Thru Hull Fitting Help

[Uncle Joe]

Hello All.......I have a 1982 24 Offshore and on my last few ocean fishing trips I noticed I was getting a lot of water in the bilge. It was not happening in the bay or at the dock.....only while drifting in moderate seas on the ocean. I finally tracked the problem to a missing drain hose from the port side fishbox to the thru hull fitting....which sits 2 inches or so above the waterline. There is absolutely no way to replace this line without cutting an access hole ....and I don't want to do that until after I pull the boat for the season.

I plugged the fitting with an expandable drain plug coated in silicone, from the outside as a temporary measure.....it seems to be holding fine but I am not too thrilled with the idea. Does anybody know of a better fix to get me to 11/15 or so when I usually pull the boat? I would appreciate any input.

Thanks,
Joe

 

[DennisG01]

I think what you did (although I don't know exactly what type of plug you used) should suffice. If you want a little extra protection, put a few strips of shrink wrap tape over it.

If you don't currently have an access hole, how did you figure it out? Poke/look into the thru-hull fitting?

Just so you know, it's gonna be a bit of a bear to get at it. Cut the largest hole you can. I would also be sure to block the boat plenty "bow high" over the winter. There's a good amount of foam under the floor and you want to be sure it all drains/dries out.

 

[Uncle Joe]

I think what you did (although I don't know exactly what type of plug you used) should suffice. If you want a little extra protection, put a few strips of shrink wrap tape over it.

If you don't currently have an access hole, how did you figure it out? Poke/look into the thru-hull fitting?

Just so you know, it's gonna be a bit of a bear to get at it. Cut the largest hole you can. I would also be sure to block the boat plenty "bow high" over the winter. There's a good amount of foam under the floor and you want to be sure it all drains/dries out.

Hi Dennis! On my boat there is a 3 in access hole outboard of the box...I have tried to replace it but I can't find that size anywhere........I can just barely touch the back end of the filling but the hose is nowhere in sight and the foam and the box itself blocks any access to the drain from that angle.

 

[DennisG01]

OK - sounds like the same access hole as in my boat. I've thought about possibly putting another hole in the sidewall of the livewell and making that 3" one larger should I ever need to replace mine. Probably a two person job.

I was thinking of a different kind of plug in my head that is more flush to begin with. Maybe cut the handle portion off so it's a little bit more "flush". Cut it right after the "flare".

Google for expansion plug...