Transom/Floor Drain Dilemma

[jetroc0088]

I am having a new transom put in my 20ft SF. I can not decide what to do about my floor drains. I can not afford to raise my floor this spring but I plan to do it in a year or so.
My dilemma is, should I put holes in my transom for the floor drains or should I wait until I raise my floor next year?
If I wait should I have the floor drains empty into the bilge or should I plug them?

TIA
Chris

[FELLOW-SHIP]

Ha Jet

Ya you got your self a problem. If you put them in the transom now you will be drilling holes Lower then you would normally drill them IF you had raised your deck. Soooo next year you got to plug them up and drill new holes 2 + inches higher after the deck is done. Or do I drill holes to high now and the deck will not drain because water is not going up hill. Or do I have no self bailing deck and possible sink the boat with water in the bilge this year. Kind of like being forced to choose between Bait OR Beer on your next fishing trip.
If I was you I would choose the BEER plus drill the holes and plug them up next year and drill two new holes after the deck is done SAFETY FIRST. Besides if you drink enough beer you will never notice the holes in the first place.

FellowShip

_______________________________________________

My motto: Just for the Grins

[dcobbett]

I agree with Fellowship, except there is an alternative that may work for you. Run them through the transom now, but keep the holes to the outer edges of the transom (minding the top flanges to the tab brackets). You can also keep the through the deck scupper holes operational if you want.
After you rebuild and raise the deck, you have options. You can either plug the holes in the transom and drill new ones, in which case I would suggest that thet be closer to the centerline than the initial ones, or leave the initial ones where they are and just install new piping to them from the "higher" outlet holes in the new cockpit. This should work, assuming you don't add a lot of new weight in the rear of the boat when you re-do the deck. In the alternative, when you raise the deck, plug the old transom hole sand drill new ones closer to the boats centerline to avoid overlapping holes.

[jetroc0088]

Going back just as it went in.
Will post some pics in the next week or so