transom drain question

[cflscorpion]

recently bought a phantom and i'm not crazy about drain located under the bow handle. i'll have to flip the boat to drain it. does anyone know if i can put a drain in the transom? boat sounds hollow back there but i don't want to cut into a foam block.

[Alan Glos]

Yes, you can install a drain plug the transom down low where the vertical transom meets the bottom of the hull. The Sunfish should have such a drain just like the Laser, but it doesn't. When you drill the hole for the plug, there ,may be some interior foam that you have to drill through to gain access to the interior of the hull. If so, just drill through the foam with a long bit.

Good luck.

Alan Glos
Cazenovia, NY

[cflscorpion]

thanks for the advice. also, i do have a 4" access plate just forward of the daggerboard. could just stick with that & not cut a hole in my hull.

[Wayne]

Originally Posted by Alan Glos

The Sunfish should have such a drain just like the Laser, but it doesn't

I once shared this view, but after considering the pathways inside the hull and observing youngsters handling end-of-day packing-up, the deck side drain makes a lot of sense.

Barring any over zealous application of bedding foam, free water should have no problem cascading to the starboard side with the boat rolled that direction. But the real brilliance of the placement is, a 10 year old can do it, whereas only an adult size person can easily utilize a drain at either end.

Don't know what the Phantom is best suited for.

[67stang]

...Well since I have 2 Phantoms, I'll chime in. One of my Phantoms weighs 120bs ( factory weight), so I have no "real" moisture problem, with that one. I check it every so often, and come up dry.
My other Phantom weighed, 190 lbs, I don't know how the moisture entered, but I am drying it out. I had cut in a 5" inspection port and found that the bottom was covered in expanding foam, Much more than my Sunfish. If I were to try draining out the “wet” Phantom right side up, it would never drain out ,.... ever! The Sunfish has a clear path for water to trickle down to the starboard drain, but not my “wet” Phantom.
So I believe that the drain plug under the Phantom bow handle is very crucial for draining properly. The underside of the deck is fairly clean of overages of expanding foam. I have no problem rolling the Phantom over, on grass, by holding the rolled edges at the transom.

[cflscorpion]

67stang, how do you like sailing the phantoms? purchased a phantom jan. 29 and have not been in the water yet. i had a scorpion (heavy!). this phantom feels real light. I'm hoping for more performance. good blow expected tomorrow down here in FL. i'm ready.

[67stang]

Originally Posted by cflscorpion

67stang, how do you like sailing the phantoms? purchased a phantom jan. 29 and have not been in the water yet. i had a scorpion (heavy!). this phantom feels real light. I'm hoping for more performance. good blow expected tomorrow down here in FL. i'm ready.

I enjoy the Phantom as much as my, (old 64), Sunfish. I find the Phantom to have a bigger cockpit, allowing 2 adults to sail fairly comfortable, where as the Sunfish has enough room for 1 adult and maybe a child. My Sunfish does not have the storage area, makes it a bit tight with a snack bag, folding paddle, and what ever else.....