Are you using it wrong? What am I talking about? Well, this is a drain plug for a boat,
and you might be using it wrong. Atwood calls this a snap handle drain plug because the handle snaps down, and it looks like other brands also call it a snap handle drain plug.
I always refer to it as a flip-style drain plug with a loop end because I didn’t know any better. The other kind of drain plug just sort of screws in, and whatever you call this, if you have a small boat, you might not be using it correctly.
You may be thinking that there’s no way you’re using it wrong because everybody knows this goes on the outside of the boat and not the inside of the boat.
But before I get into that steaming pile of nonsense, there is more to unpack with the myriad of beliefs and ways that people say you should or shouldn’t use this particular drain plug.
The first time I ever saw one of these, it came with an old boat that I had just bought, and as a new boater, I had never used one of these before. So I just kind of stuck it in and flipped it up, but it kind of leaked a little bit. So I pulled it out, and I looked at it closely, and that’s whenever I saw this end right here and that it was threaded and that this part would spin.
And I realized that it could expand this rubber a little bit before the flip-down handle expands it even more, allowing it to fit better in the hole on a variety of different boats because not every boat has the same size and shape hole back here.
I had kind of thought these worked like a wine stopper where it just flips down to give it a good seal, but no, this snap handle drain plug is more sophisticated than a wine stopper.
If we look at the information literally printed on the label of this brand new one in its package, it actually tells us how to use this: twist handle to tighten, flip down to lock. And do you notice what’s missing from these simple instructions?
That’s whether or not it should be placed inside of the boat or outside of the boat. And that’s the big point of debate—outside of the boat. There are people who say that this type of drain plug should always be placed outside of the boat because the water pressure from outside of the boat will push against the drain plug, helping to keep it in place. If it’s placed on the inside of the boat, the water pressure is always working to pop the drain plug out, allowing water to potentially come in the boat.
In reality, I don’t see that ever never happening unless perhaps a boat is very overloaded and the drain plug has not been tightened down. There are also probably many of you who believe that it never should be placed outside of the boat because the loop handle can catch on something and be flipped up. But remember the instructions that told us to tighten it. If we do that and the handle was then flipped up, would it come out? You know what, let’s do a test.
Okay, so let’s test our theory. Got the drain plug in here and tightened down. Let’s flip it straight and then let’s tie this line off to it. This line’s going to simulate us getting caught on something, you know, maybe some seaweed or fishing line or something else. Let’s see. That’s a lot of pull I got to do. I’m literally pulling the trailer back, and the drain plug hasn’t come out yet. The drain plug is still in there because I tightened it up first. If it was all the way loose, it was all the way loose, I finally can drag it out. The point is, this is not just going to fall out if you’ve tightened it up.
So how should we be using our snap handle drain plug? Well, since Atwood hasn’t specifically told us whether to use it inside or outside of the boat, and just so you know, I’ve done both, and I’ve never had one fail yet. So basically, it’s completely up to you, but be smart about it.
First, always be sure to turn the handle so the plug is tight, but not so tight that you can’t flip the handle down. Second, whether inside or outside of the boat, position the loop handle so that it is out of the way.
I have found that to the side seems to be the safest bet whether inside or outside the boat. Third, attach a safety line to your drain plug. See this little hole right here? There’s not one on that side, but there’s one on this side. What’s that hole for? I don’t know what that hole is for, but it’s a perfect spot to run a
Little fishing line through here and tie it off, and I can tie it off to my boat. So that way, if it does come out, you don’t lose it if it’s outside of the boat or rolling around inside of your bilge somewhere.
You can grab a hold of the line, get your drain plug, pop it back in again. And who knows, maybe that’s what this hole was for. I don’t know, ’cause it didn’t say anything about it in the packaging or any other instructions.
How to install ?
Prior to launching, make sure your boat plug is installed from the outside of your boat. Push the plug into the designated plug fitting and twist clockwise to tighten snug. As a general rule, when the boat is in the water, the plug must always be in, and you should take it out when not in the water to allow for proper drainage.
