Found my first unintentional hole in the hull, below the water line.

[Angela]

I found my first unintentional hole in the boat, below the water line. It was hot today, so I decided to work on the boat indoors and finish up some little things that have been lingering way too long. I was down in the master stateroom (which is all the way aft) tacking some floor trim back down after having had to dismantle come cabinetry while doing the new AC install back there. I opened the master shower sump hatch to stick my head in there and take a peek at precisely where I had run the AC seawater hose so I had an idea where it was - didn't want to put a screw against or through it. While I was in there, I noticed that when Ed replaced the Rule pump this past Spring for the shower that he didn't remove the old strainer bracket that was attached to the floor, but rather, he just set the new pump in there. So, I thought...while I'm in here and already have a screwdriver in my hand, I'll just take care of this little chore, especially since the sump was bone dry.

I unscrewed the old strainer bracket and got an unexpected water fountain. I jumped up yelling, SOB WTF!!! And that was immediately followed by dropping to my knees again and putting the screw back in real fast. I paused for a moment not believing what I had just seen. Nooooooo. Couldn't be. So, I unscrewed the screw again....water fountain! Put the screw back in. What the hell???? I called Ed. I was wondering if that was the infamous keel water, but it didn't have that Hatteras smell at all and it was clear (not black and murky looking). Ed suggested that if it's coming up like that from being under pressure, then it's not keel water; it's sea water. So, now we wanted to know how long the screw is. It didn't look all that big to me in the extremely brief time I had my eyes on it; hence, my near heart attack. Now, I have to take it out again because I have to know how long it is. By now, I'm getting a little more acclimated to the sight. I took the screw out again, got a tape measure and measured it. 3/4" Hummmmm.....I would have expected a little more material in the hull back there in a Hatteras. This screw is pretty much dead center on the centerline of the boat. The good news is that the hole has a bilge pump sitting right on top of it. Now, I want to dive the boat and see where the keel ends. The shower sump is at the foot of the centerline queen berth in that room.

Add that to the list for the next haul out, I suppose.

[Boatsb]

5200 and a new bilge pump sounds like a plan. Fixing that hole with glass or epoxy may be a pita.

[lumina]

Hi All,

Ang, as I said in a recent post, you are a consummate Yachtswoman.

If I were in that situation, I would have dropped that GD screw and still be holding my finger in the hole.

BTW, my dad (21 year navy veteran) would have been proud of your umm colorful choice of words.

[Vincentc]

The length of the screw may not indicate the depth of the hole. Nothing Freudian here. The person who drilled the pilot hole may have gotten carried away.

Picking up on Scott's suggestion, there is a heavy 2 part epoxy putty, one trade name is splash zone. It can be applied under water and will set up in water. Press some in the hole, and put some more around the screw threads, then reinstall the screw. It might work better than 5200 against incoming water.

Regards

[Angela]

I'm going to suck out the little bit of water that's in the sump and see if it goes totally dry again. Before I took the screw out, the pit was as dry as it could possibly be; even the dirt and old soap scum was flaking off the bottom. If that still holds true and it's not leaking one bit, I think I'll just leave it alone until I haul out again. It's been like this since before I owned the boat. I just never knew there was something lurking there.

I was on such a roll getting stuff done down there until that moment. Now, I forgot were I was in my work down there...so, I guess I'll just regroup tomorrow morning and get back at it. There isn't muchabout this boat, anymore, that really rattles my cage, except for fire, but that one sure got me weak in the knees tonight. Well, now, I know what something like that looks like, so it probably won't freak me out if that happens again somewhere.

[Angela]

Hi All,

Ang, as I said in a recent post, you are a consummate Yachtswoman.

If I were in that situation, I would have dropped that GD screw and still be holding my finger in the hole.

BTW, my dad (21 year navy veteran) would have been proud of your umm colorful choice of words.

Ha! It certainly was a colorful choice of words. Looking back, I would have loved to have seen what my facial expression looked like with that water popped up out of there and started dancing around.

[q240z]

I'd second Boatsb--a mechanical fastener and 5200 goes a long ways. There are all sorts of bolts going through the bottom of your boat, so one more won't hurt (unless somebody removes it again ). I'd definitely have more faith in a mechanical fastener than any epoxy or other goo used to fill the hole, and a proper FRP repair would be much more expensive than a bronze bolt with the nut and a couple washers on the inside.

Cheers,
Q

[davidwigler]

You could ask your diver to locate the hole (stick a coathanger through it) and cover it with plastic while you make the repair from the inside.

[Boatsb]

You don't patch a hole from the inside. Always outside and add an inside patch if you need to meet coastguard inspection. A faster is the way to go.

[Nonchalant1]

You don't patch a hole from the inside. Always outside and add an inside patch if you need to meet coastguard inspection. A faster is the way to go.

Amen, brother! Leave the screw there until haulout, then stick a coathanger through it from the inside to locate it from underneath. Buy a slightly larger bronze screw and washer and screw it in with lots of 5200. Then do whatever you like from the inside.

Doug