The PlugDock

[Lee Borgersen]

                              The PlugDock   

    Local inventor’s idea for not losing boat drain plugs 





As all boaters should know by now, it’s against the law in Minnesota to haul your boat with the drain plug installed. The law is intended to reduce the likelihood of spreading aquatic invasive species from lake to lake by hitching a ride in wet areas of a boat.

Which has led to more than a few boats taking on some unanticipated ballast. The scenario happens when boater launches the boat and forgets to install the plug. In open boats like john boats and basic V-hulls, wet ankles are quickly discovered, and the situation is remedied, often by means of a sponge and a few choice words.

But in higher-end boats, the inflow of water can remain hidden. This happened to my group last year walleye fishing. Hours into the day, the boat’s owner remarked how sluggish the craft was handling. Another angler quickly spied the plug sitting on the hull. The bilge pump never did empty that boat before we headed back in. We were fine, but such a scenario could ruin a day, or theoretically sink a boat.

Various solutions have been suggested, ranging from bright orange reminder stickers to tips on attaching drain plugs to keychains so the plu is literally in hand when he’s ready to start the engine.

Inventor John Harkness of Rogers has his own idea. It’s called PlugDock, and the idea is to sequester the boat motor’s dead man’s switch with the drain plug, so it’s impossible to leave the launch without grabbing the plug.

Keep reading to see the company’s video.




[attachment deleted by admin]

[Fawkinnae]

This is a good friend and a neighbor. My boat even stars in the video (unfortunately no Faw-kinn-ae bumper stickers are visible).   

[Lee Borgersen]

I will be ordering The PlugDock. It's even a nice idea for an extra plug storage.