Heard its illegal to tow with Drain Plug in?
 

I was talking to a sherriff friend of mine and he told me its now illegal in California to tow with your Drain Plug in your boat. Said its a $300 ticket and just another way there trying to fight the Mussel problems. Anyone else heard of this?

We went to a local SoCal lake this last week and the guy in front of us got turned away because his drain plug was in when he pulled up. They wouldn't even look in his bilge to see if there was water, they said it didn't matter if there was water or not, but because the drain plug is in he was turned away.

When we were up the park ranger said there is a new law in the works that says you can't have your drain plug in unless you are preparing to put the boat in, but did not have any documentation showing that. He said it was in the works and to his knowledge it was not on the books yet.

I know that a similar law just went into effect in Minnesota. I generally boat on an infested lake, and they've really stepped up inspections and education this year.

Okay guys...dumb this down for me. What's the big deal with towing with the drain plug in?

AJ, they are afraid that the plug was left in from the last lake visit, if water was still in the bilge and you went to another lake and your bilge emptied then you could possibly introduce the mussels into another lake.

Because your bilge could still have water in and be potentially transporting mussels into mussel free waters. A plug out ensures the bilge is empty or mostly empty denying mussels water to survive. Same with ballast bags/tanks too, they find water you're turned away on some lakes too.

Here in Az we have a slogan "Don't move a mussel" lol

Aaaaaah, okay then. Maybe we're transporting Chinese Snakehead fish too but those guys can live out of the water for days.

So, maybe I'm like AJ, but I don't see the big deal. I pull my plug out on the ramp at the end of the day, then I put it in before we leave the next time. It is just another thing that helps prevent me from becoming LON.

The whole purpose of inspections is for the inspector to visually check areas of the boat where water can pool. At the Santa Clara County Lakes (Anderson, Calero, Coyote), you pass inspection if the boat is dry and then they wrap a green "bar wristband" type of band around the trailer and bow eye. That way, if you go to another lake, you have to break the band and get re-inspected the next time you go to a county lake. If you still have the band on when you come back, the assumption is that you haven't visited any lake outside the county and you pass right on through the inspection.

I can't see what having your plug in or out when you pull through the gates to the lake would have to do with inspection.

^Do they charge you each time?

They charge you $7 for the inspection if you don't have a band...if you have the band, no charge.

It'll be interesting to see if that take this as far as the wake sacs and ballast tanks too because I know my bags always have a little water in them. If I could get all the water out I would

They already have Bill in many lakes. My buddy was turned away because his Sanger still had a bit of water in the tanks.

http://parks.state.co.us/SiteCollect...t_cleaning.pdf
this is on the colorado parks site. I posted somthing I found last year on the site, that had more detaild info about wakeboad boats, and which ballast pumps impellers could handel hot water. I cant find it tonight.

The only time I pull my plug is when I winterize my boat. You guys keep those little critters to yourself!

The only time I had my plug in, is when we were about to launch. As soon as we trailered the boat, taking the plug out was the first thing I would do. Why keep your plug in? I don't see any benefit to it.

I never pull my plug. I thought that was what the bilge pump was for. Every lake around here is already infested though, so I'm not hurting anything.

Yup...they check your sacs and even carpet for moisture... At Anderson we had a guy get on a creeper under the boost and run his fingers inside the intakes....

Is there a problem that I don't have water in my hull? I could pull the drain, but my hull has always been bone dry. At Andersen, they will ask to board your boat and will physically look into the hull with a flashlight. And If you have a drop of water, that's quarintine for you. Make sure to run your ballast tanks dry before you head to the lake, this will insure you get to wakeboard when you pull up to inspection. And don't forget, leave the ice in your truck until after inspection. Any water, clean or not, means you go home early. On a good note, had a great time out at Andersen on the 5th, 3rd boat in the water, and got some nice conditions early on.

I think they are forgetting that most lake boats are RAW WATER COOLED, and unless you winterize every time, water is always sitting inside the block and manifolds. Which means that no matter how "dry" a boat is, it still is carrying some water from one body of water to another.

While I can certainly understand them ENCOURAGING all boaters to take steps to prevent the spread of the zebra mussels, banning boats from entering the water because a drop or two is in a bilge or ballast tank seems excessive to me...

Water inside the block and manifolds gets hot. They treat ballast tanks etc with hot water.

The water in the engine might get hot, but the water that feeds the engine, that's been sitting in my hose's will pass through, and be in the lake long before the engine ever warms up.