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Hello all -- just joined this site today -- glad I found it. I've owned 2 Montauks (86, 92), and loved them both.
I presently own a '97 20' Outrage (love it, too) and I'm quite confused about all the drain plugs ... which to leave in, leave out, or just throw away <g>.
I've seen a couple old threads on the subject on 'ContinuousWave', but didn't really get my questions answered.
Anyboby out there have the definitive word on what to do with all the drain plugs?
I am not familiar with the newer Outrage 20. I did own a 1989 Outrage 20 though.
I know all of the Outrage 20's are self baling so you really don't need to have any drain plugs in unless you want to keep a certain area dry. I had two drain plugs in my 20. One up front in the large locker area and one in the rear sump. I always left both of my plugs in because I wanted to keep the boat dry. I also had a bilge pump in both areas just in case it rained or I took a small wave into the boat.
I guess it is entirely up to you and what you want to keep dry and/or how you use the area where the drain plugs are.
I do have a bilge pump in the motor/spashwell sump, but I don't care if the bilge is 'dry' so long as I don't have water flooding onto the deck, which I don't think will happen because of the buoyancy of the hull. Makes me wonder why I even need a pump, because when the boat is not in the water, it's on a trailer with all plugs out.
The in-deck fishwells are another matter. With plugs out (two in each box, one in the floor, one in the aft wall), the compartments fill with water, then empty underway. Icing down our catch becomes very problematic with sea water constantly flowing in and out.
I saw a thread on continuous wave wherein a guy who fished the Bering Sea in an Outrage for 15 years said he NEVER had a plug in his boat -- kinda scares me, but he sounded pretty darn credible.
Everyone uses their fishwells differently. You can use them for semi-dry storage if you leave the plugs in. You can also keep ice in there if you leave the plugs in but the ice melts if you let water run in there without the plugs. I used to pull the plug and let the water in, and then put the plug in. This way I could keep fish alive in there for awhile. Lots of different ways of doing it.
I have the same boat. I usually keep the drain plugs in the indeck fish boxes in. The ice will last longer that way. I also keep the the foward storage compartment plug in. The motor well drains I leave open. Hope this helps.
