Bow Plug or Blug

Steve Lang

The CR-914 comes with a drain plug, but no instructions for installation. I have seen several successful installations but the one I like best is described below.

I believe the best place to install the drain plug is in the bow. The reason? Most sailors carry their CR by the front edge of the keel with the bow down. And when you pick up your boat out of the water, it becomes natural to hold it in this manner. Therefore, the bow is the best place to drain the boat.

The plug included in the kit is black rubber. It is mushroom shaped. First drill a hole in the deck about 1/2 inch back from the stem and centered side to side. Make sure to drill the hole perpendicular to the deck. The drill size for the hole should be 3/16 inch, but check to make sure the drain plug fits that size hole before you drill the deck. The supplied plug could change.

If the plug is really hard to get in the hole, sand around the stem of the plug to make it a snug fit. You will usually seal the plug with Vaseline which helps the plug fit into the hole - but it must be snug when inserted.

I recommend a permanent tether for the plug. It is easy to drop this plug when it is wet, and it doesn't float. The simplest and most effective tether is installed as follows. Take a piece of rigging string about 8" long. Tie a knot in one end of the string. Thread the other end of the string though a heavy sewing needle. Push the needle through the plug from the bottom to the top, through the very center. You should now have the plug with the string sticking out the top, the knot snug against the bottom of the plug. Insert the plug into the drain hole.

Tie the loose end of the string to the deck eye where the jib is attached to the deck. Leave slack in the string so you have room to grab it. The main purpose of the tether is to keep the plug from being dropped, but it is also handy to pull the plug out. Try it, you'll like it.

| Tips and Tricks Index |