posted 12-24-2011 02:43 AM ET (US)        

I need to repair some old holes from depth finders and stuff that are below the water line and filled with just some plain caulk, and also replace the drain tube whose 44-year-old O-ring was breaking up. Anticipating the worst, my mind could not stop thinking of a way to get the water out. But, when I took out the drain tube IT WAS DRY! Bone dry.

So, while I am happy I am left with an idea that I spent a lot of time on and have nowhere to go with it. I thought I would just post it anyway.

After a lot of searching on this site I realized that the best I could do if I found water would be to drill some holes and let it drain; the best I could then: patch it up and use it as is.

The idea I had was to do the above, but then also install a long-term water removal and maintenance and inspection system. To do this I was going to first cut two holes like 1.5-inch to 2-inch through the fiberglass. Because I was anticipating water in the transom I was going to locate them on the top flat area on the interior of the hull were the splash well blends into the transom. It’s out of the way and it’s were the foam core should be nice and thick. After cutting out the fiberglass I was going to make a core cutter out of a pipe the same diameter. I would make groves in one end of the pipe that would act as “teeth” that would be sharp enough to cut foam but nothing else. I would then, on each side of the splash well, tap a core out on an angle down and back to the keel near the drain tube, carefully stopping when I hit fiberglass. From the drawings for my boat I did not anticipate any wood to be in this path.

Next I would mount and seal a flange with water tight removable cap over the hole. There are lots of options for this in stainless and PVC from pluming and NEMA-4X enclosure accessories. (Perhaps with a one-way breather valve used on enclosures.)

This is were my idea enters the trial and error phase because I have several options and ideas at this point. At any rate I would now have long term access port to find the best method and perhaps it would be a multi step possess.

The simple methods: just have the one way breather valves in there and let it air out; use a Wet Dry Vacuum every now and then use a wick like a sham-wow and use the capillary action to draw it out. These methods would get the easy water but the idea I like best is to construct a stainless steel perforated removable pipe--there are people that make them for filtration--the a diameter and length that would fill this void and be able to be easily slid out. Then, accounting for expansion, fill it with silica gel. This stuff is really neat and can absorb water it touches and also the moisture out of the air. You can get it in all sizes. It would need to be larger than the holes in the pipe when dry. This stuff is also reusable by baking it in the oven. Perhaps adding a wick through this sleeve or a sock over it, with a weight at the bottom might draw up accumulated water on the bottom or wick it from the foam again lots of combinations and variations that would need to be tried.

Anyway that was my big idea of how to use the boat and get water out at the same time. It would have just bugged me to be using the boat knowing water was in it and not even trying to do something about it.

I know this would take a long time but hey I want to use the boat for a long time too eventually it should all come out. I would then mix up some foam and fill it up and patch it up but then again might just leave it to monitor moisture.