On my Hunter 30 I still have a thru hull fitting for the direct discharge of waste. It is no longer functional (connected) and I wish to remove it and patch the hull. Any suggestions or ideas on patching the 2 inch hole in my hull?
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Peggie Hall/Head Mistress
Why not just plug it instead?
Chances are, you will not be the last owner of your boat...the odds are at least 50-50 that a future owner may put it in different waters where that thru-hull can be used. There's a very good chance that you can use it in the future, when the Saxton Bill is finally passed, allowing the use of a treatment device instead of a holding tank, even in "no discharge" waters. I'd leave well enough alone if it were my boat.
Chances are, you will not be the last owner of your boat...the odds are at least 50-50 that a future owner may put it in different waters where that thru-hull can be used. There's a very good chance that you can use it in the future, when the Saxton Bill is finally passed, allowing the use of a treatment device instead of a holding tank, even in "no discharge" waters. I'd leave well enough alone if it were my boat.
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Jack
Patching
I also have the same issue since I will never be able to discharge overboard. I do not like having the gate valve there and have though about removing the gate valve and then capping the thru hull itself with a bronze cap. Sounds good but I also want to leave my boat in the water over the winter and wonder if there would be enough threads to hold the cap in case of a freeze problem. Curious about other peoples thoughts.
I also have the same issue since I will never be able to discharge overboard. I do not like having the gate valve there and have though about removing the gate valve and then capping the thru hull itself with a bronze cap. Sounds good but I also want to leave my boat in the water over the winter and wonder if there would be enough threads to hold the cap in case of a freeze problem. Curious about other peoples thoughts.
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Peggie Hall/Head Mistress
The best solution, Jack...
Replace the gate valve with a proper ball valve seacock. In fact, you should replace ALL the gate valves. That'll require a haul-out...but meanwhile, you can protect the boat from any failure due to freezing by attaching a piece of hose to the thru-hull that extends at least a foot above the boat's waterline...then put a plug in the end of the hose...or not. A plugged hose just looks better to any legal beagles in an inspection than one that isn't, but it's the hose itself that provides the protection.
Replace the gate valve with a proper ball valve seacock. In fact, you should replace ALL the gate valves. That'll require a haul-out...but meanwhile, you can protect the boat from any failure due to freezing by attaching a piece of hose to the thru-hull that extends at least a foot above the boat's waterline...then put a plug in the end of the hose...or not. A plugged hose just looks better to any legal beagles in an inspection than one that isn't, but it's the hose itself that provides the protection.
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Bill Ebling
Save the thru-hull - Cap it
I removed the direct discharge portion of my system when I replaced my sanitation hoses with odor free SeaLand hoses. Since I can't legally pump overboard in my Chesapeake cruising grounds, removing the hoses, vented loop, discharge pump and Y valve for the direct discharge portion of my system further helped me get rid of odor/permeation problems from waste laying in the unused components of the system. I removed the original (dangerous...frozen) gate valve for the direct discharge thru-hull and capped the thru-hull with bronze cap (Available from West Marine). In the future if I (or a future owner) wants to take the boat off shore, the thru-hull is still there to allow a rebuild for overboard dumping without hull modification. Yesterdays Dream 1985 H31 Hull # 31395
I removed the direct discharge portion of my system when I replaced my sanitation hoses with odor free SeaLand hoses. Since I can't legally pump overboard in my Chesapeake cruising grounds, removing the hoses, vented loop, discharge pump and Y valve for the direct discharge portion of my system further helped me get rid of odor/permeation problems from waste laying in the unused components of the system. I removed the original (dangerous...frozen) gate valve for the direct discharge thru-hull and capped the thru-hull with bronze cap (Available from West Marine). In the future if I (or a future owner) wants to take the boat off shore, the thru-hull is still there to allow a rebuild for overboard dumping without hull modification. Yesterdays Dream 1985 H31 Hull # 31395
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Peter Albright
Gate Valve easy to remove
On my 1977 H30, the gate valves were not frozen. When I attempted to close them to replace the hoses, the top of the valve popped right off. There was so much leaching of the non-marine bronze, that there was nothing left. To remove the gate valve from the thru hull, all you need to do is tap it with a hammer.
On my 1977 H30, the gate valves were not frozen. When I attempted to close them to replace the hoses, the top of the valve popped right off. There was so much leaching of the non-marine bronze, that there was nothing left. To remove the gate valve from the thru hull, all you need to do is tap it with a hammer.
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Bob Howie
Don't remove it
I'd suggest keeping the thru-hull in place and just capping it off as has already been recommended. One day you might add a system requiring a thru-hull and you'd already have one in place. Removing one entirely is something I don't hear about much around the shipyards hear and I would imagine so doing would require quite a bit of work to ensure it was properly sealed and would never leak or become a maintenance item; more so that just filling a hole with epoxy and painting over it.
I'd suggest keeping the thru-hull in place and just capping it off as has already been recommended. One day you might add a system requiring a thru-hull and you'd already have one in place. Removing one entirely is something I don't hear about much around the shipyards hear and I would imagine so doing would require quite a bit of work to ensure it was properly sealed and would never leak or become a maintenance item; more so that just filling a hole with epoxy and painting over it.
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