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Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

Catalina 25 Specific Forum

which is easier - replaced thru hull or close em?

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kiko
1st Mate

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USA
69 Posts

Initially Posted - 11/10/2014 : 21:16:47

So i put my new to me cat 25 in the water on saturday. Prior owner told me no leaks. The volcano thru hull for the sink and ice box drain let go.

Had a diver plug thru hull underwater with an epoxy stick. Worked great and was able to pull boat out the next day.

Question is this: Would it be easier to fill the holes with epoxy and mat and use a holding tank setup or just install the thru hullS with the c/d kit?

Curious what would be cheaper as a thru hull might mean i don't spend a quart of bottom paint, as it looks like the cd kit thru hull flange would mean I don't have to paint the hull. Why buy a quart to just paint a couple of small spots if I fill the holes on the hull?

thanks!

Edited by - on

DavidBuoy
Admiral

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USA
707 Posts

Response Posted - 11/11/2014 : 06:42:06

I am not the one with the answer here. But a number of things you're saying are a little bit scary as a fellow boat owner. Im not even referring to the methods described but if the cost of a quart of bottom paint is the difference in doing a very important repair then, I am of no help.

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Stinkpotter
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
9087 Posts

Response Posted - 11/11/2014 : 08:06:40

Why buy and install a holding tank and deck fitting ($?) and then pay ($?) to have it pumped out for the rest of your life?

BTW, for other owners of early C-25s with the infamous "to-hulls" (bronze pipes set in epoxy "volcanos" with no external flange), it might be useful to describe what happened to yours.

Edited by - Stinkpotter on 11/11/2014 08:13:52

kiko
1st Mate

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USA
69 Posts

Response Posted - 11/11/2014 : 10:16:05

Hey David, after spending thousands already on the boat, need to save every penny.

Hey Dave, was not going to use a pump, the holding tank would be manually drained much like the port a potty.

Rethinking this, may go the thru hull route after all.

thanks!

Edited by - on

DavidBuoy
Admiral

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USA
707 Posts

Response Posted - 11/11/2014 : 16:59:33

Hey, we all know what B.O.A.T. Stands for. Put the money where you can and where it counts!

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jerlim
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1484 Posts

Response Posted - 11/12/2014 : 13:15:37

I replaced the thru-hull pipe a few years ago w/ a CD replacement. Also replaced the tee'd hose from the basin (hate to say sink) and from the ice box. We rely on both regularly and have had no issues.

It was quite the battle to remove the port side pipe & volcano, and so decided to leave the starboard thru-hull as is.

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kiko
1st Mate

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USA
69 Posts

Response Posted - 11/12/2014 : 15:14:15

Hey Jerry, what size thru hull did ya get, 1/2 or 3/4 inch?

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Rainwater
Deckhand

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22 Posts

Response Posted - 11/15/2014 : 18:40:58

I bought my boat last year and the first thing I did was get rid of all the thru hulls. The fwd port thru hull I simply pulled and twisted real hard and it came right out. Yikes! Showed signs of leaking on the PO. The rear port thru hull you are talking about was actually in the best shape but I used a hole saw and cut it out from the outside in, the same thing with the fwd starboard one. I now have the sinks (or basins) plumbed into the head. To drain the sinks I simply pump the head and that goes into the head holding tank. Same thing to use the head...I put about an inch of water in the sink and then pu, p.The only thing is I have to be careful not to feed food scraps into the sink or anything else that could plug the head. I sleep better at night knowing the are no holes in my hull other than the swing keel cable hole. That one still concerns me but unless I convert to a wing keel Thera not much I can do about that one.

Edited by - Rainwater on 11/15/2014 19:11:09

capelyddol
1st Mate

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USA
62 Posts

Response Posted - 11/15/2014 : 21:27:37

My boat has four thru, or, 'to' hulls. The sink/icebox drain and the two cockpit drains are of the 'volcano' type. The fourth is the old inlet for the head. This one's a true 'thru-hull', now redundant at least temporarily as I've converted to a pump-out port-a-potti. I wasn't the least bit concerned about any of them until I joined this forum. Now I have sleepless nights!

I've got one redundant thru-hull that could leak, and three volcanoes that might erupt at any moment. Frankly, like Rainwater, I'd prefer to have no holes in my hull, but he fails to comment on his cockpit drains or how he sealed up the holes made by the hole saw. Further explanation, Rainwater, would be appreciated.

In my youth (long, long, ago!) underwater thru-hulls were virtually unheard of ( at least in Britain) and any discharge outlet was kept well above the waterline, with the exception of a stern gland - always a source of premature greying for any skipper, which is probably why we all wore black peaked caps pulled low over the eyes. A bit of a dirty line down the side of the boat was a small price to pay for the peace of mind of knowing the sea wasn't going to explode upwards out of the galley sink in the middle of the night.

If anyone has a surefire cure for my insomnia then please let me know. (Other, that is, than to stop reading this forum.)

Edited by - on

Rainwater
Deckhand

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22 Posts

Response Posted - 11/16/2014 : 16:16:46

I used the West systems epoxy method and tapered and feathered out the holes and then used fiberglass and fiber matt to sealed them back up. I thought the cockpit drains where above water? Now I'm worried they are not. I'll have to investigate that further and if they are not I'll be replacing those this spring. I'm not sure that you could seal those up due to rain has to drain. I'll try and find my pictures of when i patched them and post them.

Edited by - on

Rainwater
Deckhand

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22 Posts

Response Posted - 11/16/2014 : 17:24:00

This is the original fwd port thru hull that just simply twisted out on me...notice the taper on the end to match the curve of the hull...

Another view

Here is the port aft thru hull hole after I drilled it out with the hole saw and sanded it back a bit. (3/4 inch for the size I think) I used the smallest hole saw that would fit around the pipe to limit the size of the hole. I ended up sanding it back about 6 inches from the center of the hole all the way around. One thing I did have problems with on one of the thru hulls is the hole saw went crooked and I ended up cutting through the metal pipe, no big deal really but it made the hole a little bigger than I wanted it.

Here is the port fwd thru hull hole patched up and ready for the final sanding and painting. I did not take many pictures in between due to once you get the west systems epoxy mixed and ready to go you only have about 10-15 mins to apply it and the fiberglass. I precut all the fiberglass starting from smallest to largest and layered matt on the top 4 or 5 layers to help build it up after the initial fiberglass and epoxy dried. Notice how the fibers from the fiber matt extended out beyond the original painted area. I used an orbital sander to smooth it out and these fibers came right off, I wanted the matt to adhere clear out to the edge of the sanded area. One season in the water so far and the patches still look good. I also sanded the inside and patched from the inside as well. The white dust is what you get when you sand it, get a good dust mask/breather!! The interior of my boat looked like a flour bomb went off inside after sanding, took a day to get just the dust cleaned up. Its super fine stuff!

Edited by - on

jduck00
Captain

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USA
313 Posts

Response Posted - 11/17/2014 : 11:07:39

I put a new through hull in for mine. If you take the cabinet under the sink out, the volcano is not that hard to get to. I used a small side grinder to grind the top of the volcano. I did have to open the hole up to 3/4" to get the new through hull. I'll try and dig some pictures up.

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