Action Craft 1720 water through deck drains

vtxrider

I have a new to me 2000 Action Craft 1720 SE.  Bought the boat without an engine so no test drive at all.  Just powered the boat with a Suzuki 115 and took the first short spin.  I am concerned about the amount of water through the deck drains at rest.  The drains are below the water level with 2 big guys on board is this normal?

I'm thinking to put plugs in the drains but it seems to me that the boat is way low in the water right now, thoughts?

ricksurf1

If your 1720 has the deck drains that drain out the side of the boat  then drain plugs are meant to be installed at all times.  if you get water in the cockpit then you simply pull the plugs and drain while on plane. If that is the system you have then you have the best cockpit drain system in the flats boat world.   
 Cheap flats boats and poorly engineered Flats boats drain the cockpit into the bilge  then pump it out thus having a wet bilge system all the time and solely relying on a pump.

VeroDD

The 1720 has two sets of scuppers on each side.  One set drains overboard and the other down into the bilge drain and is pumped overboard.  I plug my side scuppers when on the water and the bilge scuppers when washing the boat on land.

vtxrider

Thanks guys.

Vero, you're right I have both sets of drains.  Maybe I'm wrong, but I refuse to call them scuppers because they have nothing even attempting to keep water from flowing into the boat.  I went out Saturday with plugs in them and it worked out great.  Boat performed awesome but not much of a test given calm conditions.

I was caught a bit off guard because on my buddies Egret 167, water never comes in the drains unless there are 4 of us standing on one side.  Even then it is only a small flow in on one side which drains back out when the people distribute better.  I guess his floor is just higher, also he has the Yamaha 2s 90 which is a super light engine.

I figured that this being a 17 foot boat water would not come in with me alone in the center.  Water was coming in through both sides and draining into the bilge.

kmagnuss

My old 1720 did the same thing... always annoyed me.  The 2020 I have now doesn't do it unless I have a few big guys in the back of the boat.  VeroDD does exactly what I always did on the 1720.

oaks

Same here with my 17'. While at rest with no one in the boat, they are above the waterline and drain out. As soon as you step in, they will be below. Its great for being tied up to a dock for a week, put the plugs in the deck and any rain storm will self bail and not tax your bilges, especially with the way the hatches are plumbed to drain out also. Jump in the boat, and into the sides the plug go..