Well, I just bought a 1989 sailfish 255. Yesterday i realized that all the thru hull fittings located amidship on the waterline port and starboard are cracked. Does anybody now how to get to these in order to replace them? Also, the livewell drain and the port box drain are both broken off right under each compartment. HAS ME KINDA WORRIED. Any light on the subject would be greatly appreciated. BTW. I LOVE MY GRADY and cant wait to put it in the water.
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REPLACING PLASTIC THRU-HULLS ON 89 SAILFISH, HELP!!!!!!
- Thread starter oceanic21
- Start date
CaptKennyW
Well-Known Member
Its a PITA but if you keep at it you will eventually get the new ones in. I would recomend stainless steel ones so you wont have to worry about replaceing them again.
Bokat
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As everyone will tell you it is a royal pain. I replaced all the thru-hull fittings on my Gulfstream about 2 yrs. ago. I can't tell you specifics on the Sailfish but you can try http://gemlux.com/ that is where I got my parts. You will have to poke around all the hatches and compartments near the fittings until you find access. Good luck.
It looks like i might have to drill an access hole in that starboard box and well, on the port side, i'm still figuring that one out. thanks for the reply. Hopefully somebody else that has done it on this model can give me some mor info.
romex
Member
I don't know if these were installed before i purchased my 89 sailfish, but if you look inside the storage compartment in your head you should see a a cap that once removed will let you get to those fittings on your midship starboard side. I also have the same thing on the port side where the 1/4 berth is located. AND IT IS A PITA
choogenboom
Well-Known Member
I recently replaced all the thru hulls on my 1994 228G Seafarer. A few were cracked and leaking due to UV damage.
I was able to access all of them via the deck plates (as was Romex) so I would be surprised if that was not the case on your boat - just keep looking, you'll find them. I purchased Attwood stainless thru hulls from starboardsupply.com so that I never have to replace them again. Make sure you bed them in 5200 caulk when installing, and don't forget the MEK solvent for cleanup of the 5200. Even with the deck plates access was a PITA. To tighten the new thru hulls I put a pair of x-large vise grips on the inside flange nut and used a box wrench pushed into the hole on the outside with a crescent wrench on the box wrench. That allowed me to turn a two person job into a one person job. Some plumbers putty on the hose barb will make getting the hose back on easy as well as help ensure a watertight seal.
Surprising that your livewelll drain and port box drains are broken off. Those are not exposed to UV and should not have failed unless someone prior to you was a little over zealous in pulling the hoses off the thru hulls in a repair attempt. The livewell in my 228G was removable so access to that drain should be easy. The port box drain could be a challenge - I could see mine via a deck plate but seeing and removing are two different things - good luck.
Finally - replace all your thru hulls, not just the cracked ones. The ones that have not cracked yet will crack soon.
After installing the new thru hulls and prior to launching rinse the bilge with fresh water. Then, leave the boat in the water for a few days and taste the bilge water. If you taste salt you have a leak.
I was able to access all of them via the deck plates (as was Romex) so I would be surprised if that was not the case on your boat - just keep looking, you'll find them. I purchased Attwood stainless thru hulls from starboardsupply.com so that I never have to replace them again. Make sure you bed them in 5200 caulk when installing, and don't forget the MEK solvent for cleanup of the 5200. Even with the deck plates access was a PITA. To tighten the new thru hulls I put a pair of x-large vise grips on the inside flange nut and used a box wrench pushed into the hole on the outside with a crescent wrench on the box wrench. That allowed me to turn a two person job into a one person job. Some plumbers putty on the hose barb will make getting the hose back on easy as well as help ensure a watertight seal.
Surprising that your livewelll drain and port box drains are broken off. Those are not exposed to UV and should not have failed unless someone prior to you was a little over zealous in pulling the hoses off the thru hulls in a repair attempt. The livewell in my 228G was removable so access to that drain should be easy. The port box drain could be a challenge - I could see mine via a deck plate but seeing and removing are two different things - good luck.
Finally - replace all your thru hulls, not just the cracked ones. The ones that have not cracked yet will crack soon.
After installing the new thru hulls and prior to launching rinse the bilge with fresh water. Then, leave the boat in the water for a few days and taste the bilge water. If you taste salt you have a leak.
behind the head is a cover board to get to the hoses that go thru the liner. and a cover plate to get to the tru hulls and wiring. i couldn't reach the fittings thru the plate (being built like a linebacker doesn't help) so i used a jigsaw with a fiberglass blade and cut out a big area which made it very easy. then when finshed i used 5200 and put the piece back in in. it made a nice repair without mixing resin and using glass. if you take the steps and bulkhead out you can replace the livewell hoses real easy. the fill hose coming from the stern needs to have the decklids lifted. i have the same year and model as you and have done it all on this boat.
thanks alot everybody, I got everything off. Next i will be intalling the thru hulls and everything else. its difficult, but once you get into it, after a couple curse words, a couple cuts, a broken back, and half your toolbox lost somewhere in the hull I'm sure the thru hulls and drains will be installed. looking forward to it. thanks again, this site is very cool.