Cover the old hole

[dbecker68]

I had to replace my twenty-something year old Standard Horizon DS45 Depth Sounder and SL45 Speed Log. They were (are) nounted on the starboard side of the cockpit. I have replaced them with a Garmin 300C Fishfinder, which is mounted on the steering pedestal.
Now my problem is: How do I repair the four-inch holes in the cockpit bulkhead. I could just leave them there, but that seems like a silly thing to do, since they are no longer operable. Should I glass over the holes, mount a panel to cover the area, just leave them there, or what?
Can anyone give me some advice on this? Thanks in advance for the help.

 

[bobtigar]

I had a similar situation. I had 2 circles cut from 1/4" Starboard.
1 slightly larger than the hole-with a rounded edge.
1 the same size as the hole
Glued 1 to the other with 5200 and then glued them into the hole.
Bob

 

[Winkfish]

Make them into wine bottle holders. Or speaker mounts. (I prefer wine bottle holders.)

 

[Steve Dion]

Personally I would reglass them if it were my boat. If you are not an expert with gel-coat matching it may look bad (inside & out). You could do the glass work and have a pro do the gel-coat matching.

The other option my be to get some acrylic rounds and secure them with some caulking and a couple of screws. If you use this method, I would be sure to bevel the edges so there is nothing sharp.

 

[Ross]

Resize them and call them windows. Dead lights really. When the boat is closed up you need all the light you can get inside.

 

[Freedom77]

Yeah, what Ross said. You can buy dead lights with clear or smoked glass, either trimmed in teak or white plastic. Fair Winds...

 

[AXEL]

I used one of those plastic deck plates. I found one at West that had a clear inside piece. On the inside I found a teak trimed screen. So mounted the teak trimed screen on the insdie, clear plastic (removable inside piece) white trim ring deck plate on the outside. Looks good and works like a port. I would not attempt to glass unless I could do a perfect pro job. It will not be pretty unless you do this kind of fix it up like a pro.

 

[RON20406]

I had to replace my twenty-something year old Standard Horizon DS45 Depth Sounder and SL45 Speed Log. They were (are) nounted on the starboard side of the cockpit. I have replaced them with a Garmin 300C Fishfinder, which is mounted on the steering pedestal.
Now my problem is: How do I repair the four-inch holes in the cockpit bulkhead. I could just leave them there, but that seems like a silly thing to do, since they are no longer operable. Should I glass over the holes, mount a panel to cover the area, just leave them there, or what?
Can anyone give me some advice on this? Thanks in advance for the help.

If you would like to do a solid fix, make a round disc on a waxed paper plate at least 1" larger than the hole with alternating layers of mat and roving. Four layers are sufficient. After the epoxy dries, remove the disc from the waxed plate and remove the rough edges of the sphere with a dremel sander, degloss the mating surface and mount it with thickened epoxy to the back of the hole. It may be held in place with small screws or even duct tape if the surface is perfectly smooth. After it dries, feather the edges of the external hole with a dremel, fill with thickened epoxy and build up layers of mat and roving in successively larger spheres until the void is filled. A final fairing can be done with low density fairing compound. It can easily be painted or regelcoated with a disposable aerosol spray bottle. It is as strong as new and your boat doesn't look like an experiement in creative Mickey Mouse afterthoughts. Do it right and you'll never regret the effort. Best, Ron

 

[rardiH36]

... or you can keep it very simple. I looked up a picture of these units on the internet. (http://www.standardhorizon.com/indexVS.cfm?cmd=DisplayProducts&ProdCatID=86&ProdID=39&DivisionID=3)

The style of the displays is much the same as my old datamarine instruments (still working and also mounted on the cockpit cabin bulkhead starboard side). Several years ago, I noticed that the black coating on the inside of the glass was chipping off. So I completely removed it all, then carefully repainted the inside with new black. I no longer have the various printing and logos anymore on the instrument faces, but the outcome was fine.

What I am leading up to is that from the inside you could remove the electronics, but leave glass and the trim ring cases in place. Then use some solvent to remove the black paint/printing from the inside of the glass; or maybe use a razor blade (carefully to avoid scratching the glass). What's then left are already-in-place clear glass ~ 4" diameter circular ports. You could paint the outside trim rings from black to white or silver or gold or any other color.

From the inside, a little creativity would likely yield an acceptable means of making the cabin side look fine as well.

Hey, the mini ports could even serve as picture frames. Place a picture of Mom and Dad or the grand-kids on the inside for frequent viewing from the helm position.

 

[Ross]

A basketball is a sphere and a paper plate is a disk with a depressed center. There are many sources for instruction in fiber glass repair and it would be worth while to consult these references.

 

[foolproof]

I have the same problem with my boat, and I have decided that a nice opening port is the ticket. Takes care of the holes, and adds a vent to the galley!