Bungs

[adams]

I am new to ribbing. I bought a new rib in April. The bung was fitted by the (commercial) seller from the outside just before it was launched for the first time. It came out sometime during a day out in April/ May and was lost. The boat was sent back to the seller- having filled with sea water - and cleaned out etc with the bung refitted by the seller from the outside again before it was relaunched. Yesterday, a few weeks after it was re-fitted the new bung came out again sometime during a trip out and was lost again with the boat filling up again.

On both occasions the bung came out soon after the bilge pump was repaired by a representative of the seller.

Could a bung that had properly been inserted be dislodged replacing a bilge pump?Is it usual for the bung to come out? Or could it be a problem with the boat?

[Top banana]

you need to post make of boat and bung type, to answer your question properlly.

[codprawn]

Did you check the bung before and after every trip? It has been known for some little scrote to remove them on the slipway!!!

[Ian Sharlot]

Have you got any pictures?

[RibinSpain]

yes spot on, my bung lasted 10 mins in boat park! manufacturer sent me a new one foc & a spare which I always carry.

For something that costs so little a lost one can ruin a days boating, like the fuel hose primer bulb.

Cheers

[adams]

It is a Ballistic 5.5m rib. The bung is an 'expandable' one apparently. It has a lever.

Has anyone known a bung to come out twice of a brand new boat without explanation?

[Nasher]

Sounds like the lever has been caught in the flow of water and opened up!

Nasher

[Steve_B]

I think I know the type you mean and have two of that sort on my rib.
Having owned it for two years, never has even one become detached by accident. It takes human intervention to flick the level and then a small struggle to remove.
Therefore I can only assume that to "loose" two would seem to be very unfortunate.
If your able, post a pic to see if we have the same.

[Rodan]

seen issues with them before - some can be tightened on the inside of the stopper to expand more when closed - as can come out if not rally firmly plugged in.

[Limey Linda]

I do not trust the lever action expansion type plugs. Get a line wrapped around one and guess what. I use the expansion type that has a brass machine screw with a T bar thru. it for tightening. It also has an adjustemnet nut on the inside so you can set it up so that there is a min. of tightening turns to lock it in place. I have also attached a copper wire to the inside nut attached to a 1/8" x 3" dia. copper rod in the bilge. This enables the bung to be removed without dropping in the dirt or getting lost and if it does come out it will not sink to the bottom. Also, I carry a spare.

[TonyC]

It sounds like the bungs we have in our jeanneau's where there is a screw on the back side which makes the bung compress more, and so get fatter when you use the lever.

All our bungs are tied onto the boat with thin line (inside & hull bungs) so they aren't lost. Especially as in those boats, you usually take the bung out to empty while on the plane - not the time to lose it...

Just make sure that when you put the bung in and 'activate' the lever to make it fat, that you cant work it out of the hole easily without undoing the lever. It may be they weren't getting fat enough for the hole and working loose

[ChasTheBoat]

does the bung not belong in the other way round then??

[m chappelow]

once lost my bung and finished up finding a carrott on a beach so i shoved that in the hole .

[Nos4r2]

Originally Posted by m chappelow

once lost my bung and finished up finding a carrott on a beach so i shoved that in the hole .

I used a bit of neoprene fron the handle of a car windscreen scraper for a couple of days.

I used to put the expanding bung on my old sr4 in from inside. It made no difference to how well it sealed and it's a lot harder to lose.