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Leaky Through-Hulls

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ajski1000
1st Mate

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USA
52 Posts

Initially Posted - 05/24/2006 : 21:50:03

Hi all,

I have one through hull that has a very very slow leak, I want to repair this before i put it in the water, (It was in all last year). Have any of you guys had any experience with this? It s a plastic through hull, specifically the one for the old knot meter, which I no longer have any use for.

I have thought about just filling the hole in all together? But again i don’t have any experience with that. Suggestions and thoughts on how to do either?

As always THANKS

Edited by - on

dlucier
Master Marine Consultant

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Virgin Islands (United Kingdom)
7583 Posts

Response Posted - 05/25/2006 : 00:50:12

Adam,

Patching an unused hole in the hull is not that big of a job and is actually one of the easier epoxy repairs to do. The West System fiberglass repair manual is a pretty good resource for the most common repairs.

The following is from the [url="http://www.westsystem.com/"]West System[/url] website...

<i>Example: A seacock that is located below the waterline is being relocated. The hole is 2" diameter through a solid laminate ½" thick. Access to the backside is good. The bottom is painted with antifouling paint.

The chart would place this repair in the upper right quadrant due to the hole's location-a hole below the waterline certainly raises the consequences if it fails- yet, because this is a machined hole and not a puncture or impact hole, the repair should be easy to accomplish. The first step is to sand the inside of the hole to expose fresh laminate. Next, pour some mixed epoxy into a 2" diameter cup to form a "puck" when cured that is about 1/8" to 3/16" thick. Sand the edge of the puck and both face surfaces, and then dry fit the puck in the hole so that it is centered with regard to the thickness of the laminate. You can then bond the puck in by brushing a thickened mixture of epoxy and 406 Colloidal Silica on the inside of the hole and the edges of the puck. If the puck fits loosely and doesn't stay where placed, use duct tape to hold it in place until the epoxy cures. </i>

<i>Now grind back about 1/8" to 3/16" (depending on how thick the puck is) thickness from the laminate on both sides of the hole on a 12:1 bevel. This will give the beveled area about 5" diameter. Fill the beveled area on both sides with a layered fiberglass patch and epoxy. Once the patches cure, sand them and an area larger than the patch to prep for fairing and finishing. It is especially important to remove all the antifouling paint anywhere epoxy will be applied because epoxy will not stick well to most bottom paints. </i>

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ajski1000
1st Mate

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USA
52 Posts

Response Posted - 05/27/2006 : 13:17:11

Don,

Thanks for the reply,

Do you think that it might be more cost effective to just remove the leaky through-hull and replug it with 4200?

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Notice: The advice given on this site is based upon individual or quoted experience, yours may differ.
The Officers, Staff and members of this site only provide information based upon the concept that anyone utilizing this information does so at their own risk and holds harmless all contributors to this site.