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#1
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Thru-hull mounting revisited
Some time ago, I asked how to secure a thru-hull with a flat nut to a
curved hull. Lots, of good advice..thanks to all who responded. I tried the solution I favored, but had never tried, after much self-doubt. In a nut-shell: I cut the top off a tupperware container..one with a stout rounded lip. The height after cutting is about 3/8". I duct taped it over the existing hole, top and bottom, being careful to not distort the sides. I then mixed epoxy with high-strength filler (West 404), until I had stiff peanut butter consistancy, then dabbed enough around the inside of the "mold" to fix it in position. When that had set, I filled the rest of the mold with epoxy, and leveled it using a 8" wide plastic "scraper". This made the top of the epoxy pad very level...or flat may be a better word. A 2" hole saw finished the job. Now I have a 6" thru-hull pad which is flat for the nut, and still conforms perfectly to the hull shape. You may ask, "How did he keep the epoxy from dripping through the existing hole?" Answer: I cut a 4" (or so) square of material from a freezer bag, draped that over the large end of a tapered wood plug, and wedged it into the hole from the outside...but not so far as to go completly through the hull... I wanted epoxy to fill about 1/8" of the hole. Once done, it was apparent that the doing was easier than the telling. Norm B |
#2
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On Thu, 23 Jun 2005 10:23:36 -0700, engsol
wrote: Once done, it was apparent that the doing was easier than the telling. Norm B Good tip and solution, and stuff like this gets mentally filed. Thanks! R. |
#3
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"engsol" wrote in message
... Some time ago, I asked how to secure a thru-hull with a flat nut to a curved hull. Lots, of good advice..thanks to all who responded. I tried the solution I favored, but had never tried, after much self-doubt. In a nut-shell: I cut the top off a tupperware container..one with a stout rounded lip. The height after cutting is about 3/8". I duct taped it over the existing hole, top and bottom, being careful to not distort the sides. I then mixed epoxy with high-strength filler (West 404), until I had stiff peanut butter consistancy, then dabbed enough around the inside of the "mold" to fix it in position. When that had set, I filled the rest of the mold with epoxy, and leveled it using a 8" wide plastic "scraper". This made the top of the epoxy pad very level...or flat may be a better word. A 2" hole saw finished the job. Now I have a 6" thru-hull pad which is flat for the nut, and still conforms perfectly to the hull shape. You may ask, "How did he keep the epoxy from dripping through the existing hole?" Answer: I cut a 4" (or so) square of material from a freezer bag, draped that over the large end of a tapered wood plug, and wedged it into the hole from the outside...but not so far as to go completly through the hull... I wanted epoxy to fill about 1/8" of the hole. Once done, it was apparent that the doing was easier than the telling. Norm B One thing I do that really helps is to take pictures of before, during, and after the procedure. This gives you a record of what was done and how it was done. Sometimes it's easy to forget something and hard to explain it to someone else. I did this on my boat, the house... -- "j" ganz @@ www.sailnow.com |
#4
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engsol wrote:
Some time ago, I asked how to secure a thru-hull with a flat nut to a curved hull. Lots, of good advice..thanks to all who responded. I tried the solution I favored, but had never tried, after much self-doubt. In a nut-shell: I cut the top off a tupperware container..one with a stout rounded lip. The height after cutting is about 3/8". I duct taped it over the existing hole, top and bottom, being careful to not distort the sides. I then mixed epoxy with high-strength filler (West 404), until I had stiff peanut butter consistancy, then dabbed enough around the inside of the "mold" to fix it in position. When that had set, I filled the rest of the mold with epoxy, and leveled it using a 8" wide plastic "scraper". This made the top of the epoxy pad very level...or flat may be a better word. A 2" hole saw finished the job. Now I have a 6" thru-hull pad which is flat for the nut, and still conforms perfectly to the hull shape. You may ask, "How did he keep the epoxy from dripping through the existing hole?" Answer: I cut a 4" (or so) square of material from a freezer bag, draped that over the large end of a tapered wood plug, and wedged it into the hole from the outside...but not so far as to go completly through the hull... I wanted epoxy to fill about 1/8" of the hole. Once done, it was apparent that the doing was easier than the telling. Norm B |
#5
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engsol wrote:
...tupperware container... epoxy... Now I have a 6" thru-hull pad which is flat for the nut, and still conforms perfectly to the hull shape. Sounds like a great job. The only refiniement I'd think about is to have put some fiberglass cloth into it, as well as #404 filler. I've had some bad luck with epoxy melting the plastic, trying similar fixes, but am not sure if it was due to chemistry or temp. A bit more clean-up, but no difference in the final result. So, when are you going to come over and do that job on my boat? Fresh BReezes- Doug King |
#6
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On Mon, 27 Jun 2005 11:35:35 -0400, DSK wrote:
engsol wrote: ...tupperware container... epoxy... Now I have a 6" thru-hull pad which is flat for the nut, and still conforms perfectly to the hull shape. Sounds like a great job. The only refiniement I'd think about is to have put some fiberglass cloth into it, as well as #404 filler. I've had some bad luck with epoxy melting the plastic, trying similar fixes, but am not sure if it was due to chemistry or temp. A bit more clean-up, but no difference in the final result. So, when are you going to come over and do that job on my boat? Fresh BReezes- Doug King Hi Doug, Odd you should mention #404 filler...that's exactly what I used... One step I left out...I did the 'filling' in two shots...I was worried about heat when the epoxy went off, and it did get warm, but not much. I thought about using cloth, but figured since the load is compression, it wasn't needed. If I later post a plea for advice in repairing a really big hole in the hull, I'll be the first to admit I was wrong. As to giving you a hand...where are you located? Norm B |
#7
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engsol wrote:
Hi Doug, Odd you should mention #404 filler...that's exactly what I used... I know... you mentioned it in your earlier post! But I was going to mention that 404 is a high-hardness filler, not necessarily the same thing as strength. Putting a layer of cloth in would make the pad stronger, and more cohesive with the hull, without reducing it's ability to take a lot of compression from the bolts. Not necessary, but desirable perhaps... unless you need to reshape the pad in the future, which is the way things like this usually work out for me... As to giving you a hand...where are you located? North Carolina... right now I'm fiberglassing up a freezer chest... starting work on the lids this afternoon, I hope. Another project for the (hopefully) near future is a carbon fiber dinghy. I was kidding about working on my boat, but if you're in the neighborhood you'd be very welcome to drop by. Fresh Breezes- Doug King |
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