New sailor, trying to narrow down what to get for my next boat.

[Cheechako]

Thru hull fittings. or Mushroom fittings. You could just put one in the hole and put a cap on it for now. (if you buy the version with no hose barb, just threads.) The white plastic ones deteriorate eventually... although much cheaper than bronze. Tru Value hardware used to have a small line of Marine stuff... and they had a chromed bronze thru hull at a decent price.... if you want something NOW.
Why do you need plywood? think the transom needs reinforcement? It wont last long... finding some 1/2" "starboard" might be a better solution. You could just put it on with sealant and bolts... no finish required on the bare glass that way... Watch out that you don't get too thick for the Outboard mount.
PS: Be sure to coat the outboard mounting screws with something to keep them from "freezing" in the outboard.

[Sailmonkey]

The glass won't be bothered by getting wet, but the sun will destroy it. Either paint it or cover it in wood.

The missing fitting is called a mushroom thru hull. Both Blackburn and westernize have them on the shelf.


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[VinnyVincent]

Originally Posted by Cheechako

Why do you need plywood? think the transom needs reinforcement? It wont last long... finding some 1/2" "starboard" might be a better solution. You could just put it on with sealant and bolts... no finish required on the bare glass that way...

The transom seems pretty strong, it appears to be solid fiberglass...I was just going off of the suggestion of others that putting some form of protection over the transom is probably a good idea and either way probably couldn't hurt.
My original thoughts were to find some hardwood planks and fabricate a piece that covers the top, front and back. This would make it look finished and would also protect the transom.
I wasn't sure what the best type of wood to use for this would be. I was originally thinking teak, but I will definitely look into starboard and see if it is available locally.

[onestepcsy37]

Nissan and Tohatsu are the same engines. All parts - except the decals - are interchangeable.

[VinnyVincent]

Originally Posted by onestepcsy37

Nissan and Tohatsu are the same engines. All parts - except the decals - are interchangeable.

Right, my thoughts were that being the same engine, it's better to have the tohatsu stickers since I plan on keeping it long term, making resale value not a huge issue.
The idea here is that there is slightly less of a risk of a thief targeting it if they aren't aware that tohatsu is a big name manufacturer...I'll still be locking it up, just an added margin.

[Cheechako]

Not sure what the "top, front and back" are, but the opening appears to be finished with teak now...? Anything you add outside or inside wont fair into those trim pieces.. and look more "homemade".... so personally I would just leave it. You can buy a small bottle of white gel coat at any marine store or possibly hardware store if you want to cover the exposed glass.
If trying to improve the looks and protect the bare glass spots around the openingon the outside.. you could just tape off a nice border... maybe 2" all around the 3 sides of the opening, and paint that black or dark blue etc.

[VinnyVincent]

Originally Posted by Cheechako

Not sure what the "top, front and back" are, but the opening appears to be finished with teak now...? Anything you add outside or inside wont fair into those trim pieces.. and look more "homemade".... so personally I would just leave it. You can buy a small bottle of white gel coat at any marine store or possibly hardware store if you want to cover the exposed glass.
If trying to improve the looks and protect the bare glass spots around the openingon the outside.. you could just tape off a nice border... maybe 2" all around the 3 sides of the opening, and paint that black or dark blue etc.

There's no wood on the opening right now, I think it just looks that way in the picture. It's just unfinished fiberglass...basically I was thinking of making a wooden "top hat" so to speak that covers the unfinished glass. Basically wood trim that also serves to protect it to some degree.
Although I am starting to like the idea of just painting it...

I'll probably wait until the motor gets here to see what I'm working with before I commit to anything.

[jkindredpdx]

I'd paint (or gelcoat repair) over the fiberglass whether you cap it with wood or not. When you cap with wood, you'll be drilling holes into the glass and inviting moisture...

[VinnyVincent]

Originally Posted by jkindredpdx

I'd paint (or gelcoat repair) over the fiberglass whether you cap it with wood or not. When you cap with wood, you'll be drilling holes into the glass and inviting moisture...

I wanted to avoid drilling through the glass.
I was thinking about using something like marine tex as an adhesive to stick the wood on, as opposed to bolting it on.
That way it would cover the fiberglass and adhere to the wood. Problem is; good luck ever getting the wood off.

honestly the wood is kind of starting to sound like a bad idea. Marine tex is rock hard. Seems like I could just cover with marine tex and mount the motor on top of that.

[VinnyVincent]

Okay motor has been delivered and I plan on going out there this weekend and working to actually get it out on the water.

The depth sounder is broken.
I have a nice fishfinder/gps on the christmas list lol...I was thinking of installing a cheap fish finder in the meantime just to get out on the water.
is there a way to rig one up temporarily without doing the full blown install, so that it can at least detect depth effectively?

[jkindredpdx]

You can go out without a depth sounder or fish finder just review your charts carefully and stay on the safe channels... when in doubt go slowly.


JimK

[FamilyVan]

Ya, I agree, no need to buy a depth sounder. Look at your charts and make sure you stay in deep water.

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[GrowleyMonster]

When you drill through fiberglass, especially if it has a wood core, always drill way oversize. Then fill the hole with epoxy and when it is set and cured, drill the hole proper, in the middle of the epoxy potting. This keeps water from infiltrating and causing delamination. Sometimes this is no biggie, but anywhere you are concerned about this, use this method.

Agree... you can get by fine, generally, without a sounding device. You can download U.S. charts for free, and use digital versions on your Android or laptop, or print PDF versions. Plenty of phone and tablet apps that display gps position, or overlay your position on a digital chart. Unless you are in places where you should never take a sailboat in the first place, you should be fine with general bathymetric data from current charts, in US waters.

[VinnyVincent]

Well I went to take it out and noticed a steady stream of water leaking out of my drive shaft. It was dripping before, but got much worse once I got the boat moving.

I got some wrenchs, but I'm nervous about making it worse by messibg with it. Bilge pump is already cutting on every 10 mins or so. Should I just get this thing hauled out or try tightening it where it sits?

[Cheechako]

Originally Posted by VinnyVincent

Well I went to take it out and noticed a steady stream of water leaking out of my drive shaft. It was dripping before, but got much worse once I got the boat moving.

I got some wrenchs, but I'm nervous about making it worse by messibg with it. Bilge pump is already cutting on every 10 mins or so. Should I just get this thing hauled out or try tightening it where it sits?

Soooo... the drive shaft from the inboard is still in the boat? I assume that's what you mean... seems strange it would start leaking... is the prop still on it? maybe it turns when you move? If so, get it off there. You should be able to tighten the packing gland... I doubt you could make it worse.
There should be two big nuts, back off the "keeper" nut and tighten the other. If it wont move it's already bottomed out. Is there anything to keep the shaft in the boat? If not put a zinc on the inside or at least a hose clamp around the shaft. If it's bottomed out you can put another layer of packing in there. Cut the packing before hand by wrapping it around the shaft... diagonal cut. Have two rings ready. Take off the "plunger" part of the adjuster, put a ring or two in there and retighten. I make leak a lot while you are doing this, so only do it if you are comfortable with it.
Sooner or later you really need to haul, have a plan, and fix everything that needs done while you're out.