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Author Topic:   Bow Eye Fiberglass 1985 Outrage 18

tlynch posted 06-23-2002 01:05 AM ET (US)
I have a question about the fiberglass around the bow eye on a 1985 outrage 18. When I bought the boat there was a half inch ring of silicon around the bow eye. I remove the silicon and cleaned everything up a bit to find that a large amount of the gell coat in the area had been chiped off but there was no foam exposed. I plan to fix this, My first question is:
The tube that the bow eye goes through seems to be a larger diameter than the bow eye bolt. Has this been enlarged or is this how it was designed? Do you just tighten the bolt so the eye is tight or should I fill in the hole and then redrill so it is the same diameter as the bolt?
Thanks,
Todd
tlynch posted 06-26-2002 04:25 PM ET (US)
anyone?
Anyone got pictures of the bow of their boat with they eye out?
Thanks,
Todd
Taylor posted 06-26-2002 08:04 PM ET (US)
I guess the question is how much larger, and how much damage.
The hole on my Montauk was a little larger than the bolt/threaded rod. Perhaps 1/16 to 1/8" larger. There were two little nubs on the back of the bow eye that gripped the glass, and they might be responsible for the chips and damage you found if your bow eye had come loose and rotated.
To fix, I took mine out, cleaned up and repaired a few chips in the gelcoat and resealed it with 3M 4200 both top and bottom. I see no reason for a 1/2 ring of silicon, sounds like a bad repair job. If it is sealed under the fitting, extra around the outside seems to be, well, extraneous.
Two other things... on the Montauk, the inside end of the threaded rode was bent slightly to match the angle of the deck. Looked intentional to me. Second, a pipe or something through the bow eye really helped the spousal unit to hold the eye in place while I first unscrewed and later tightened the inside fitting up.
tlynch posted 06-29-2002 12:17 AM ET (US)
The fiberglass around the bow eye has been damaged and needs to be built up again into its original shape. It is hard to tell how much I have to build it back up because I am not exactly sure how it was to start with. From my limited experience I am thinking about using Marine Tex to build up and then shape the area by sanding it. What are alternatives to marine tex for this type for repair? It does not seem like I could use fiberglass matt because it is more of a filling and shaping job than a patch job, similiar to damge to a keel that would be caused by hitting a rock.
The question in its simplest form is what are the alternatives to Marine Tex for filling damage to hull? And what are the advantages / disadvantages of each?
Obviously if this has been discussed before please point me in the right direction.
Thanks,
Todd Lynch
Tom W Clark posted 06-30-2002 03:29 AM ET (US)
Todd,
To answer your question, the hole for the bow eye is not intentionally over size. At the factory they just drill the hole on the new hull and install the bow eye/lifting eye. The hole becomes oversize from the stress of winching the boat on the trailer.
Chip out around the bow eye is very common. it is usually the result of the bow eye being torqued by winching the boat back on the trailer with a cocked winch strap hook. As Taylor points out, the bow eye has two little "tits" on it that are designed to dig into the hull and help prevent it from rotating. Unfortunately if the eye does rotate, the “tits” will take a chip or two of gel coat with them.
You can repair your damage several different ways. MarineTex will work fine as will resin and gel coat. You may want to fill the hole entirely and then redrill to eliminate any over sizing but I think if you just bed it well in 3M 4200 or equivalent, you will be fine.
When you do the final installation be sure to use some Lok-Tite on the threads of the shank just as the factory did when it was new.
perrypilgrim posted 03-17-2003 10:54 AM ET (US)
Thanks for the info...great site! PP
Gep posted 03-17-2003 01:20 PM ET (US)
tlynch,
What kind of picture are you looking for? Inside or outside of the hull?
I have mine out right now and could snap a picture for you.
Mike
tlynch posted 03-17-2003 02:26 PM ET (US)
My original post was posted on 6/23/02. I have since fixed the problem.
I used West System epoxy with filler to fill in the damaged area. I then tightly wrapped a plastic bag around the bow eye and bolt and placed it through the epoxy and shaped the epoxy around the eye. When the epoxy cured I was able to remove the eye because the bag acted as release compound. This gave me a perfect fit. I cleaned it up with a rasp and then sand paper. It all worked out well.
Todd

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Author	Topic: Bow Eye Fiberglass 1985 Outrage 18
tlynch	posted 06-23-2002 01:05 AM ET (US) I have a question about the fiberglass around the bow eye on a 1985 outrage 18. When I bought the boat there was a half inch ring of silicon around the bow eye. I remove the silicon and cleaned everything up a bit to find that a large amount of the gell coat in the area had been chiped off but there was no foam exposed. I plan to fix this, My first question is: The tube that the bow eye goes through seems to be a larger diameter than the bow eye bolt. Has this been enlarged or is this how it was designed? Do you just tighten the bolt so the eye is tight or should I fill in the hole and then redrill so it is the same diameter as the bolt? Thanks, Todd
tlynch	posted 06-26-2002 04:25 PM ET (US) anyone? Anyone got pictures of the bow of their boat with they eye out? Thanks, Todd
Taylor	posted 06-26-2002 08:04 PM ET (US) I guess the question is how much larger, and how much damage. The hole on my Montauk was a little larger than the bolt/threaded rod. Perhaps 1/16 to 1/8" larger. There were two little nubs on the back of the bow eye that gripped the glass, and they might be responsible for the chips and damage you found if your bow eye had come loose and rotated. To fix, I took mine out, cleaned up and repaired a few chips in the gelcoat and resealed it with 3M 4200 both top and bottom. I see no reason for a 1/2 ring of silicon, sounds like a bad repair job. If it is sealed under the fitting, extra around the outside seems to be, well, extraneous. Two other things... on the Montauk, the inside end of the threaded rode was bent slightly to match the angle of the deck. Looked intentional to me. Second, a pipe or something through the bow eye really helped the spousal unit to hold the eye in place while I first unscrewed and later tightened the inside fitting up.
tlynch	posted 06-29-2002 12:17 AM ET (US) The fiberglass around the bow eye has been damaged and needs to be built up again into its original shape. It is hard to tell how much I have to build it back up because I am not exactly sure how it was to start with. From my limited experience I am thinking about using Marine Tex to build up and then shape the area by sanding it. What are alternatives to marine tex for this type for repair? It does not seem like I could use fiberglass matt because it is more of a filling and shaping job than a patch job, similiar to damge to a keel that would be caused by hitting a rock. The question in its simplest form is what are the alternatives to Marine Tex for filling damage to hull? And what are the advantages / disadvantages of each? Obviously if this has been discussed before please point me in the right direction. Thanks, Todd Lynch
Tom W Clark	posted 06-30-2002 03:29 AM ET (US) Todd, To answer your question, the hole for the bow eye is not intentionally over size. At the factory they just drill the hole on the new hull and install the bow eye/lifting eye. The hole becomes oversize from the stress of winching the boat on the trailer. Chip out around the bow eye is very common. it is usually the result of the bow eye being torqued by winching the boat back on the trailer with a cocked winch strap hook. As Taylor points out, the bow eye has two little "tits" on it that are designed to dig into the hull and help prevent it from rotating. Unfortunately if the eye does rotate, the “tits” will take a chip or two of gel coat with them. You can repair your damage several different ways. MarineTex will work fine as will resin and gel coat. You may want to fill the hole entirely and then redrill to eliminate any over sizing but I think if you just bed it well in 3M 4200 or equivalent, you will be fine. When you do the final installation be sure to use some Lok-Tite on the threads of the shank just as the factory did when it was new.
perrypilgrim	posted 03-17-2003 10:54 AM ET (US) Thanks for the info...great site! PP
Gep	posted 03-17-2003 01:20 PM ET (US) tlynch, What kind of picture are you looking for? Inside or outside of the hull? I have mine out right now and could snap a picture for you. Mike
tlynch	posted 03-17-2003 02:26 PM ET (US) My original post was posted on 6/23/02. I have since fixed the problem. I used West System epoxy with filler to fill in the damaged area. I then tightly wrapped a plastic bag around the bow eye and bolt and placed it through the epoxy and shaped the epoxy around the eye. When the epoxy cured I was able to remove the eye because the bag acted as release compound. This gave me a perfect fit. I cleaned it up with a rasp and then sand paper. It all worked out well. Todd