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new through hulls vs just fiberglass over???

briangsmith

Member II
I have 4 holes in my (almost) 30 year old E25. I really don't want any of them- 3 of 4 through hulls are starting to 'wheep', 'seep'... and the 1 1/4"
head valve (I pulled the head long ago) is frozen 'almost-' shut; have it capped with a bronze 'nipple' for now... Not good...

As both time and $$ are of the essence here- I only have two days at a time at the boat and would rather sail than do extra and unecessary maintenance- Any reason not to rip out these old, frozen gate valves and through hulls- and just GLASS over? I assume one would cut out marine-ply plugs for starters?? I've got the 'This Old Boat' book- that should tell me all I need to know about fiberglassing (and then some~)

As always, I appreciate any and all feedback from this forum- You guys
always have experience and insights I am sorely lacking.

Thanks.

Brian Smith
Homer, Alaska
 

tenders

Innocent Bystander
I plugged an unnecessary through-hull earlier this spring. It's quite easy if you have a $40 Black and Decker grinder (might be even easier with a $200 grinder) with a coarse sandpaper disk, and a collection of West System epoxy paraphernalia.

This Old Boat doesn't get into this, I don't think, but Casey's Fiberglass Repair book does. Once you have the thru-hull out you grind a shallow bevel around the hole, 6:1 or 8:1. Then you epoxy larger and larger circles of fiberglass cloth over the hole, filling the bevel, and fair it. I did this on both sides and it is definitely super-strong. It's probably 15 minutes of grinding each side, and 30 minutes of epoxying, over two days so you can see how it fairs out.

The point of the bevel is to create a smooth transition from the old and the new. A marine plywood block epoxied in would create a hard junction where the hull will flex differently. That could result in the plug popping off, probably not at the most opportune time.
 

chaco

Member III
The West Systems Fiberglass Repair Manual instructs in DETAIL how to repair
fiberglass holes. Don't these through-hulls have IMPORTANT functions like
draining your Cockpit ? (etc...etc). My recommendation is to Bite the Bullet
and replace the funtional through-hulls (like the HEAD !) before Winter.
Glass over the spares you don't use (knot-meter / misc intakes).
 

rwthomas1

Sustaining Partner
I have SEVEN new thru-hulls on my E38. They were neither cheap nor easy to install. However they do offer plenty of peace of mind. If you truely do not need the thru-hull then remove it and glass it in. I think you would need at least two to service raw water needs. Do it right the first time and you won't regret it. RT
 
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