Deck Port
 

Hiya,

I have a 15Ft Fibreglass half cabin (Carribean Sandpiper). It developed a
crack in the gelcoat and took on a bit of water, That has all been patched
and sorted, but I want to install an inspection port in the deck. Is there
way to work out if there are supports under the floor, or are the more
likely to be in certain areas, I do not really want to cut/damage them
installing the port. Any ideas thanks

Alan

Grumpy wrote:
Hiya,

I have a 15Ft Fibreglass half cabin (Carribean Sandpiper). It developed a
crack in the gelcoat and took on a bit of water, That has all been patched
and sorted, but I want to install an inspection port in the deck. Is there
way to work out if there are supports under the floor, or are the more
likely to be in certain areas, I do not really want to cut/damage them
installing the port. Any ideas thanks

Alan



Alan,

Assuming you'd prefer the inspection port be toward the stern????

Take out the drain bung/plug(s) & put a piece of heavy wire, thin dowel
or whatever & use it to feel around in there.

You can then know where you intend the inspection port to be is clear
of underfloor stuff.

Prepare yourself for some sad looking uncovered underneath plywood when
you cut the hole:-)

K

Cut the hole, put in the port and put in about 1kg of dessicant, it seems to
be doing the job,

Many thanks
Alan

On 1/4/2005 2:42 AM, Grumpy wrote:

Is there
way to work out if there are supports under the floor, or are the more
likely to be in certain areas, I do not really want to cut/damage them
installing the port. Any ideas thanks


Electronic stud finder, maybe? I don't know if those things will shoot
through plywood... How about the old-fashioned tap-tap method?



Every manufacturer does it differently. My 14' has three fore-and-aft
stringers, two full-length, and one that is a bit shorter for bilge
access. It also has three support bulkheads at even intervals. The deck
doesn't even touch the center stringer, but attaches to the outboard
stringers and the bulkheads.

You can see the end of the stringers and the aft-most bulkhead of my
Glastron in the picture below.

http://home.comcast.net/~galmgren/gl...transom018.jpg



--
~/Garth - 1966 Glastron V-142 Skiflite: "Blue-Boat"
"There is nothing - absolutely nothing - half so much worth doing
as simply messing about in boats."
-Kenneth Grahame, The Wind in the Willows

Other than contacting the manufacturer or other owners ( or even local
fiberglass/boat repair places who may have worked on that make of boat.)...
the other way ( still risky) is the "sneak up" method.
It is:

You drill a small hole ( maybe a 1/4 inch). You stick a bent piece of wire
down the hole and make a circle with the wire. If you don't hit anything,
then your "safe" area is double the length of the bent wire. You drill a
slightly larger hole, maybe 3/4 of an inch. You stick in a longer piece of
wire...make the same circle, and note if you hit anything. If you are
fortunate, you can scribe a hole large enough to put your deck port in. If
you do hit something, you may be able to move your deck port position away
from the under-deck obstruction.
regards, RichG TX
--
RichG manager, Carolina Skiff Owners Group on MSN
http://groups.msn.com/CarolinaSkiffOwners
..