Inspection Port: How To?

dclarke

New Member
I purchased an inspection port for my laer, but have no idea how to install it. I have searched the forum and there are lots of Where-To posts, but can anyone give me any advice on how??

I don't want to blindly cut into the deck without some ideas about what I'm doing.
 
dclarke said:
I purchased an inspection port for my laer, but have no idea how to install it. I have searched the forum and there are lots of Where-To posts, but can anyone give me any advice on how??

I don't want to blindly cut into the deck without some ideas about what I'm doing.

This from Al Russell:
I use Viking 5", and fat bag, but NOT next to the centerboard, as that bashes your knee. I put it on the right of the compass, half way to the mast.

I cut with a drill, then power jig saw. I tape the bottom of the saw with something, so it doesn't mark the deck. Lots of 5200, no rivets or bolts.

The bag must be the same brand as the port, to work well. Viking comes out easier than RKO, which I like as I store the boat with port open, bag out. I use white, but Paige uses a bold black.

Al Russell 182797 (and occasionally other numbers, like 166188)
 
dclarke said:
Whats 5200??

It's a marine grade adhesive made by 3M. It has the quality of staying flexible when it dries, and it's supposed to be indestructible. You can also use marine grade silicone instead, but then you need to use screws or bolts to hold the port in place, too.
 
it's great if you can find someone with a 5" holesaw. But those things are pricey pieces of kit.


the idea behind 5200 is that it holds the port down, and seals it, AND you don't have to drill holes in the deck to screw anything down. Less holes= good, but then again, you're cutting a 5" hole in the deck anyway....

Make sure it seals up well, and you'll do ok.

If no hole saw, you can use a compass thing, set it to 2.5" and trace a circle. Then use a skill saw (CAREFULLY) and cut it out. Doesn't need to be perfect, as the port will cover it, but the skill saw is pretty violent.
 
I did one recently. I used the inspection port itself to trace the hole I wanted to cut. Then I used a drill to start the hole and a serrated rigging knife to cut around the hole. The serrated knife cut through the deck as though it were made of Styrofoam. (hmm... it is!) -- the hole took all of 5 minutes to cut.

Next, I worked my way around the hole and cleaned out the foam between the inner and outer skin to a depth of about 1/4" all the way around

Next, I mixed up some epoxy resin, some silica, and some chopped up fiberglass into a thick paste, and packed this paste into the 1/4" gap I had created around the margin of the hole, with the result that the entire cut edge was sealed with no exposed foam core, and no place for water to get between the inner and outer skin of the deck. I let that cure, and then cleaned up the worst of my sloppiness with a bit of sandpaper. Finally, I used 5200 to glue the inspection port in place. Realize you're gluing a flat ring to a curved hull surface: the 5200 is going to wind up thicker in some places than in others; Don't clamp it so hard that you distort the shape of the ring to match the deck, or else the cover will be very hard to screw in.
 

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