I had every intention of boring a large hole in the bottom of the boat and installing a new raw water pickup today. Right up until we were halfway through the bottom. That was when I realized the hull is cored. That was not the worst part of the discovery...the coring was dry and not wood, it was some type of foam. But the material between the hull and the deck liner was wet.
At this point we decided to remove the existing through hull for the wash down pump and inspect that hole and the area around it due to the wetness between the hull and liner. While it is not conclusive it is possible that the wetness between the liner could be from this through hull.
Now that the coring back about 1.5" from the holes has been removed I will let it dry for the next week and then fill the void and holes with chopped glass and epoxy resin and then re-bore the holes through solid glass to eliminate the possibility of water intrusion into the coring.
The thing that has me worried though is the gap between the hull and the liner, it was at least 3/8", maybe more, I did not measure. I have to contact Sea Sport to find out if that is normal or if some sort of delamination has occurred. I also want to find out the layup schedule knowing that the hull is cored. And if they recommend drilling a larger hole through the liner to allow the backing block to contact the hull directly.
It also was probably a good idea to remove the existing through hull as it was quite lose and the valve that was originally installed was of poor material. The through hull was a Perko model and after polishing it up with a wire wheel to remove paint, growth and sealant, it seemed to be in fine condition. The threads on the valve however had no bronze left showing at all so later today I will order a new Groco valve.
The Groco valves seem to be of good quality, I know many boat mechanics that like them and no surveyors that dislike them. The nice feature on them is that you can remove a set screw and install it on the other side to have the handle open and close in the opposite direction. Which can be extremely helpful in a tight engine room or cramped compartment.
I also mapped out some of my existing wiring in plans to re-route some of it. The end result will have the bilge pumps and primary start battery functions combined. Right now there is an always on bus bar, wash down pump and cockpit power point also connected to the start battery. These will all be re-wired to the house battery, I will also be installing an automatic charge relay. Once that is all done the batteries will also be replaced prior to spring launch.
On a high note, I did finish testing the GPS to sonar NMEA wiring and have been able to pause the sonar screen, point to a location, create a way point and navigate back to it on the GPS. This is going to greatly improve getting back on structure, bait and fish this season. Especially when you pass over something at high speeds, being able to pause the screen point to it and then navigate to it is going to be awesome.
At this point we decided to remove the existing through hull for the wash down pump and inspect that hole and the area around it due to the wetness between the hull and liner. While it is not conclusive it is possible that the wetness between the liner could be from this through hull.
Now that the coring back about 1.5" from the holes has been removed I will let it dry for the next week and then fill the void and holes with chopped glass and epoxy resin and then re-bore the holes through solid glass to eliminate the possibility of water intrusion into the coring.
The thing that has me worried though is the gap between the hull and the liner, it was at least 3/8", maybe more, I did not measure. I have to contact Sea Sport to find out if that is normal or if some sort of delamination has occurred. I also want to find out the layup schedule knowing that the hull is cored. And if they recommend drilling a larger hole through the liner to allow the backing block to contact the hull directly.
It also was probably a good idea to remove the existing through hull as it was quite lose and the valve that was originally installed was of poor material. The through hull was a Perko model and after polishing it up with a wire wheel to remove paint, growth and sealant, it seemed to be in fine condition. The threads on the valve however had no bronze left showing at all so later today I will order a new Groco valve.
The Groco valves seem to be of good quality, I know many boat mechanics that like them and no surveyors that dislike them. The nice feature on them is that you can remove a set screw and install it on the other side to have the handle open and close in the opposite direction. Which can be extremely helpful in a tight engine room or cramped compartment.
I also mapped out some of my existing wiring in plans to re-route some of it. The end result will have the bilge pumps and primary start battery functions combined. Right now there is an always on bus bar, wash down pump and cockpit power point also connected to the start battery. These will all be re-wired to the house battery, I will also be installing an automatic charge relay. Once that is all done the batteries will also be replaced prior to spring launch.
On a high note, I did finish testing the GPS to sonar NMEA wiring and have been able to pause the sonar screen, point to a location, create a way point and navigate back to it on the GPS. This is going to greatly improve getting back on structure, bait and fish this season. Especially when you pass over something at high speeds, being able to pause the screen point to it and then navigate to it is going to be awesome.
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