mounting new winches

hi all,

the new winches for my 27 are slightly larger than the old, which entails drilling new holes for the mounting screws. two questions:

1. do i need to cut some plywood for backing or not? (the current winches are secured straight to the fiberglass with no backing, and seem firm.)

2. any advice on patching the old holes? just fill with epoxy and sand flush?

thanks for any help!

I don't like to mount anything directly against bare fiberglass, so for my winches I used the teak pads that come in appropriate diameters, and some are made to mount the winch on a slant to facilitate proper sheet lead. If you're so inclined you can use blank teak switch panels to mount all sorts of small stuff....blocks, etc., as well. Sea Quest's PO had zero sense of aesthetic when he mounted the instruments (WSI, Depth, etc) and I just couldn't stand staring at the damn things all day so I had to rearrange everything and also cover up the holes. It's a poor pic, but you can make out the port / stbd mirror image instrument panels I made. Anyway, that's what got me started on this teak thing.
howard keiper
SeaQuest
Berkeley

Mounting winches

1. I mounted mine against the bare fiberglass.

2. If the holes are not exposed to sunlight, I would just fill with epoxy putty. Do seal around the new holes when you place the through-bolts.

3. BACKING is critical. Mine were backed at the factory with sheet aluminum, which I re-used. If you choose to use plywood, I would think, the thicker the better, and larger diameter than the winches.

4. I also have used sheet epoxy as backing. I bought a large piece from a local distributer, and I cut backing for cleats, winches, etc. from it. A number of boats here on the Chesapeake lost cleats to rising waters because of lack of proper backing. My Ericson cleats are just backed with large washers. No reason you can't use those same large washers on the other side of a sheet of epoxy.