Hardly any owner likes sawing or drilling holes in their boat. Not only because they represent potential leaks, but also because the question arises: What happens to the cut-out if the component, such as a defective log transducer or a display instrument that is no longer needed, is to be removed again?
The procedure for sealing a hole depends on the size of the opening and its position in the fuselage. For a small screw hole in the deck or cockpit, it is usually sufficient to fill the hole with thickened epoxy resin. To do this, the hole is cleaned out with a slightly larger drill and the opening is widened into a cone shape with a countersink. The resin thickened with high-density filler is then placed in the hole using a syringe and the repair is allowed to harden.
It is much more complicated with larger openings such as through-holes in the underwater hull - after all, the consequences of an unsuccessful repair can be assessed differently. In the first case, moisture may penetrate the core material or drip through the deck. Annoying enough. However, if the repair fails under water, even the buoyancy of the boat and therefore the lives of the crew are at risk.
You can find the step-by-step instructions for sealing such holes in the current issue of YACHT. Issue 22/14 will be available from newsagents from 22 October. You can already watch the repair video on YACHT tv.
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Hauke Schmidt
Test & Technology editor
