Drilling Thru Fiberglass Hull

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Joe Mullee

I'm putting in a propane locker on my Hunter 34. I need to drill thru the hull for the vent. The hole will be 5/8". Is there any special way to do this? I'm thinking of first drilling a small lead hole and following up with the larger one. Also may tape the area with duct tape to try to prevent any spider cracks to the surrounding area. Is this right?
 
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Gord May

Hole Saws

and Forstner Bits cut clean holes. Use slower drilling speeds. Make certain you seal the raw edges of the hole with epoxy, then bed and set the vent fitting. Gell coat is very brittle, and will likely chip if cut with conventional twist drills or wood bores. Regards, and good luck. Gord
 
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james rohr

don't cut all the thru on the first pass

use a hole saw that has a pilot bit. slow speeds. stop cutting before the hole saw completely goes thru. then go to the other side and finish. using this method there won't be any chipping of the surface. if you go all the way thru from one side, when the saw exits it will chip. also don't use a lot of pressure when cutting.
 
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Ed Ryan

More details? Similar situation?

I have a similar(?) situation on my O'Day 35. Already have propane lockers (2) at the stern, one of which has the gas feed inside to the galley stove. Have added a gas grill to the stern, and want to install a gas line from the main propane tank so that it can be connected to the grill when needed. In order to meet ABYC regulations, I believe I need to install the hose through a sealed fitting in the locker (which still does not get it through the hull.) What kind of fitting, etc. is needed to go out the hull (probably out the transom)? How common is it to have a gas line coming through the hull, and left tied to a stanchion when not connected to the grill?
 
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Don Berger

one more trick

In addition to the good advice already posted, be sure to reverse the drill for a few revs so as to make a slight cut into the glass before drilling in earnest. That will prevent the glass from splintering if you follow the other suggestions. Don
 
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