I posted this under the Stratos thread as well but figured I’d see more traffic here so here goes.
2005 Stratos 201 Pro XL. It doesn’t have a floor drain and the water sits on the carpet until it soaks through. I see most boats have a 4” plastic drain in the floor an was wondering about installing one in my boat. I would be worried about creating a soft spot in the floor if I drill it out or hitting something underneath. Anyone have thoughts about doing this?
Thanks, Bill
I like Big Bass, I cannot lie
Found this via Google
http://www.bbcboards.net/showthread.php?t=437172
2021 Skeeter ZX225
2021 Yamaha SHO 225 VF225LA
Thanks wopper, I put install after floor drain in my search and only got 3 hits. That one is pertinent.
Bill
I like Big Bass, I cannot lie
If you do cut through the floor, make sure that you seal raw edge of whatever floor is made of. I used several coats of resin when I did this on an Ebbtide several yrs. ago.
It’s an all composite boat so would the sealing still be important?
I like Big Bass, I cannot lie
Yes. A composite is any material made up of several other materials. Water intrusion can cause a composite to delaminate.Originally Posted by Williep99
"The man of system is apt to be very wise in his own conceit; and is often so enamored with the supposed beauty of his own ideal plan of government that he cannot suffer the smallest deviation from any part of it…He seems to imagine that he can arrange the different members of a great society with as much ease as the hand arranges the different pieces upon a chessboard.” Adam Smith, The Theory of Moral Sentiments
Why would an OEM design a boat without a floor drain? If you spear one and it has no way for the water to get to the bilge pumps your in trouble.
I had a Trtion that had two very small drain holes in the corners, beneath the seats at the floor. There was just a slight hole you could see where the carpet dipped a bit. Maybe that's what you have. They're kinda hard to see. They also get clogged up pretty quick too.
I was wondering the same thing. And even if they're discretely placed in corners and easily clogged, that's scary too. When I'm running down the lake and see puddles and running water washing down the obvious drain hole placed in the center of my boat, it gives me a warm and safe feeling.
This^^^
Some boats drain at the sides. But then again, maybe the drains were accidentally left out at the factory and no one has questioned the lack of said drain. Before you cut a hole make sure water from the hole will make it to the bilge area. If there is a square looking sump area where the bilge pump is then you don't need to put a drain in the floor, it needs to go on the side of the top cap at the floor
If it was my boat, I wouldn’t cut a hole in it. Composites can grow mold and rot as well, and if the design didn’t have a drain in the floor, I’d be worried that there was stuff under the floor that wasn’t meant to get direct water in it. I’m not saying it’s a good design, but it still would suck to rot your boat from the inside out, or at the very least get a bunch of water in floatation foam that will never dry out...
I had a 2005 201 proxl and yes, the floor area fills with water, but what I do remember is that floor is one, solid, sealed piece of glass and coring material. The boat was designed to drain around the outside of the floor. It DOES take while if you really spear one.
Thanks all for the input, I don’t think I’ll install the floor drain and just live with slow drainage. I guess when washing the carpet I will use my shop vac to get the bulk of dirt and such out. I haven’t speared a wave yet but I’m sure the day is coming.
I like Big Bass, I cannot lie
the older models of javelins/stratos (boats that were built in the 90's)did have floor drains.they were notorious for having soft spots around the drains.from what i have been told and have read these soft spongy areas were caused by poor water drainage under the floor.i think by the early 2000 models stratos changed the design of the water drainage going back to the bilge area.you dont hear as much about this problem with the later year models as you do with the earlier year models.i would still keep my boat tilted some where if there is any water it would go to the back of the boat and not be around the floor area.just remember to dry it up away from the transom.also remember that some garages will sweat especially in winter so just because your boat is in a garage does not mean it is completely dry.
keep working,your neighbor thanks you
I had to replace the floor of my Stratos around the floor drain, because the hole cut for the drain absorbed water and rotted. When I replaced the floor, I did not put a floor drain back in. The way these boats are made, water can run to the sides then back to the bilge area. I have only had water come in once (I was stopped fishing when a jack-hole in a wake surf boat plowed through right next to me and the wave came over the gunwale) and it took a moment but did drain down to the bilge where it was promptly pumped out. I would be more worried about a boat with a drain hole than without one. Spearing waves is probably a bad habit anyway.
1994 Stratos 201 Pro XL 2004 Mercury 200 EFI
Put this one in my Ranger. Before that it was just that little slot in the bottom of the bulkhead that always was plugged by something.
You DO need to be careful on the 05 model, as if I recall, much of the floor area is just a cap for a solid mass of foam all the way down to the stringers. Perhaps you *might* be okay if you drilled right in the center(hoping to get into the "bilge" area), but you may hit lots of foam before you do, and this wouldn't be good. Plus you'd then have a hole in your floor to patch.
I had a 2003 stratos 21 pro star and under each seat and under the center glove box was a half moon hole in the fiberglass holding the seat and against the gas tank. It was hard to see because that area is carpeted. I always had to hose out small openings because they were usually plugged. Feel at the bottom where the floor and the fiberglass the seats are on for small openings. When I recarpeted the boat I cut larger opening without damaging the integrity of the boat and man what a difference.
I removed the seat base in my 2004 Stratos when I replaced the carpet. The metal seat base has two cutouts along the bottom where it meets the floor. On mine the seat base is carpeted along with the floor so it is difficult to see the drainage openings. It definitely does not drain as fast as an open floor drain but I would not cut a hole in that floor to drain the water. You do not know what you might cut into.
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