Looking for suggestions for repair around garboard drain.

sdhildebrand

Cadet
Joined
Jun 26, 2017
Messages
7
Hello,
First time poster here. I just bought a '94 Sea Ray 180BR which is in overall excellent condition. However, I have noticed an abnormally high amount of bilge water. I run the pump every hour or so when afloat and probably get at least a gallon each time. My first suspect is around the drain plug which I am in the process of replacing. The linked photo shows damage to the gel coat and fiberglass beneath the plug. I am looking for suggestions for repairing this area. I suspect that the damage is too deep for gel coat alone, and that some fiberlgass repair may be necessary. My biggest questions are; which products to use, do I need fabric, or is resin alone sufficient, do I need to repair the glass at all or is a layer of gel coat sufficient?

As far as replacing the plug goes, it seems fairly straightforward. Fill existing screw holes with epoxy, drill new pilot holes, apply 4200 to the new plug and pilot holes, install flange screws to just past snug tight until 4200 oozes out of the perimeter of the flange. Am I missing anything?

Thank you.
 
Last edited:

alldodge

Moderator
Staff member
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Mar 8, 2009
Messages
40,583
Howdy

Your transom has gotten soft from the water. At this point you need to replace the wood and glass behind it. Also need to and some hull repair

hole.jpg
 

sdhildebrand

Cadet
Joined
Jun 26, 2017
Messages
7
Howdy

Your transom has gotten soft from the water. At this point you need to replace the wood and glass behind it. Also need to and some hull repair


Thanks for the reply. Just curious, how can you tell that the transom has gotten soft?
 

alldodge

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Mar 8, 2009
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Looking at the inside of the hole I see black and things hanging down a tad. The wood should be a nice blond color.

Did notice your other question, and yes I would use fabric in the repair. Would suggest using epoxy resin and not polyester. The epoxy will make a strong bond, the poly will not
 

sdhildebrand

Cadet
Joined
Jun 26, 2017
Messages
7
Looking at the inside of the hole I see black and things hanging down a tad. The wood should be a nice blond color.

Did notice your other question, and yes I would use fabric in the repair. Would suggest using epoxy resin and not polyester. The epoxy will make a strong bond, the poly will not

Thanks again for the help. I cleaned the hole up with a nylon brush and wiped it clean. It appears that most of the black was just bilge gunk.

There is a layer of resin smeared on the inside of the hole over the plywood, and while the wood that shows through doesn't have the nice blond color you describe, poking it with an eyeglass screwdriver seems to indicate that it is solid.
 

JaCrispy

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Jul 8, 2014
Messages
391
After you reinstall the garboard, fill the hull with some water and see if it leaks externally. If not, and you still get water in your bilge, you have some other leak.
 
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