Sealing Livewell Hole Under Water Line

[sludgeguy68]

Hello, I just purchased a 1986 grumman, and have been poking and prodding at it in my driveway. I found what seems to be a livewell opening with plastic fittings, plugged with a steel cap. It looked dubious so I figured I'd give it a yank to ensure it was on there good, and of course it just popped off... seemed to be held in with window caulk.

The hole is through the aluminum, as the wood in the transom doesn't seem to reach that far down.

My original (and probably stupid) thought is to 5200 the plastic back on, but now I'm thinking to JB weld the entire opening might be a better choice since I don't plan on having a livewell anyway. Planning to tape a piece of cardboard on inside so I can push the mixture against it on exterior side, then apply from inside once the first application has hardened. I'll feather it out on all edges to give it some grab, and sand the outside smooth.

I haven't worked with metal much, so just wondering if I'm heading in the right direction. They have a few products, WaterWeld, MarineWeld and SteelStik, any recommendations?

 

[DeepBlue2010]

IMHO, the least invasive and most versatile way of doing it is the exact same way it was; only with better material and craftsmanship. You can buy a better plastic or metal fitting which comes with a nut to hold it from inside and then cap it off. 3M4000 or 4200 to seal it and call it good. This way if you one day change your mind and decided you need that live well or you want to use the opining in any other way, all you need to do is to just remove the cap and use the water inlet. At least that is what I would do

 

[dingbat]

The fitting in the picture is broken in half. The head has separated from the stem.

Purchase new fitting and install using 4200 as a sealer then just cap it off as before.

 

[gm280]

Great suggestions already provided. Buy a new through hull fitting of the same size, install it using 3M 4200. And cap the inside off. One day you may want to open that fitting and use it. JMHO!

 

[sludgeguy68]

Good points - the hole is already there, may as well leave the opportunity for a hookup. Thanks for the clarification I can see now that it's supposed to be one piece. Will look for a replacement and will 4200 in there, thanks again!

 

[fishin98]

Looking at the previous posters...I concur, just buy a new fitting and cap off. Your boat probably has a live well, this was the intake for the live well pump.