My First Sailboat... Needing knowledge on several issues.

[Jeremysxx]

Awesome boat Jeremy! Congrats!


http://curioussailor.blogspot.com/

thank you, I like her... reading your site now. good info

[LoHo]

Strange...my bow eye was loose and the bolts inside were rusted (not stainless), too. I used a jigsaw to cut an access hole in that piece you show. Drilled two holes, one upper and one lower, then cut an oblong piece out to get my arm in there. I used the sealing gel tape that is advertised on this board to seal the gap around the holes where the bolt passes through.

[jrcanoe]

With exact measurements you could access the bow eye nuts with a couple one inch holes and plugs. But I would just put in a 4 or 6 inch screw in port.

[Jeremysxx]

I'm going to cut a fairly big hole and lay up some fiberglass and maybe a piece of aluminum. I will make a repair thread on this forum as it seems to be fairly common.

[korn_kid_12]

Save the trouble on the inner liner and use one of these as previously suggested. Then reinforce as needed for the bow loop.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KE7 ... B00CJ04YUQ

[LoHo]

The access port is a great idea; wish I'd thought of it back when. I got a piece of thin plywood, cut the same shape as that piece of liner, stained and varnished, and screwed in place, essentially an access panel.

[Sumner]

The access port is a great idea; wish I'd thought of it back when. I got a piece of thin plywood, cut the same shape as that piece of liner, stained and varnished, and screwed in place, essentially an access panel.

If you just need to get in there to thighten up that eye I'd for sure go with the screw in panel and I've gotten them from Duckworks...

http://www.duckworksbbs.com/hardware/hatches/index.htm



I used a couple to get to the bolts that hold the forward solar panel supports at the cockpit cowling.

When I added the anchor rollers to the bow of the Mac I needed a lot more access than a 6 inch hole would give...



... so cut the area out and ....


http://purplesagetradingpost.com/sumner ... ng-17.html

....then covered like you did with a piece of plywood,

Sumner

============================
1300 miles to the Bahamas and back -- 2015

The MacGregor 26-S

The Endeavour 37

Trips to Utah, Idaho, Canada, Florida

Mac-Venture Links

[Jeremysxx]

I will definitely go with the screw in panel. That's a nice setup there.

[Tomfoolery]

Remember that if you prefer white, and/or plastic, you can always cut up a cutting board. Similar to Starboard, especially if you can still find an HDPE cutting board (which seem to be getting rare), but any plastic cutting board will work. Just not as clean cutting as HDPE (stuff tends to melt onto blades), so a little hand work finishes them off nicely.

Or just use thin ply, seal it, and paint it white.

[yukonbob]

Maybe it's a Canadian / hockey thing but I can go to just about any hardware store in Canada and buy 4x8 sheets of hdpe in stock (aka puck board) in varying thicknesses.

[My Mistress]

I added this to my Mac 26S yesterday:



A 6 inch access cover should easily fit in that area. The hole will need to be 6¼ inch ϴ. The biggest hole saw I could find was 6in., so I used a rasp file to finish the opening.
It's a nice fit, and will give you access to everything in the bow. Be prepared for the crumbly old foam flotation.

[Jeremysxx]

Nice job. I think I'll cut it with jig saw or hand saw... Woodworker by trade

[My Mistress]

Nice job. I think I'll cut it with jig saw or hand saw... Woodworker by trade

I would recommend for you to slide into that area first and see if you can easily handle tools in there.
I was on my side with my opposite shoulder almost touching the ceiling while drilling and rasping the hole. The access panel in the ceiling was already out, so I could raise my head to look forward to see what I was doing without hyper-extending my neck.
Actually, using a hole saw was relatively easy and quick, using the hand file to further open the hole was a pain.

[Catigale]

Here is my biggest issue with the boat. This thing is real loose and there doesnt seem a way to access it. I guess cut into it from the interior? any suggestions? It's still secured in there somehow, as it wont come out but it's broke.




Should i cut into this?

Yes, you will need to cut the liner to repair the boweye.

Take measurements and locate it first before you start hacking though.

[Curious Sailor]

My bow eye is just like that... But it doesn't move at all... Should I cut it and reseat a new one?

http://curioussailor.blogspot.com/