Expert bailer advice needed

Cupcake

PaddleHand
IMG_7740 (1024x768).jpgIMG_7737 (1024x768).jpg I am in need of some advice on how to go about replacing the fitting in my bailer hole. The picture shows both sides of the hole right now which is 1 inch diameter. My question is... will the brass or original plastic through the hull fitting be secure/fit in the 1 inch hole? I do not have the fitting. The hole seems large as it was repaired by previous hack/ownerwith fiberglass around the perimeter. Should I put a patch over both holes and not have a bailer? I am capable of fiberglas work and have lots of tools.
thanks
 
The hex nut portion on my bailer fitting is about an inch across, so the actual hole is smaller than that. The hole in your boat is probably too big for the standard fittting.

Thinking out of left field here, could you maybe fashion a new fitting from a short piece of PVC pipe? I would assume resin would stick to it fairly well. You would also have to find a fairly large bung to plug the hole with.

Or maybe you use a standard fitting and fashion a collar from a piece of wood. You might need to enlarge the existing hole for this to work.
 
Resin does not stick well to PVC.

I would wait to get the fitting so you are not guessing, or if someone on the Laser Forum actually knows the OD dimension. I would find a piece of dowel, rod, pipe that is slightly larger than the OD of the fitting. Wax it up real good with car wax and wrap it with several layers of glass and resin, until you have a decent size tube thickness. Knock out your mandrel after the resin has cured.

Grind out that mess from the last bloke. and try to do a decent job bonding in the new sleeve.
I'm guessing that the last craftsman also said "I am capable of fiberglas work and have lots of tools." when asked if he new what he was doing.

You do need a drain plug. That current mess is prone to hull leakage.
 
I would purchase the proper part and see how well it fits. I had an older boat with the plastic fitting that had split. The hole looked masssive and I was sure the replacement brass version would not fit. It did though and cured the leak issue.
 
I'm with Jeffers on this. Start with the correct brass fitting.. ($27ish) If the hole is indeed too large, pack around the brass fitting...and maybe larger brass washers with silicon sealent either end.
 
If the hole is close I would use a poly caulk like 3M 5200 or Sikaflex. This will bond the visible gaps between cockpit and hull. Silicone is not an adhesive. Just a sealant.
 
I ran into a similar problem with my boat which had the P.O.S. plastic bushing. The outside hole was OK, but the hole in the cockpit was oversize and there would be gaps around the new bronze bushing. Given the critical nature of what the bushing has to do, there is no substitute for the OEM part. My approach has always been that you only want to do this once. Therefore, I took some measurements and had a local machine shop make me a brass washer to fit between the bushing and the cockpit on the inside. I bedded everything with 4200 and have not had a problem since. Hope this helps.
 

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