Main Bung

CAJ6 · 18 February 2024, 11:29

Anyone got views on this. I have a Ribeye A600. The main bung on transom is loose and needs replacing. The opening is smooth rather than threaded. The standard seems to be an expandable bung with a lever mechanism to compress the rubber. I’ve been advised to replace with a similar plastic bung that expands with a screw action rather than lever. The thinking being that the lever could get caught on something and accidentally released whereas the screw rather than lever fitting has a lower external profile. I’ve tried a metal and rubber screw-action expandable bung but the thread tends to stick meaning the rubber gasket doesnt expand and and the bung simply rotate in the opening.im told the plastic screw operated expandable bung is the one to go for but can’t find anywhere. Any thoughts?

Dry Run · 19 February 2024, 07:59

Hi,

Most Ribeyes have that type of bung and they are widely available. Are you saying that the hole is bigger than standard?

CAJ6 · 19 February 2024, 10:05

Many thanks for responding. It’s a standard ribeye setup. I could just buy the same lever operated expandable bung again but have a nagging feeling that a bung that is below the waterline and is so important shouldn’t be lever operated because of the risk of catching. I suppose the most seaworthy solution would be to fit a threaded bung but I’d like to avoid the effort. The compromise I’d arrived at was an expandable bung similar to the original but a screw process to expand the seal rather than a lever. You can buy metal versions of this but the thread can stick. There is a plastic version which I’ve seen used and has been recommended but can’t find online. I keep the boat at the excellent Southampton drystack and they remove/check the bung every time it’s lifted. They alerted me to the fact the original was starting to fail. What do experienced rib owners tend to use, lever/wind-in expandable bungs or screw-in with a thread in the hull?

CAJ6 · 19 February 2024, 10:15

Thanks for responding. It’s a standard ribeye setup. I could just buy the same lever operated expandable bung again but have a nagging feeling that a bung that is below the waterline and is so important shouldn’t be lever operated because of the risk of catching. I suppose the most seaworthy solution would be to fit a threaded bung with a thread n the hull but I’d like to avoid the effort. The compromise I’d arrived at was an expandable bung similar to the original but using a screw-in rather than lever action to expand the rubber seal. There are metal versions of this available but the the one I tried tended to stick and was difficult to turn. There are plastic versions with a similar screw-in action which I’ve been recommended but I can’t find these online. I’d be interested what experienced owners prefer: expandable bung or threaded in hull?

Dry Run · 19 February 2024, 14:12

We have about 20 Ribeye Ribs in our dry stack and they all use the screw-tighten expandable bungs. Can't think of a single incident where these have failed whilst in use. I'd go with that!

ShinyShoe · 19 February 2024, 20:08

Is your lever inside or outside the hull. Angled right it probably quite easy to not accidentally knock it, or even add something that makes it hard to knock.

From the outside a "flap" over the hole would reduce the rate of possible inflow (sailing dinghies have them on some self draining designs).

Even if you have a complete memory lapse and leave the bung out - other than wet feet - is there a real risk?

Tie the bung on so it never goes missing

Salty Pete · 20 February 2024, 04:06

CAJ6 I'm with you here. I didn't like the bung in my boat either as it is on the inside so the pressure of the water pushes it out. I was more worried about wear rather that be accidently released.

Fortunately in my case the tube the bung goes into extends out of the transome and has a male pipe thread. So I screw a cap onto it. I also have a bilge pump.

Shiny Shoes as well as wet feet you may get camera gear, phones etc soaked in water.

smallribber · 20 February 2024, 05:19

Rib shop have both sorts Why not just buy one of each

CAJ6 · 20 February 2024, 16:19

Thanks to all for comments. Great to get benefit of peoples experience. Apologies shinyshoe I wasnt clear, it’s the main bung that accesses the air gap inside of the hull not the deck drains. That’s why it’s more significant if fails. Will look for a good screw-tighten bung and hopefully be done.