You couldn't hammer it hard enough to get it seal in the thru hull. In the end I beat feet, or hull, to an emergency lift out to keep my newly acquired boat from sinking. Oh...it was marelon thru hulls, two of them, that failed miserably.

I see the soft plugs advertised in magazines. Haven't seen them up close but it looks like a better deal to me. Also, a guy could make his own out of ACTUAL soft wood which would be better than nothing. They fall into the category of may never need them but when you need them you REALLY need them.

I don't think a pool noodle would work for me...