# Anyone change a thru-hull in water?



## BigRed56 (May 27, 2001)

I need some expert advise , I need the following underwater repairs done in water, head intake thru-hull, depth sounder transducer, speed log, and removal of prop shaft. Any creative ideas or suggestions welcome. Also I snapped my bow sprit off in a blow the other day. Any Ideas on how the repairs could be made? Also any one know the proper ediquette for flying the Skull and Crossbones? How about deck mounted cannons. I''m thinking about giving into my dark side!! Big Red56


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

Ahoy, BigRed. Sorry to hear about your bow spit and other problems. Must have been some blow or some weakness in the sprit you couldn''t see. If you make the final decision in favor of your dark side, let me know. I am a classic "over 40 victim of fate, arriving too late" and have always had a pirate lurking beneath my civil exterior. I''ve got a beautiful cutlass that''s still a virgin. The skull and cross bones is only raised after a vessel refuses to surrender. It''s purpose is to strike fear in the minds of the quarry, reminding them of the end result of resistance. It says no quarter will be given. It usually works. Later. dhd.


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## Jeff_H (Feb 26, 2000)

Because sealants don''t work well against wet surfaces, it is next to impossible to do a permanent installation of thru-hulls (by that I am assuming you mean the thru-hull fitting itself and not just the seacock) while in the water but here are a couple suggestions. First if you are only replacing the seacock, it is not too hard to replace a seacock by putting a plunger over the thru-hull or plugging the thru hull with an ideally rubber plug (wood swells up and gets to be next to imposible to remove). 

There was a fellow on another BB who talked about replacing a thru-hull by getting a large sheet of rubber roll roofing and essentially taping it over the thru hull with a large bulge in the material. He used an industrial tape that was made for use under water. He described taping the bottom and sides with this tape and leaving lots of slack, so there was a big pucker in the middle. He then put the new exterior part of the thru hull into this pucker from the top and taped the top shut. He then removed the old thru hull which dropped into rubber roofing protected area. 

He said a lot of water comes in and maneuvering the fittings was a real pain in the butt. Once the old thru-hull is out then manuever the new thru-hull into place. He used a flat piece of rubber as a gasket rather than caulking the new thru hull into place. This rubber gasket had a hole in the middle that fit snug around the thru-hull shaftand that was installed against the flange and held in place with silicone that was applied and allowed to set before the thru hull was placed underwater in the rubber membrane. 

The new thru hull was manuevered into place and the nut applied from the inside of the hull. He had put a foot or so long piece of polypropelene line through the thru hull fitting to give him something to hold onto as the nut was installed. Once the nut was turned down as far as he could from the inside, a plug was inserted in the new thru hull and then the top of the rubber pouch was untaped from the outside. Lost of water poured in while they finished tightening the nut. Once the thru hull was tightly installed it continued to weep a little. Then rubber was removed from the outside, a plug was installed in the thru-hull from the outside and the interior plug removed so the seacock could be installed. I believe this was an enine intake and it allowed the fellow to motor to where he could haul out for a permanent repair. He noted that he had problems with bottom paint damage, marine growth and later with paint adhesion where the tape had been. 

The propshaft is probably the hardest of the collection of underwater repairs that you list because that aften means removing the rudder as well. 

All that aside, it would sure be a lot easier to haul out and do this work one time right and not have to worry about it. But of course that costs money.

The bowsprit should be easy enough to replace. Bowsprits were traditionally Spruce, Fir or Ash in that order. Fir is the most rot resistant and most readily available in large pieces today. If you do not feel comfortable making the new sprit yourself, you should be able to take the pieces of the old sprit up to George Luzier in Sarasota and have him make one for you. In the Florida climate, if you are feeling flush and adventurous, and are not as concerned about aesthetics, you might make a new sprit from aluminum tubing which is comparatively inexpensive to purchase but more way more expensive to fabricate. 

Of course, you probably won''t take any of this advice because I once happened to recommend a list of less than $100,000 yachts to someone who asked for a list of under $100,000 yachts. 

Good luck to you. 
Jeff


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## peterpan2k (Feb 20, 2002)

How about that. Been there done that. To replace the thru hulls and speed log is easy. Get some tapered wood bungs. It takes two people. One in the water of coarse. Remove the valve and install a small bung in the opening then remove the nut. You may have to twist the thru hull clockwise to unscrew it thru the hull material. Once it''s free of the hull take the next size bung that fits the hole and stuff it in the hole. Put a small plug in the new thru hull. Use 3M 5200 and lay a bead on the mating surface of the new thru hull. It will seal and set up under water. Have the person in the water knock out the bung and shove the new fitting into the hole. Put a little 5200 on the mating surface of the nut and tighten. Wala. Pull out the small plug and install the valve. A bung will work for the rest of the holes as well as the prop shaft.
Good Luck.Jim


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

Seems like two very workable ideas, I was thinking of the rubber sheeting one when I dropped in.

As for flag etiquette, as I recall, if we encounter a ship flying the skull and crossed bones exclusively (in international waters of course), we may, after gaining permission from higher authority, take that vessal under fire... well... if she refuses to heave to. 

It would probably be most appropriate to: 1) never have the skull and crossbones in a position superior to the Stars and Stripes on the vessal (even in Key West :O), 2) only fly it well within US territorial waters and 3) never fly it without the Stars and Stripes or the Yacht Ensign.

And...I would suggest ye dip ye flag to a ship o the line, lest she stops ye to request a more tangible and fitting tribute. 

Hope this helps...

;o)


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## Denr (Feb 7, 2001)

Big Red …… were you being naughty again and mixing the rum with your medications? The collision that caused all of the damage you describe must have been a whopper. I hope at least that it was a "Jerk Ski" operator that felt the full impact of your encounter, that being the case it was probably worth it all.


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## colehankins (Feb 1, 2002)

How about running the boat aground at high tide letting the tide run out and doing all the fittings on the one side??? anchor out with the halyard and pull the boat on to the beam. tide comes up check for leaks. been there done that. easy to clean the bottom too


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