There's a hole in my boat, now what.

[Cadence]

Originally Posted by guyrj33

it is structural the moment the transom is hit by a wave, and I'm sure that won't be a time when you want to be fixing a 3" hole in your boat.

I didn't mean fill it with mud. I was referring to how to solve the esthetics.
Sure a good plug would be required under the clamshell for following seas but wouldn't take exterior finishing. PS, that isn't structural, it's plugging a hole.l.

[guyrj33]

Originally Posted by Cadence

I didn't mean fill it with mud. I was referring to how to solve the esthetics.
Sure a good plug would be required under the clamshell for following seas but wouldn't take exterior finishing. PS, that isn't structural, it's plugging a hole.l.

it's really really important that the repair be structurally as strong as the original transom. Anything less is inviting disaster and would be unseaworthy.

[Cadence]

Originally Posted by guyrj33

it's really really important that the repair be structurally as strong as the original transom. Anything less is inviting disaster and would be unseaworthy.

It was a suggestion to avoid finish work and paint matching. No more no less. Just a suggestion for the OP.

[stormalong]

Originally Posted by guyrj33

it is structural the moment the transom is hit by a wave, and I'm sure that won't be a time when you want to be fixing a 3" hole in your boat.

No, it is not structural. Obviously the hole has been there for some time and the transom has not failed.

It is an opening that following seas could get into. I would start from the inside with a layer of glass and mat to seal the hole. Then build up layers until the patch is flush with the outside. The patch and the layers need to bond to clean fiberglass so grind slightly - just enough to get to clean fiberglass. It does not need to be tapered as for a structural repair would be but a slight taper of about 45 degrees would do. Epoxy gets hot when curing so don't do more that four layers at a time. If you space out the buildup about an hour or two between iterations you will not need to grind between layers and can probably do it all in one day. If you stop and leave it for a day you need to grind the new patch before resuming the buildup. Once near flush finish it off with thickened epoxy. I have sealed below the waterline holes from old through hulls this way and never had a problem.

As for hiding it I like the idea of some kind of decorative appliqué. If you cant hide it flaunt it.

[garyfdl]

Duck tape - white. (Sorry, couldn't resist)

First thing I would do, and do it now, is seal the core with thinned epoxy to keep moisture out.

The best would be to properly fill the hole. There are a ton of "how to's" on the internet and You Tube as to how it's done. I'm a fan of Boatworkstoday's vids.

'Quick and dirty' fixes would be to just cover it as already mentioned. Again, I'd seal the core to prevent water damage and then cover with a 4-5" circle of something well bedded in caulk and screwed to the transom. Another option would be to see if you can find one of those inspection covers that they install in day sailers or kyaks and put on of those in.

An "engine room vent" is an interesting option, but be sure to run vent tubing as well and go up, as high as you can; you don't want to be taking on water through the opening in a following sea.

[thruska]

Originally Posted by guyrj33

it is structural the moment the transom is hit by a wave, and I'm sure that won't be a time when you want to be fixing a 3" hole in your boat.

A machine drilled hole is not a structural defect. You could plug it with a bung or a tee shirt.
If the OP has trouble with making a prompt decision, I’d advise automotive engine block freeze plug, the rubber sandwich would solve the problem. Installed properly with the correct sizing , no wave would remove it.

[roverhi]

First you can get a modification for the Cap Horn to raise the wind sensing up into clear air. Don't know the cost but it might not be cheap.

Get rid of the stupid staysail boom. Unless it's a Hoyt boom it will kite as soon as the sheet is let off and result in a huge belly in the sail. Tacking a small sail like a staysail is no big thing especially if you have the self steering handling the helm for the tack. The first thing I did on our Westsail was dump the staysail boom after delivering two boats with them and fighting the damn things for a thousand miles.

[Dooglas]

All you are trying to do is cover up the opening so it will look okay and so it is waterproof. Turning it into a scupper as suggested above is a reasonable idea. I think the simplest thing would be a 3" stainless deck plate on each side. They are available at virtually any chandlery. To save a little money you could use an SS one on the outside and a PVC one on the inside. https://www.hodgesmarine.com/sdg3356...All%20Products

[Dougtiff]

Get a piece of White Starboard, cut to shape [round], and attach with some fastening's.

[Cadence]

I thought the idea of an inspection plate was good. It will probably be behind the dingy on the davits anyway, most of the time.. Probably about $10 plus a bedding compound.
]

[blinkerfluid]

I appreciate all the ideas, though I'm actually a little surprised at the number of people that don't count the transom as structural. It's true the hole has been there for a while, but up until recently, it had a 3" diameter SS tube fiberglassed into it; which would compensate for the loss of strength due to the missing material. I'd concede that I don't think the hole reduces the strength enough that I'm worried about the transom buckling due to a wave impact; it's still hull structure though.

If I were going to repair it completely, I'd grind the fiberglass skin on the inside and outside of the hull (12:1), then add a piece of coring material (probably divinycell foam because I already have some) before adding the new layers of glass. This may be the way we go anyway because there are lots of screw holes that need to be fixed as well. We won't be able to match the paint color on the transom to the rest of the boat, but we may be able to paint it a nice accent color.

If I don't do that, I liked the idea of adding an engine room vent or cockpit drains. To do that, I'd install a new stainless exhaust outlet with a built in flapper. The stainless would help compensate for the missing material and I wouldn't be worried about it getting knocked out or cracked by a wave like I would with a plastic cover/insert (my concern with the shower idea). With either a vent or a drain I'd run hose vertically directly after the exhaust fitting to make sure any water that makes it past the flapper won't get inside the boat. The thing I like about the vent is that I could also draw hot air out of the compartment our refrigeration compressors are in (Stbd cockpit locker), which might help the fridge run a bit better.

Also, it is a Hoyt staysail boom, so I'll probably be keeping it. I've heard lots of people say pretty much the same thing.. "Staysail booms are useless... unless it's a Hoyt" lol.

[Jono as 2234]

Originally Posted by Cadence

Fill it anyway you want, it's not structural, Put a clamshell over it even though it has no
function. Who will know?

I did this for a similar hole in my glass cruiser hull, although a bit smaller.
The boys in the Marina call it "making a f... up into a feature"

[billgewater]

Seems that you now have many options. Shower seems a good trick, but even a small receptacle to hold "things" or a beer etc. You may need more holes!

[stormalong]

Originally Posted by blinkerfluid

I appreciate all the ideas, though I'm actually a little surprised at the number of people that don't count the transom as structural. It's true the hole has been there for a while, but up until recently, it had a 3" diameter SS tube fiberglassed into it; which would compensate for the loss of strength due to the missing material. I'd concede that I don't think the hole reduces the strength enough that I'm worried about the transom buckling due to a wave impact; it's still hull structure though.

If I were going to repair it completely, I'd grind the fiberglass skin on the inside and outside of the hull (12:1), then add a piece of coring material (probably divinycell foam because I already have some) before adding the new layers of glass. This may be the way we go anyway because there are lots of screw holes that need to be fixed as well. We won't be able to match the paint color on the transom to the rest of the boat, but we may be able to paint it a nice accent color.

If I don't do that, I liked the idea of adding an engine room vent or cockpit drains. To do that, I'd install a new stainless exhaust outlet with a built in flapper. The stainless would help compensate for the missing material and I wouldn't be worried about it getting knocked out or cracked by a wave like I would with a plastic cover/insert (my concern with the shower idea). With either a vent or a drain I'd run hose vertically directly after the exhaust fitting to make sure any water that makes it past the flapper won't get inside the boat. The thing I like about the vent is that I could also draw hot air out of the compartment our refrigeration compressors are in (Stbd cockpit locker), which might help the fridge run a bit better.

Also, it is a Hoyt staysail boom, so I'll probably be keeping it. I've heard lots of people say pretty much the same thing.. "Staysail booms are useless... unless it's a Hoyt" lol.

It is not that anyone said the transom is not structural. It is that a three inch hole does not reduce the structural strength. If it is cored water intrusion into the core is the only structural risk. I am amazed that on one hand you would just fill the hole with an exhaust pipe or deck wash that adds no structural strength and on the other hand you would grind out a 12 to 1 ratio to do a fiberglass repair. Walk the dock of any marina and count the number of four inch exhaust blower and air intake vents you see in transoms. Examine them for cracks or deformations that look like a structural issue.

[blinkerfluid]

Originally Posted by stormalong

It is that a three inch hole does not reduce the structural strength.

Yes, it does. It may not reduce the structural strength to the point that the transom would fail, but removing material from the transom (or any bulkhead) will definitely reduce it's strength.

Also, installing a pipe or similar through a hole will increase the strength of the area the pipe/etc is going through, provided the inserted piece is bonded/attached in such away so that it cannot move independently of the bulkhead/etc it is going through. This is why they weld in bulkhead penetrations on ships where a hole is cut in a bulkhead for a pipe/etc. The bulkhead penetration (essentially a short pipe itself) isn't there to support whatever is going through it, it's there to add strength back to the bulkhead.

I'd also say that a hole that is designed to be in the boat is a lot different than one that's been added later. I would not be surprised if a lot of the exhaust/vent holes you mentioned have structural reinforcement on the inside of the transom that you simply can't see from the outside.