screw a garboard drain in place. Go fishing.


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## skinny_fishing (Aug 30, 2021)

mwolaver said:


> Butter up the hole with 5200 quick cure and screw a garboard drain in place. Go fishing.


Exactly what I'm gonna do. Already ordered the 5200 quick cure and a garboard drain yesterday.

What I don't get is why Rabco didn't do that to begin with, the drain I ordered was $12. Are you that cheap that you can't bother to seal the wood in the hole with the proper sealant, just goop in some silicone from Home Depot and throw in the cheapest plastic drain tube you can find. Guess it's all about the bottom line, this skiff is the equivalent to a poverty spec Kia Rio with roll up windows


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## tcov (Apr 7, 2018)

@skinny_fishing after this whole debacle at least you’ll know what to look for in the next skiff when you upgrade. What a mess.


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## skinny_fishing (Aug 30, 2021)

Already been looking. The Hog Island SW16 has caught my eye, also love the new Simple Skiffs.


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## skinny_fishing (Aug 30, 2021)

So the skiff is in my back yard, and I've been moving it around with the trailer dolly so that the sun is always on the drain hole and I think it's working slowly but surely. The outer layers of the plywood are dry and it's just the lower inner layers that are wet still. The weather forecast is good for all of next week so I'll keep doing the same thing while I'm installing all the add ons (push pole holder, stick anchor mount, rod holders, casting platform and grab bar) and then put in the drain last.

The week after next my son is on spring break so I'm hoping to have it ready for the water then. Gonna hit up our favorite inshore spots and maybe a few lakes for Bass, super excited to get started.


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## mwolaver (Feb 6, 2014)

I used a heat lamp on my transom. Not a super infrared deal, but just warm enough raise the temp. Left it on all night, too. Stuffed some paper towels into the drain hole to wick the moisture. Amazing how well it worked, but took a while.


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## skinny_fishing (Aug 30, 2021)

I'll try paper towels too that would help. Could probably pick up a heat lamp at the local pet store too.


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## mwolaver (Feb 6, 2014)

I used a simple utility spot lamp from HD with an outdoor flood lamp bulb.


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## skinny_fishing (Aug 30, 2021)

Been using a 75 watt reptile heat lamp I got from a pet store. It's working well, the wood is almost completely dry now. Stark contrast from where it started, it was black and now it looks dry and healthy. I'm thinking there wasn't all that much water in it to begin with,


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## The Fin (Sep 28, 2021)

skinny_fishing said:


> I'm wondering if i should take it back to Rabco again.....I mean this hull isn't even a year old yet. Is it possible for the transom to get completely ruined in less than a year from a leak in the drain tube?
> 
> But since it's titled in my name officially now and I'm not the original owner, they don't have to honor the warranty if they don't want to. What a crock of BS this is, how do you screw up such a simple design other than not giving any F's when you put the drain tube in, literally saying "screw it I don't care".


You might be surprised what the manufacturer might do to remedy the problem! At the very least, give them a shot.


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## skinny_fishing (Aug 30, 2021)

Already tried and got no replies, screw them, I fixed it myself and I know it's done right. This will be my first and last Rabco.










Done, and I didn't have to deal with any BS


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## whaler76 (Apr 7, 2014)

skinny_fishing said:


> Already tried and got no replies, screw them, I fixed it myself and I know it's done right. This will be my first and last Rabco.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


What did you do to seal the hole/wood before installing this? Just 5200? What does other side look like?


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## skinny_fishing (Aug 30, 2021)

I used 5200 to seal the wood, then after a few days after that cured I used 4200 to seal the plug housing into the drain hole. From the inside of the boat you can see the end of the plug poking through just a bit, it's not perfect but it should be fine. Between a layer of 5200 then 4200 I doubt it will leak, but I'll find out here soon lol. It definitely won't be leaking into the wood in the transom anymore that's for sure.


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