Garboard Drain Reseal

[cham]

Planning on resealing the garboard drain here soon and wanted any last minute tips before moving forward.

Any specific garboard drain brand recommendation? I’ll be looking into coating any exposed wood (which it likely has) with epoxy when the old drain is removed. Any epoxy recommendations?

All things considered it sounds like 5200 is the way to go for the drain. Obviously has the downside of being near permanent.

Two final questions. Firstly I had read somewhere it’s better to not fully tighten down the garboard screws and actually let the 3M 5200 setup first before torquing down fully. Is this correct? Something about preventing all of the sealant from squeezing out. The back side of the drain has recesses though so it shouldn’t all squeeze out I would think.

Lastly, do you guys recommend sealing up the old screw holes and drilling new ones?

 

[seasick]

4200 will work fine. You may need to remove the drain in the future.
Yes, it is best to not over tighten the screws untill the adhesive has set up. The time to wait is hard to stat since it depends on the type of sealant and the temperature.
If the screw holes are not rotten, just use some sealant in the hole and on the screw. That said, you may or may not be able to find the drain fitting with your exact screw hole pattern and spacing.

One tricky area is the sealing of the hole itself. If you drain fitting has a sleeve, you have to be sure that the epoxy doesn't make the opening too small for the drain to snugly slip in.
Finally, if you can find a drain assembly that was made in the states. This is not a political statement but based on experience. There are a lot of offshore replacements but many are cheaply made.
Also note that there are different size drains, measure your old one to make sure you get the correct outer and possible inner diameter.

 

[cham]

Good deal; yeah I’m looking at maybe Perko for the drain, they claim USA made. Our drain does have a short sleeved section so I’ll definitely try to prevent reducing that hole diameter with the epoxy.

I thought I had read on here somewhere that 4200 is not “ideal” if it’s always submerged under the waterline. Sounds like they are pretty similar though besides strength. I used both when securing our fuel tank last summer.

If the old screw holes are not too rotten or worn, would you still recommend going up a screw size? Can most garboard drain screw holes accommodate one size up?

 

[seasick]

Good deal; yeah I’m looking at maybe Perko for the drain, they claim USA made. Our drain does have a short sleeved section so I’ll definitely try to prevent reducing that hole diameter with the epoxy.

I thought I had read on here somewhere that 4200 is not “ideal” if it’s always submerged under the waterline. Sounds like they are pretty similar though besides strength. I used both when securing our fuel tank last summer.

If the old screw holes are not too rotten or worn, would you still recommend going up a screw size? Can most garboard drain screw holes accommodate one size up?

Hard to say, usually I would say no but it depends on what screw is there now and what type head your new screws have. 4200 will be fine, as will the perko replacement.
It is possible that the old holes won't line up with the new fitting. In that case you may be drilling new pilot holes. Just fill the old ones with the 4200.

 

[cham]

Hard to say, usually I would say no but it depends on what screw is there now and what type head your new screws have. 4200 will be fine, as will the perko replacement.
It is possible that the old holes won't line up with the new fitting. In that case you may be drilling new pilot holes. Just fill the old ones with the 4200.

Looks like our Garboard might be a somewhat non-standard size. Flange diameter is 2-1/4” instead of 2”. Was only able to find one option. $16 on Fisheries Supply, likely made in China.

Brings me to my next question, are there any major reasons or signs not to re-use the old garboard drain? Just use new SS screws.