Boat Construction

[Galib]

Hello every one - I have a 17 ft mustang fish ski boat - I seem to have a slow water leak which seaps into the hull - area which we can lift the floor and store fish. I ran a test where filled the boat with water and looked for leaks on the on the out side in my drive way . Found some water seeping from the rear centre plug tightened it but it still kept dripping ( very slow ) . Does any body have any suggestions or even plans which may be standard for this type of boat structure.

[Willallison]

...you mean the the centre bung was leaking?
Buy a new one - one with a decent synthetice washer - and make sure it's the correct thread. In fact, buy a few different types. When you find one that doesn't leak, get 1/2 a dozen of them.....

[Galib]

Thanks for replying that's the one - I didn't relize that had different threads - when you buy them they just sell plugs I will give that a shot . I would really like to learn about the structure of the boat and why there are plug holes in the hull could you suggest any where. Galib

[Willallison]

Why not contact the manufacturer - Mustang is a pretty big outfit these days, so they might or might not deem it worth their while to help you out, but that's certainly who I'd try 1st.
As far as the bungs go, all boats are built (or should be!) so that water can't get trapped in any one compartment, without the ability to drain or pump it out. Your boat would have a series of frames running across the boat, under the floor. each has a small drain hole in it to allow any water to run to the back of the boat and out the bung holes when you pull the boat out of the water. It's always a good idea to to store the boat with the bow slightly higher than the stern and with the bungs removed. It allows the compartments under the floor to drain and dry out and will slow the onset of any rot in the timber frames.