Where will I find the drain plug on the 217.

bobmay

I have always relied on the bilge pump to remove water from the bilge but with so much rain here in Tampa lately I'm thinking I should remove the drain plug and let it self drain. I am not sure of its location. I know, it sounds like a dumb question.

cjjjdeck

Welcome to the Owners Forum, bobmay!

The drain plug is located directly behind the drive at the lowest point of the hull.  My hull has a step down below the transom so you may have to look under the boat to see it.

I apologize for this picture, it was the best one I had showing the transom of my boat (which is just a longer version of your boat).  Hope this helps!

bobmay

Thank you. My 217 is an outboard and the drain isn't located the same as the IO. I think it is an internal lever in the bilge. 

Ernest_T

Its in the very center tucked under the transom a little on the lowest part of the keel.  It is a standard size drain plug that you remove from the outside with a wrench.  The levered valve inside the bilge is probably your live well drain.  Not the greatest photo, but this will give you an idea of where to look for the drain plug (see the white/red arrow below):

bobmay

Perfect, thank you.

HydroCanis

bobmay, with my older 217 I've found that cranking up the tongue wheel to the max helps the bilge drain but even then there's still some water trapped in the bilge somewhere that finds its way to the stern only when I'm backing down the ramp to launch. By then I've put the plug in. It's nice to see confirmation that the bilge pump is working, though I'd rather not have the water accumulating in there to start with (presumably while sitting outside for more than a week in the rain, through the anchor locker and cupholders that are exposed even when the mooring covers are in place).

andrewlee93

Dumb question, but if the drain plug is at the bottom, what is the round hole with a brass surrounding to the port of the motor.  I was swimming and noticed this hole was open and panicked and thought my drain plug was missing.  I then realized if the drain plug was missing the boat would have obviously sunk. Is it the intake for the live well?

cjjjdeck

The white plastic housing to the right of the drain plug (shown in the above posted picture) is the intake for the livewell, the drain hole to the left is usually the livewell drain.