The INSPECTION PORT REPLACEMENT was my effort to minimize the ugliness while at the same time maximizing the functionality. Inspection ports are necessary on this boat, because that is how to gain access to the flotation tanks to add or remove flotation which is necessary to keep this thing from going down like a rock in case it ever takes on a lot of water which I hope never happens but it could and I want the piece of mind by making sure it still stays afloat by being able to add flotation. But I digress. The old ones were too small, and located in a place that would not allow access for anything that was much larger than a short broomstick. Plus, they were ugly and obtrusive and were symbolic of all the other bonehead make-do efforts that irritate me about some of the work that has been done on the old boat. Have I had too much coffee? First thing to do was find larger access port covers. Hello Google. Yes they make them in a larger size, and yes they are locally available. So off to a local marine store for three white covers (one for each flotation tank). I get them home, decide where they will be located - two of the three will be on the end of the seats which do double-duty as flotation tanks, and mark the location for cutting. Break out the power cutting tool (I love tools), take a deep breath, and cut three holes. So far so good. Time to get rid of the old ugly ports and repair the holes. I remove the old port covers and run immediately to the garbage can to throw them away. I clean up the years of gunk around the old access holes, sand thoroughly, bevel the edges, and get ready to cover them. I can use the pieces of fiberglass, left over from cutting the new access holes, to patch the old access holes. I hold the piece of fiberglass to the back of the old access hole and trace the outline of the hole on the fiberglass. Next I cut the fiberglass to the size of the hole-I-am-about-to-patch. I cut a piece of 1/4-inch plywood to a larger diameter than the fiberglass, glue the two pieces together with epoxy, and drill a hole through the center of both pieces. I thread a nylon cord through the hole from the front, tie a large knot in the end on the back side. Now I have a piece of fiberglass that fits the old access hole closely, along with a backing plate (the plywood) that I can use to epoxy the piece in place, and a method for holding the whole mess together until the epoxy sets. Whew! OK, mix up some epoxy, smear it evenly around the back of the hole as well as on the front of the plywood backing plate, put it in place, and hold it tight with the nylon cord attached to a small bungee cord. Add a shop light for heat so that the epoxy will cure quicker. Do the same thing with the other hole. Come back about a week later, remove the nylon cord and bungee cords, sand and clean the now patched hole, getting it ready for filler. Mix up some epoxy, add some filler to a putty-like thickness and smear this all over the joined fiberglass pieces. Wait a few days for this to cure, attack it with a sander (I love tools), and make it all smooth and pretty. Since the filler is an ugly brown color (and is not UV resistant), I need to cover it with some paint. Since I dont know what color this will eventually be (I will - someday - paint the seats), I decide to paint it a simple white color. Two coats of primer, and two coats of top color, and it is all smooth, pretty, and ready for whatever comes next. Do the same thing with the other hole. Old holes patched. Now, about those new, larger, white, access port covers: I measure and drill holes for the cover frames, put a film of silicone goo around each hole to make it water-tight, and bolt an access port frame to each port. The port covers have threads that screw into the frames. Fit the covers and Voila! new, larger, actually usable, white inspection ports!
Posted on: Wed, 06 Aug 2014 06:16:48 +0000
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