water coming into the inside of the hull. Help needed

[bang1]

hi all im new to this site as im looking for an answer to a problem i have on my boat

we have been having alot of rain here in ireland and the lake were i keep my boat was flooded the last couple of weeks. when i went to go fishing yesterday the water levels had dropped dramatically which resulted in my boat being left on the bank just a couple of feet from the water

after a half hour or so i ended up getting it back into the water, which resulted in a sore back and sore arms

firstly i'll tell you the kind of boat i have and then i'll explain my problem

i dont really know the official type of boat it is but i suppose the best way would be to describe it as a rowing boat, a fibre glass hull with 3 bench style seats that go across the boat and i just have an outboard at the back.

the boat has 2 plugholes (sorry i dont know the term for them ) one inside the boat centre left of the boat and another outside the boat at the rear under were the prop would be

when i put the boat back into the water i heard a shhh sound which i presumed was the air being pushed out and water entering the inside of the hull. now i cant remember if that was always plugged at the back because the boat is always in the water

i didnt think anything of it and left the shore, but as soon as i left i could fell in the boat that something didnt feel right, the boat felt heavier, the front of the boat seemed to lift higher than normal and the prop was deeper than normal

i had a good idea it was because of that plughole at the back but wasnt sure if it was going to sink so i decided to cancel my fishing trip untill i got some advice on what to do, and that was what led me here

could somebody please tell is the boat still safe to go out in?

do i just need to get a plug for the hole?

and could you please explain the reasons for both plugholes?

i have attched a pic of my boat showing the type of boat it is and the locations of the plug holes

thanks in advance

donal

[hoytedow]

The second plug is to let the water out if you forgot to put the first plug back in.

I'm sorry, but that was to good to resist.

Pul the boat out of the water and check the condition of the plugs. They are also adjustable with a small wrench. Turn the nut clockwise to make the plug fit tighter. If the plugs are ok, then check the hull for cracks or other damage. If they are rotten or worn out, replace them.

Good luck.