Unused through hull question.

[ZULU40]

Originally Posted by evm1024

Of course you will want to schedule this work to be done with other work so that the cost to haul is spread out over a number of jobs.

Till then....

I dont think that accountants view is right.
Eventually you will have to haul the boat up on hardstanding. The direct cost component is that your time there will be increased, the rest had to be done.

[pcmm]

If you are sure you wont need them, then do it correctly and remove the thruhulls and glass them closed permanently! Our boat had 21 thruhulls when we bought it. (We started calling it the "swiss cheese" boat!!) and we ended up closing 14 of them. We now just have cockpit scuppers(2) , sink drains (3) engine intake(1) and wash down pump(1). The other 14 were in poorly thought out locations through out the boat! Close em up, that's the safest route!

[guyrj33]

Properly glassing over a removed thru hull hole is a simple task, but one that will take several hours to complete. For me i'd spend a day glassing over a hole before I'd pay a yard $500.

[Davidhoy]

Originally Posted by ZULU40

I dont think that accountants view is right.
Eventually you will have to haul the boat up on hardstanding. The direct cost component is that your time there will be increased, the rest had to be done.

This is my view exactly. I'm not going to haul the boat just to remove the through hulls, rather it can wait until I have to haul anyway, and get a bunch of stuff done all together. In fact, it makes most sense to glass holes like this when you're getting ready to bottom paint, for obvious reasons ;-)

Originally Posted by pcmm

If you are sure you wont need them, then do it correctly and remove the thruhulls and glass them closed permanently! Our boat had 21 thruhulls when we bought it. (We started calling it the "swiss cheese" boat!!) and we ended up closing 14 of them. We now just have cockpit scuppers(2) , sink drains (3) engine intake(1) and wash down pump(1). The other 14 were in poorly thought out locations through out the boat! Close em up, that's the safest route!

I don't think I have quite that many, but fairly close. Let's see, starting from the bow:

1. Deck washdown & fwd a/c
2. Fwd head intake
3. Fwd head discharge
4. Fwd a/c discharge (just above waterline)
5. Galley sink discharge
6. Port cockpit scupper
7. Stb cockpit scupper
8. Engine intake
9. Generator intake
10. Refrigeration intake (no longer needed)
11. Refrigeration discharge (no longer needed, above waterline)
12. Watermaker intake
13. Watermaker discharge (above waterline)
14. Aft head intake (no longer needed)
15. Aft head discharge (no longer needed)
16. Aft a/c intake
17. Aft a/c discharge (above waterline)
18. Speed/depth transducer

I'm sure I'm missing something along the way, but you get the picture. Lots of systems of a 46ft boat!

-David

[Davidhoy]

Originally Posted by guyrj33

Properly glassing over a removed thru hull hole is a simple task, but one that will take several hours to complete. For me i'd spend a day glassing over a hole before I'd pay a yard $500.

I'm with you! Why pay someone else to do something you could and should do yourself.

One exception I made was when I had a lightning strike, the boat was on the other side of Florida, and insurance was picking up the tab - then I let a boat yard coordinate and take care of everything. I still have a few regrets some things were not done as I would have liked them done, but them's the breaks...

-David

[Minggat]

Originally Posted by Tessellate

Glassing them over is expensive (capped).

Uhhh....
Relative to say what? I’ve seen enough well maintained boats sink in their slips to say that I know something more expensive.

I suspect that you know what you want to do. I also went through that choice. I enjoy the peace of mind more that the money I saved.

[pcmm]

Originally Posted by evm1024

Let's see:

- we have the fewest holes in hull is safest viewpoint
- the not very hard or expensive to do viewpoint
- the future possible use viewpoint

And a few more.

One thing regarding costs that is overlooked - You need to haul the boat to do this job. So tack in (at least for my boat) another $1200 for hauling, blocking and lay days.

Of course you will want to schedule this work to be done with other work so that the cost to haul is spread out over a number of jobs.

Till then....

Just the glass work while hauled for the winter, its no extra cost then! Shouldn't take more than a couple of days to do.

[evm1024]

Originally Posted by ZULU40

I dont think that accountants view is right.
Eventually you will have to haul the boat up on hardstanding. The direct cost component is that your time there will be increased, the rest had to be done.

Glad you see my point.

If your boat is not sinking then none of it HAS to be done. Bottom painting can be put off till later. Prop swaps ditto etc.

The point I made is that if the haul was only for glassing over the thru-hulls then the overhead of hauling is 100% to the glassing costs.

It is obvious that we would not haul just for glassing (in most all cases I can think of).

But, if you haul this year rather than next because you want to glass then the cost of hauling would be in this year and can be assigned in some percentage to the glassing.

Spending money this year (budget cycle) has a cost.

[evm1024]

Originally Posted by pcmm

Just the glass work while hauled for the winter, its no extra cost then! Shouldn't take more than a couple of days to do.

Great that is the case that is outside of my thinking (I don't haul for the winter).

For those of us who don't haul for the winter we try to schedule lots of work to spread out the overhead costs of hauling.

[Davidhoy]

Originally Posted by evm1024

Great that is the case that is outside of my thinking (I don't haul for the winter).

For those of us who don't haul for the winter we try to schedule lots of work to spread out the overhead costs of hauling.

Winter? What is this winter people are talking about? Oh, you mean that thing that happens to people up north, where that strange white stuff falls out of the sky and covers everything, then turns to slush or has to be shoveled. No, I know nothing of that, nor do I want to

[Mike OReilly]

I removed my standard marine head and replaced it with a composter many years ago. This removed the need for two thru-hulls. Although I think it’s better to glass them in, I haven’t done so. Here’s why...

The old water intake I’ve left for when I install a deck wash system. It’s a project that never seems to become the top priority, but someday I’ll get to it, and having that thru-hull will make it very easy.

I would like to remove and seal the main outflow thru-hull, but it is in a location that makes it very hard to do the job right. I would have to remove head cabinetry, and perhaps even part of a bulkhead to get the right size bevel. In addition, I have a cored hull, which makes the task slightly trickier.

So the bottom line is I’ve left both in place. They are closed, and capped off with wood plugs that are double-clamped in place. I monitor them regularly (like I monitor all our thru-hulls). No problems in seven years. Not saying this is the best solution, but it can work, and it does allow for an easy conversion back to a standard marine head if that should ever need to be done (not that I would ever go back — never!).

BTW, compost heads are great for offshore. Easy to dump over the side. And I can carry about six months of coir material in the space of a normal size bucket. It would be no problem to load up for years.

[stormalong]

If your through hulls are Marelon you can plug them with epoxy filler.

I have Marelon through hulls and sea cocks. They are also flush, not mushroom heads. Three are no longer used. I removed the sea cocks and put screw on plastic caps in their place. Then put some inert filler material to within an inch of the outside surface and plugged the remaining inch with epoxy stiffened with microballoons. After sanding and antifouling you can't tell they are there. But if I need one I can just drill out the epoxy plug. After a few years I did need one and it was easy to clear it out while in the water.

I should add that the through hulls are held in with nuts so the sea cocks are not needed to keep the through hulls in place.

[Emouchet]

I left them in place, but I did cap the through hull.
I also injected some 3M 5200 on the outside, just to make sure.

[bobfnbw]

David, having had a boat sink due to electrolysis on a forward head thru hull, I can only say that when you can, glass over it and be done with it. Thru hulls IMO are a issue waiting to happen. In my next boat, I will have few thru hulls. One large one for engine and generator, one for the watermaker and one for the deck wash down at the bow. One for the transducer for speed and depth and temp. Maybe one for the sink. The rest will be above the waterline. Composting toilet. Head sink will drain into a grey water tank and pumped overboard above the waterline.
Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me......
I know a lot of people will say, "I have done it this way for many years and many miles" and to them I say "good for you" and "keep it up". For me I will go the minimal route of holes in my hull than can let in water. If I could I would get rid of them all. But not there yet.
Bob

Originally Posted by Davidhoy

I have several unused below-waterline through hulls, as a result of replacing the aft head with a composting toilet and upgrading my refrigeration to an air-cooled 12 VDC system. So what to do now, short term and long term?
Short term is relatively easy - shut off the valve, and secure a soft wooden bung as a backup. Long term, should I keep these fittings in case I need them for something else, or remove and re-glass the holes next time I haul the boat?

-David

[stormalong]

Originally Posted by bobfnbw

David, having had a boat sink due to electrolysis on a forward head thru hull, I can only say that when you can, glass over it and be done with it.
Bob

Which is exactly why I like Marelon - no electrolysis. Through hulls and sea cocks start life at the foundry where they are cast. The company manufacturing them can't know the mix unless they pay a high priced metallurgist to analyze them. The foundry had no liability so they can use anything they have available.

Marelon is a Dupont plastic and is injection molded by the manufacturer.