Drilling holes in fiberglass boat

A good estimate is a minimum of 50 larger. Drilling Holes In Your Hull Tom King.

180 400 1000 and 1500 grit wet sanding paper.

Drilling holes in fiberglass boat. Drill the hole a bit larger than you need. A good estimate is a minimum of 50 larger. For instance if you need a 12in hole drill a 34in hole.

If you are going to screw a something into the hole a larger hole is even better. Create a plug by sealing one end of the hole then pour mixed epoxy into the hole - thereby creating a plug. Fixing A Drilled Hole In A Fiberglass Boat.

Step by Step Guide. To begin you need to gather a few supplies and tools first. You are likely to find most of them at home already but there are few essential supplies you need to purchase.

Fiberglass boat repair kit by west system. 180 400 1000 and 1500 grit wet sanding paper. Drill the hole a bit larger than you need.

A good estimate is a minimum of 50 larger. For instance if you need a 12in hole drill a 34in hole. If you are going to screw a something into the hole a larger hole is even better.

Create a plug by sealing one end of the hole then pour mixed epoxy into the hole - thereby creating a plug. Drilling fiberglass with hole saw Ill add another trick If you ever have to enlarge a hole you will find it difficult because there is no place for the pilot bit in the hole saw to drill into. Trying to place the large portion of the hole saw in the correct position while engaging the drill wont work - you wont be able to keep it in place and will end up with a scarred boat and a hole in the wrong place.

Start your drill backwards with the drill bit to score the gel coat then switch to forward and drill the hole. Covering the area in blue masking tape can help to mark where you are drilling. Water Witch Digital Hour Meters High Water Bilge Alarm Dual Group 27 AGM Batts.

To drill a hole in a cored boat you need to first protect the core. The best way to do this is to drill a pilot hole then take a forstner bit from the underside and ream out a plug from the core. Tape over the core and backfill with thickened epoxy.

This gives a solid surface and a completely protected core. Drill the mounting holes. Measure twice cut onceor in this case drill once.

When drilling you might be tempted to go slowly but it can actually make for a smoother hole if you keep the drill at a full confident speed. You need to ensure that there are ways for the wires to access the fishfinder. Look for previously existing.

Home Boat Design Forums Construction Boatbuilding Fiberglass and Composite Boat Building. Once had to cut a hole and all i had was a hand drill and a hacksaw blade it was a little bit like joining the dots. I have made a few holes in fiberglass using hole saws.

Repair small hole in a fiberglass boat hull. Hole going right through fiberglass into the boat. First examine the hole and look for cracks and chips extending out from the hole.

Use a marker to circle the entire damaged area. Making sure to include the cracked spots. Next take a saw and cut out the damaged area that youve circled with the marker.

The Example is drilling a hole in a big Fiberglass tank. But the method can be used for other Fibe. In this video I show you how to drill a how in Fiberglass.

As has been said. Put a piece of masking tape on the gel coat where you want to drill the hole. Then drill a small hole.

Use a countersink to enlarge the hole at the surface. Make the surface hole just a bit larger than the finished hole will be. Then drill your hole.

Starting from the exterior use the same size drill bit as the pilot bit on the hole saw youll be using to drill through the hull of the boat. Drilling the Final Hole Now that youve got a hole that extends all the way through into the bilge of the boat you can score the fiberglass on the inside to prevent chipping when the hole saw bit finished the cut. How to Drill Holes in Fiberglass.

Mask the base of accessories as well since you will be sliding them around as you measure and center. Mark one hole when you are certain of the location. We drill a small hole and put a screw into the first hole before marking the.

Drill a hole large enough to insert the sharp end of the Allen wrench where the screw would be placed and use the drill and Allen wrench to dig out the core all the way down to the inside fiberglass layer. If you are working from the top down it is easy to fill the hole now about 1-12 diameter with filler epoxy and drill holes in that for. It is doable despite the initial fears of every fiberglass first-timer.

After all boats arent supposed to have holes in them. But drilling a hole goes with the territory. And its relatively painless for the boat owner if some care is taken with the drill.

Every hole in a fiberglass boat is an opportunity for water to invade the core material but filling open holes with a thickened epoxy resin before either making the holes disappear or before drilling a new hole in the same spot ensures that any water only meets with epoxy and thats the end of the road for moisture. Regal pros share these tips. Use a plastic scraper or scrap of Formica to remove most of the excess.

Its too easy to damage the surface. A scrap of foam rubber with soapy water wipes away the final filmy excess better than paper towels do. Drilling Holes In Your Hull Tom King.

Drilling fiberglass can be a time-consuming procedure if you wish to drill a perfect hole. The problem with drilling through fiberglass is that the drill bit has a tendency to chip the edges of the hole. This is because fiberglass has a gel-coated surface and the edges of a drill bit tend to get underneath this surface and then chip it off.

Make a small indent in the surface of the fiberglass hull where you will be drilling the hole. Use a sharp scribe or ice pick. This will prevent the drill from wandering and damaging the surrounding surface.

Drill a small pilot hole running the drill in reverse.