Save-A-Boat - The Forum for Plastic Classic Rebuilds!

She floats but I took a gamble and lost. I did not like the through-hull installation with the valves screwed onto through-hulls but figured they would be fine. I did honestly think, and figured, they were probably alright for one more season and I gambled wrong. We sailed the boat up from Portsmouth last Friday and she was hauled today! You guessed it I'll be replacing each and every through-hull with flange type Groco's from Hamilton Marine. I had one of the through hulls weeping around the threads. It was no more than a sponge full every day or two but any water in the bilge is bad water in my book.

While she's out I'm also replacing the the three year old PSS, why not, and the depth transducer and filling the hole left by the speed log. So far the boat has been great and I knew I should have replaced the through-hulls but took a chance that just cost me $500.00 clams for a haul, block and re-launch....

So what do you guys fill the counter sunk screw holes for the flanged through-hulls with? Cabosil & West, 3M blister filler? Are phillips head silicon bronze bolts available? All I'm finding are flat heads at Hamilton..

At that size I think all you are likely to find are slotted. Though you might check a supplier like boltdepot.com.

When I did mine, I countersunk so that the heads were just slightly less than perfectly flush and gooped liberally with 5200 during installation, and smeared extra over the top. I didn't fair them in with epoxy.

Thanks I'll also check K.L. Jack and see what they have for silicon bronze too. My thinking is that the fairing compound would adhere better to a phillips head? I thought about using the 4200 over the heads but decided to fill and fair..

acoustic wrote:My thinking is that the fairing compound would adhere better to a phillips head?

If you are using an epoxy fairing compound (ie West System with cabosil and microballoons) I don't think it will make much, if any, difference. It will stick just fine either way.

Nice looking boat. Congratulations!

I've not seen any Phillips bronze machine screws at the usual sources. They all seem to be slotted.

Thanks guys slotted it is then!