Replacing bow eye (finished)

Had a broken bow eye to replace on a 16ft fiberglass V hull so bought a replacement S/S "U" bolt type. The old single bolt eye came out easy but when I drilled new holes for the "U" style eye, I found dry rotted wood.

From the inside I found that the wooden backing block was encased in fiberglass. My plan is to cut away the fiberglass shell and remove the rotten wood. Will cut a piece of 3/4" marine ply, fit it in place then glass it in. After that sets, will add a 1/4" thick 2" x 6" piece of alum for a backing plate. Does that sound like the right approach?

Re: Replacing bow eye

Re: Replacing bow eye

Does that sound like the right approach?

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Ayuh,... And make sure you Seal the "Eye" from the Outside too....

Re: Replacing bow eye

Re: Replacing bow eye

I prefer a thicker chunk of solid red oak with 1/4 steel plate.

Re: Replacing bow eye

Re: Replacing bow eye

Consider the stress that the bow eye takes when loading/unloading/trailering and keep that in mind during the repair.

Re: Replacing bow eye

Re: Replacing bow eye

Bob_VT said:

Consider the stress that the bow eye takes when loading/unloading/trailering and keep that in mind during the repair.

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So what do you recommend then? I have a 17' v hull as well that im going to have to replace the eye as well.

Re: Replacing bow eye

Re: Replacing bow eye

Hardwood..... steel plate or aluminum plate to spread the load as best as pissible. I only replace them when they get trashed and make sure they are sealed up.

Rotted wood in the keel is not a good sign.

Re: Replacing bow eye ( finished)

Re: Replacing bow eye ( finished)

Well after some deliberation and investigation this is what I did.

I cut away the fiberglass cap covering the old rotted wooden backing. It was over 1/4" thick and in an awkward location to get at. I left a ridge 3/4" high all around the old wood piece. Ended up taking the rotted piece out in 100 pcs .

Cut a piece of 3/4" marine ply to fit into the pocket where the old wood was. Mixed up a batch of epoxy then partially filled the cavity and pressed the wooden block into place and let it cure. Cut a 2nd piece of 3/4" marine ply 1" wider and longer then epoxied it over top of the first piece of wood and flush on top of the fiberglass ridge I left. Cut a piece of 1/4" alum slightly smaller than the top wooden block as a backing plate. Drilled 2 new holes for the "U" bolt bow eye. Overall, the new backing for the bow eye is 1 3/4" thick, 2 1/2" wide and 9" long. I am confident I could pick up the entire boat and swing it from the bow eye .

From the outside I filled the holes and coated the treads with 3M 4200 then inserted the bow eye. I used a generous amount of sealant under the exterior backing plate as well, so as I tightened the nuts from the inside, the sealant formed a good seal.

During the repair, I discovered that the keel/bow ridge of fiberglass was over 1/2" thick.

Re: Replacing bow eye (finished)

Sounds like a good repair. It should last a long time. Good job.

Re: Replacing bow eye (finished)

That's what I love about this site.

I was just thinking that one of my projects is to change the bow eye.....quick search and bam....this thread has all I need.

Thanks Moody Blue and iBoats!