# Boat stringers and bench seat drain problems



## Tone230 (Jun 17, 2018)

Hello, I have just purchased a 1956(ish) DuraCraft 16’ vhull that I am restoring. The boat does not have channels for the boat to drain to the rear drain plug. The stringers are about an 1.5” tall and I have to tilt the boat way back to get it to drain but the bench seats only have an approximate 1” hole to allow drainage to the rear to the next section. I am going to use the boat duck hunting with a dog and fishing. It takes forever for it to drain so my thought was to take 3” PVC pipe cut in half and bind it under the bench seats on the floor then makes the inlet and outlet larger when I put pour foam into allow the draining to be much faster. 

My questions are One-The bench seats have a aluminum plate about four inches above the floor and chunks of foam were stuck inside it. Is this needed to assist the boat with floatation in an emerging or can I just the seal it all up? Two- does anybody have any other ideas on how to accomplish this or am I just making a big deal out of nothing?

I have searched the forum and only saw a post about not drilling holes in the stringers to help with draining because it will weaken them. 

Thanks in advance!!


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## CedarRiverScooter (Jun 18, 2018)

If you follow good engineering principles, here should be no reason you cannot make culverts for the water to flow thru.

If you consider that the bench seat walls strengthen the boat, then it would make sense to fabricate reinforcements that act as a bridge to support the forces.

I would make culverts out of 2 alum angle (maybe 2inch X 1/8 wall) so they pass from 1 wall to the other. Weld them to each other, the floor, & the walls of the benches.

Or if you don't want to weld, the 1/2 section PVC would work but again they should stick thru & could be joined to the bench walls with screws & tabs. Might not be able to attach to floor without drilling thru bottom of boat however.


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