October 1, 2004

Drain Holes are now a reality. Simple, yes… Low cost, you bet… functional- awesome! How does it work? The same thing that made it so hard to empty your Jackson Kayak dry with out a sponge, is the same thing that makes the drain holes possible, the wrapped down cockpit! We simple found the best place to drill a hole INSIDE your cockpit that allows almost all of the water to drain out of it. Super important: when you drill your drain holes, put a piece of metal like the blade of a putty knife under the place where you are putting the hole so you don’t drill through the bottom of the cockpit rim! The Jackson Kayak boats are designed to allow the water to run out of them when tipped upside down and lifted up, unfortunately (until now) a fair amount of water got trapped in the cockpit rim. By drilling a .5” hole in the right place on the rim for each model, that water drains out completely and the boat is drier than a drain plug in the stern of the boat (by far). A drain plug has to be far enough from the end of the kayak to mold properly, which means that you never empty all of the water out. The drain holes now being put into a Jackson Kayak is in the right place that it allows almost the entire boat to empty.

Is it exactly the same as a drain plug? No, there are differences:

1. You don’t have to unscrew a plug to drain it.
2. You don’t get more water out.
3. You have to lift the bow, lift the stern, and then lift the bow again to get the water out. This is different than a drain plug where you only lift the bow and hold it until most of the water comes out.
   

How do I rate it? If a drain plug was a 7 this is an 8.

Advantages?

1. It doesn’t cause your boat to leak.
2. You never forget to put your drain plug back in.
3. You never lose your plug.
4. You get more water out of your boat.
   

Disadvantages?

1. You have to actively drain your boat, by lifting both ends before it is dry.
2. It requires that you learn something new (perhaps an advantage).
   

What if you already bought a boat with no drain holes? Got a drill? You can drill it yourself easily, but make sure you put a piece of metal inside under the cockpit rim so you only go through the top wall of the cockpit rim. But if you drill too deep, you are on your own. Go here for detailed instructions on drilling drain holes: http://www.jacksonkayak.com/designs/Drain_Holes_man.pdf

Top view of drain holes

Star series drain holes go in rear of cockpit

Overthruster hole drilled

Drain holes front view

Fun drain hole from above

Fun Drain Hole from Behind