Pantera guys are smart. I have my 24' on a lift on Biscayne Bay. For every hurricane season for over ten years now I have lifted the boat to the max and secured the boat to the lift with giant straps and the cockpit cover with nylon rope. I have always left the plug in because I thought that if the lift failed then the boat would not sink. It has always worked. I am afraid that if the cover blows away and the bilge pump fails then the lift will fail for sure. Now am am thinking about removing the plug and hoping that the lift does not fail. Removing the plug on a raft before a storm is not always easy. Can I always use a drain plug from the inside or will it pop out during boating? What do you lift guys thinkl about this situation? Captain55