Bilge thru hull question

[ksmith83]

so im going to be installing a bilge soon. when i cut thru the hull for the outlet, do i need to somehow seal off the fiberglass i cut through? do i need to put a layer on so that water doesnt seep into the hull? ive never worked with fiberglass, sorry.

:sad6:

 

[Swooperjet]

Just cut the hole big enough for the fitting to barely fit through, and put a layer of silicone or 5200 (silicone is better, so you can remove it easily if needed) on the flat side of the fitting when you insert it and a little more on the inside before you screw on the nut.

 

[ksmith83]

perfect thanks, simple enough

 

[ger87410]

Just cut the hole big enough for the fitting to barely fit through, and put a layer of silicone or 5200 on the flat side of the fitting when you insert it and a little more on the inside before you screw on the nut.

Thanx!!! :bigok:

 

[stanton]

why seal it up? your installing a water pump, put that thing to use!
no really the leak will be a few drops at most.

 

[ger87410]

why seal it up? your installing a water pump, put that thing to use!
no really the leak will be a few drops at most.

I leave my ski in the lake at night.

A few drops a minute adds up quickly in a few hours.

 

[OCD Solutions]

The bilge outlet is above the water line, right? It must rain real hard at your lake.

Now, trusting a scupper overnight...that's a different story.

 

[Mark44]

I cover the area with tape then use a hole saw to cut the hole, a drillbit tends to chip and bust out the glass.

Mark44

 

[ger87410]

The bilge outlet is above the water line, right? It must rain real hard at your lake.

Now, trusting a scupper overnight...that's a different story.

Not very often is the lake calm, it seems.

Accidentally sunk the 550 because it got a crack above the waterline and I didn't notice till the next morning.

We use some boat anchors to keep the skis in place, unless it's too nasty out. Then we just beach them.

 

[tnj4life]

I put a little silicone around my primers, water bypasses, and bilge fittings but I dont think its that important. But I don't leave my skis in the water though. I dont think they use silicone from the factory do they, say for the water bypass fittings?

 

[ger87410]

U ever seen the "how it's made" for jet-skis?

They seal EVERYTHING.

It was a Seadoo couch, but I'd bet the rest of the manufacturers have the same standard.

 

[ksmith83]

I cover the area with tape then use a hole saw to cut the hole, a drillbit tends to chip and bust out the glass.

Mark44

Thanks mark, thats what i was worried about.

 

[ticega306]

put a little grease on the threads of the fitting before u screw the nut on. the fitting is nice and anodized but the nut usually sucks!! i've seen then oxidize and stick right on!!

small bead of silicone on flat edge of fitting will do the job perfect

 

[S*G]

+1 for the silicone on the outside and i might suggest thread lock???

 

[sxi4evr]

i used silicone :headbang:

 

[750SX]

Unibits work great for drilling the hole too!

 

[ChrisGooch]

drill the hole

Or spin the hole saw backwards to get through the gelcoat, and then forward for the rest of the cut.

My gelcoat didn't chip at all

 

[ksmith83]

Cool guys, i got it done yesterday. thanks for all the advice....being that i was short on time i had to go with a plastic thru hull fitting, instead of ordering a nice one, and i used 5200 to seal it up. lets see how it holds up for the day.

 

[Mark44]

u

Or spin the hole saw backwards to get through the gelcoat, and then forward for the rest of the cut.

My gelcoat didn't chip at all

Good tip!

 

[lakeboy183]

thats the same way i did it

Just cut the hole big enough for the fitting to barely fit through, and put a layer of silicone or 5200 (silicone is better, so you can remove it easily if needed) on the flat side of the fitting when you insert it and a little more on the inside before you screw on the nut.