# Closing up through hull holes



## Hank (Jan 14, 2019)

I'd be plugging them with a little glass and epoxy.


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## MikeChamp12 (May 17, 2021)

Maybe keep the through hull fitting there and cap inside the Hull?


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## permitchaser (Aug 26, 2013)

I’m going to take a picture. But what kind off epoxy? Plug it with glass pour epoxy over on the inside. Put a couple of sheets of 1708 wet on the outside then cover the outside with JB Marine or Marine Tex. ??????


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## krash (Jan 9, 2007)

Memory ain't so good as it was, but just recently I read, perhaps the last issue, of Epoxy Works mag.. an article that discussed filling thru hull openings....


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## Smackdaddy53 (Dec 31, 2012)

permitchaser said:


> I’m going to take a picture. But what kind off epoxy? Plug it with glass pour epoxy over on the inside. Put a couple of sheets of 1708 wet on the outside then cover the outside with JB Marine or Marine Tex. ??????


That would work. A heat gun will make the epoxy level out but you would have to make sure your big fat flats boat is level . Use masking tape and a sheetrock mud or putty spreader to level the hole underneath. Marine Tex will stay.


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## permitchaser (Aug 26, 2013)

What kind of epoxy. Loctite , JB ???


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## permitchaser (Aug 26, 2013)

It’s so dam cold here now this project is on hold but I still think it’s a good idea


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## JC Designs (Apr 5, 2020)

Just throw some good brass through hulls in and cap or put a quality ball valve on them. This may help sell the boat in the future should you decide and save your OL’ arse some work and swearing!😉


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## birdyshooter (Sep 17, 2019)

Is it easy to access the through hulls from the deck?


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## lemaymiami (Feb 9, 2007)

Highly approve of what the last two posters entered... but first things first - can you access the inside of that through hull? - all else follows.... A good quality bronze through hull will last the life of your skiff (and eliminate all the fun of doing a really good job of matching existing gelcoat on the exterior where it will be noticed...


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## permitchaser (Aug 26, 2013)

You won’t believe my bilge 4 hoses going to 4 live wells, 2 pumps and a valve to switch flow to each live well. Can’t wait to clean all that out and install a second bilge pump
Now as far as the brass fitting. Someone’s going to have post a picture or link for this dumb ass to figure out


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## lemaymiami (Feb 9, 2007)

Here's just one example of a bronze through hull fitting from E-Bay - they come in many sizes for every application in the marine world (and they're the standard everywhere) - not brass...bronze is stronger... Hope this helps.. Like I said install one properly (caulked, etc) and it will last the life of the hull.. Lots of cheaper alternatives - that will -at some point, fail on you when it's not convenient at all.... 








THRU HULL FITTING BRONZE 3/4" Hose 1" Max thickness OLD STOCK Neptune Nut BOAT | eBay


Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for THRU HULL FITTING BRONZE 3/4" Hose 1" Max thickness OLD STOCK Neptune Nut BOAT at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!



www.ebay.com


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## permitchaser (Aug 26, 2013)

So the I’ll have a treaded bolt hanging under my boat


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## Smackdaddy53 (Dec 31, 2012)

permitchaser said:


> So the I’ll have a treaded bolt hanging under my boat


Why do you think that? It would be flush and there is no bolt.


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## permitchaser (Aug 26, 2013)

Smackdaddy53 said:


> Why do you think that? It would be flush and there is no bolt.


So the smooth side is under the hull and threads are in the bilge how and with what do I seal it with. JB, loctite marine tex
I don’t want a leak when I’m off shore chasing Jacks


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## lemaymiami (Feb 9, 2007)

Simplest way.. take a wood dowel that fits, then epoxy it in place from the outside of your hull inwards... It plugs it forever and will still be a simple matter to remove if you need to re-activate that through hull... The only real hassle with through hulls (particularly on small skiffs) is that many of them are cheap junk - and installed before the boat's cap is fastened down so they're a russian so- and -so to remove or replace... Just another of those "ask me how I know" propositions... The primary through hull on my old Maverick was installed that way.... and I'd have to literally remove the deck to be able to access it if it ever goes bad or the bilge hose goes bad... With a boat that's nearly 33 years old now it's just one more thing to go wrong and ruin my sleep...


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## Smackdaddy53 (Dec 31, 2012)

permitchaser said:


> So the smooth side is under the hull and threads are in the bilge how and with what do I seal it with. JB, loctite marine tex
> I don’t want a leak when I’m off shore chasing Jacks


3M 4200


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## Capt.Ron (Mar 5, 2014)

A black dildo would work just fine .


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## JC Designs (Apr 5, 2020)

Capt.Ron said:


> A black dildo would work just fine .


But it has to be black. A white or brown one simply will NOT do the job!🤣


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## MikeChamp12 (May 17, 2021)

Capt.Ron said:


> A black dildo would work just fine .


Don’t forget the lube for easy penetration.


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## JC Designs (Apr 5, 2020)

MikeChamp12 said:


> Don’t forget the lube for easy penetration.


Was getting ear drops tonight at walmart and the lube was next to the ear drops! When The Fawk did Walmart start selling vibrating lady pleasers?🤣 Can’t make that shit up! Thought they’d need like a xxx license?


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## permitchaser (Aug 26, 2013)

I looked at all the through hull metal bolts and the all have holes down the middle, that won’t work and none are black


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## SkiffaDeeDooDah (Jan 20, 2020)

permitchaser said:


> I looked at all the through hull metal bolts and the all have holes down the middle, that won’t work and none are black


I think it would be a good idea to post a picture or two of your setup - inside and outside view. I think a threaded, not barbed, brass thru-hull fitting like the one posted above with some pipe dope and a bronze cap tightened on the bilge side would be good enough.






NPS NPT Combo Flush Thru Hull | GROCO


NPS NPT Combo Flush Thru Hull | GROCO




www.groco.net










Combo Bronze Thru Hull | GROCO


NPS NPT Combo Bronze Thru Hull | GROCO




www.groco.net













Bronze Caps NPT | West Marine


Check out our Bronze Caps NPT and more from West Marine!




www.westmarine.com


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## permitchaser (Aug 26, 2013)

I’ll post a picture of the mess soon


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## permitchaser (Aug 26, 2013)

I took my bird dogs out and got under my boat. Here two plastic covers over the through holes


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## gulfcoaster (Aug 8, 2019)

Capt.Ron said:


> A black dildo would work just fine .


Would recommend getting one to match the gelcoat so you don’t notice the penetration


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## SkiffaDeeDooDah (Jan 20, 2020)

permitchaser said:


> I took my bird dogs out and got under my boat. Here two plastic covers over the through holes


I'm guessing they are scoop/pickups to funnel the water up the thru-hull fitting? If I were in your shoes, it would be easier to order the correct size bronze thru-hull fittings, remove the old fittings (and these plastic covers), install the new ones properly using 3M 4200, and cap or plug them so they will never leak. IMO, it would be more difficult to properly patch the holes with glass and gelcoat to where the repair will be as strong as when the hull was new. You would have to glass in several layers of cloth in an area larger than the size of the hole in the bilge. You would also have to fill-in the void of the hole with bonding putty and/or fairing compound, sand it, then gelcoat it.

You could use this thru-hull fitting which would act as a high speed water pickup by itself (if you ever want to use them again for the live well), and ditch the plastic covers:






NPS NPT Combo High Speed Pickup | GROCO


NPS NPT Combo High Speed Pickup | GROCO




www.groco.net





Hope this helps.


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## Capt.Ron (Mar 5, 2014)

gulfcoaster said:


> Would recommend getting one to match the gelcoat so you don’t notice the penetration


Well apon further thought, I think black is a nice earthy shade. They may also come with a suction cup for secure stowage.


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## lemaymiami (Feb 9, 2007)

Looking at the photo -what's installed on either side of your keel are high speed pickups with strainers.. If they're like the one I have, the strainers are just covers secured with screws that direct the water flow while also acting as a strainer to keep debris out of your water pickup. If you choose to leave them in place, simply remove the strainers then plug each fitting from the outside in, then replace the strainers.... A plug in place should last forever and have the added bonus of being removable if you later decide to re- activate those water pickups... A better job would be to remove them entirely and glass the holes - not a hard job for a competent glass shop - but not so easy for a boat owner not familiar with glass work.... If you do remove them and do a proper repair each installation will return to a smooth water flow in that area... and just maybe a mile or two per hour gain in speed over the water - but that will hardly be noticeable. One other alternative is to leave them in place but add a shut-off valve to each pickup inside your hull so that it no longer functions unless you turn on the valve. Looking at where those two pickups are..... what access to them inside your hull do you have ? That by itself will dictate what you choose do do since they may not be very accessible at all (that's the case in many through hull installations in the bottom of a hull....). 

Hope this helps and post up what you finally choose to do, please..


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## permitchaser (Aug 26, 2013)

SkiffaDeeDooDah said:


> I'm guessing they are scoop/pickups to funnel the water up the thru-hull fitting? If I were in your shoes, it would be easier to order the correct size bronze thru-hull fittings, remove the old fittings (and these plastic covers), install the new ones properly using 3M 4200, and cap or plug them so they will never leak. IMO, it would be more difficult to properly patch the holes with glass and gelcoat to where the repair will be as strong as when the hull was new. You would have to glass in several layers of cloth in an area larger than the size of the hole in the bilge. You would also have to fill-in the void of the hole with bonding putty and/or fairing compound, sand it, then gelcoat it.
> 
> You could use this thru-hull fitting which would act as a high speed water pickup by itself (if you ever want to use them again for the live well), and ditch the plastic covers:
> 
> ...


Thanks @SkiffaDeeDooDah i don’t even know what faring compound is and don’t want to 
I just want to find those fittings that are solid and a flat head


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## permitchaser (Aug 26, 2013)

I took the cover off my boat today cause it stopped raining and was 72. Took pictures of my bilge. I think if I just take all the hoses out it will improve it. Also there’s a bus down there from “97 that I want to replace. It has 5-6 wires to it that may be for the trim or jack plate
You can see the lever on one of the pumps. That’s to switch from bait well to live well fill.


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## Mike Haydon (Dec 19, 2019)

That looks like a brass shut off on your thru hull. If both have that you should be able to just close them. Then take all that junk out. I would zip tie through the handle around the fillting to hold it closed so you dont accidental drag something out and pull the handle.


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## permitchaser (Aug 26, 2013)

Mike Haydon said:


> That looks like a brass shut off on your thru hull. If both have that you should be able to just close them. Then take all that junk out. I would zip tie through the handle around the fillting to hold it closed so you dont accidental drag something out and pull the handle.


The brass levers just allows water to go to a specific live well. They don't turn off the flow. I may just cut the power to the pumps till I get around to taking them out. That takes me to another problem. Do I install a new switch panel?


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## Smackdaddy53 (Dec 31, 2012)

permitchaser said:


> The brass levers just allows water to go to a specific live well. They don't turn off the flow. I may just cut the power to the pumps till I get around to taking them out. That takes me to another problem. Do I install a new switch panel?


You can leave the switches for the pumps and coil up a pigtail and label it so later on you can use the switch for another accessory if you decide to add something.


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## jonny (May 1, 2007)

permitchaser said:


> The brass levers just allows water to go to a specific live well. They don't turn off the flow. I may just cut the power to the pumps till I get around to taking them out. That takes me to another problem. Do I install a new switch panel?


All pickups should have a ball/gate valve directly mounted to the backside. I think you are mistaken on what is going on there. You should be able to remove everything you want. With no further work required. Just make sure the valve is closed off good and zip tied like Mike said if possible. And it’s not uncommon for the valves to be frozen open or shut. If they don’t get moved frequently. So don’t go ape and break the handle.


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## permitchaser (Aug 26, 2013)

Smackdaddy53 said:


> You can leave the switches for the pumps and coil up a pigtail and label it so later on you can use the switch for another accessory if you decide to add something.


Thanks @Smackdaddy53. I may be pulling new wiring when it warms and put another bilge pump down there


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## permitchaser (Aug 26, 2013)

jonny said:


> All pickups should have a ball/gate valve directly mounted to the backside. I think you are mistaken on what is going on there. You should be able to remove everything you want. With no further work required. Just make sure the valve is closed off good and zip tied like Mike said if possible. And it’s not uncommon for the valves to be frozen open or shut. If they don’t get moved frequently. So don’t go ape and break the handle.


Thanks @jonny now that I think about it you may be right. I just haven’t used them in so long I may have forgot, what a surprise 🥹


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## Mike Haydon (Dec 19, 2019)

Those definitely shut off the water coming in. It would have to be a 3 way valve like in a pool to change from one hatch to another. Those just sit on top of the inlet and will close them off.


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## permitchaser (Aug 26, 2013)

I guess you’re right. I haven’t used them in so long I’ve forgotten what they do


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