I'm gathering the parts and fittings to (semi)automate the task of filling and draining my fat sacks and I'm trying to decide how to plumb the intake. I have seen on another thread, someone threaded an elbow into the center drain plug in the bottom of the hull. The second option is to install a manifold on the engine's raw water intake and share water from there. And third, bite the bullet and cut a hole (*gasp*) in the hull and install a new thru-hull fitting. I can use the drain hole in the middle of the boat, but since my driveway is level, that's the one that is most important to keeping my boat stored dry. When I leave the lake. I could share the engine's intake, but I want to maximize flow to the ballast pumps and I don't want to risk starving the engine's cooling system. There already is a scoop strainer on the intake so the flow should be more than adequate when the boat is moving. The last option, a new thru-hull with it's own scoop, would be the most efficient, but the most involved, and once you start drilling, there's no turning back. So what were your solutions? And if you drilled new holes, where did you put them and what hardware did you use? One last option, which is what I will probably do for now, is to coil up extra hoses, with weighted ends, and just hang them over the side while I'm filling the tanks.
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