Hello Mark Thanks for the instructions on replacing my thru hull fittings. I'm fairly used to working with tools, but like you a little nervous about cutting into my boat. I guess the first cut is always the hardest. Sounds like you did a good job, I'll try it. Wayne ----- Original Message ----- From: "Roberta Dvorscak" <edarts93@earthlink.net> To: <montgomery_boats@mailman.xmission.com> Sent: Thursday, September 19, 2002 11:55 PM Subject: RE: M_Boats: M17 Keel/Centerboard Hello Wayne, I approached this job (replacing the thru-hulls) with much trepidation as I am essentially a rookie at fiberglass repairs. I read a few books on fiberglass repair in an attempt to avoid any major blunders. The anticipation, however; turned out to be much worse than the actual work (as is often the case). I first removed the hoses. The metal nipples just crumbled into small pieces as I pulled the hoses which left me no choice but to finish the job. I wiped everything down thoroughly with solvent then I used my dremel grinder to get down to the point where all the metal was exposed from the outside of the hull. I then pried and pulled and tapped until I had removed all the bits of metal. I followed that with some more grinding and another cleaning with solvent. I used some 1-1/2" ss tubing for the new nipples. One end of each was cut to match the exterior hull shape (61° in my case). The tubing was solvent washed and then the outside was roughened and washed again. The tubing fit fairly well in the openings in the hull (just enough room for a liberal coat of epoxy). After the tubing was epoxied into position I added layers of fiberglass and epoxy inside the hull leaving enough tubing exposed for a solid attachment of the hoses. I also built up the area around the exit of the tubing with thickened epoxy so that the cut end of the tubing was not exposed. I then faired it all up, added a thin coat of epoxy to the inside of the tubing and finished with paint. It looks good from the outside, a little rough on the inside where it is difficult to reach (and rarely seen anyway), and it is very solid. The total cost was less than $50, most of which was related to the ss tubing. It took a while to locate a metal shop that had some 1-1/2" stainless tubing (I bought 24" at $1.00 per lineal inch). I also had some difficulty finding someone who could cut the 61° angle (most places only cut 90° or 45° angles it seems) and there was a $10 charge for that cut (one cut in the center giving me two equal pieces with the proper angle on each). After carefully dry fitting each piece I shortened them up with a good new hacksaw blade and a fair amount of elbow grease (I think I took about an inch or two off of the inboard end of each). It really wasn't a very tough job, but it is scary thinking about making holes in the bottom of your boat! I just hope some expert on this list doesn't spot a serious blunder (if you do please speak up!!). The Pacific Ocean hasn't gotten in yet, so I think I did alright. Good luck, Mark Dvorscak M17 #400 Grace _______________________________________________ http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/montgomery_boats