Drilling Hole through bottom of boat

[TEXWAKE]

Im trying to find a good place to drill through the bottom of the boat for a new hole to connect my bow fat sacks since I cannot find a good way to connect to a existing one. First off, would that be a good idea or should I just leave it to the pros? Has anyone done this and how? Does anyone have any good substitution with the exception of tossinf the pump over the rail and into the water to fill the sack...lets face it im too lazy. hah

[Tao of Wake]

I drilled two holes in the bottom of the hull and one on each side to plumb in 2 fill pumps and 2 drain pumps. It really wasn't difficult at all. Just use the advice many others have provided and use a new, very sharp hole saw, pre-drill the center hole from the inside of the boat (to be sure you have it in exactly the right location), position the hole saw with the center guide bit in the hole (from the outside of the hull), drill in reverse until you get through the gel coat (very thin), then drill forward until you are through the hull. Keep in mind that there will be quite a lot of white powder from the hull that will get over everything. I would recommend wearing safety glasses and a mask over your nose and mouth to keep the dust out.

It is a bit scary drilling the first hole, but once you have done that, you will feel like a pro. The difficult part I had was finding a good spot in the bottom of the hull to do this due to the limited space around the engine. Once you have the holes drilled, it is quite a challenge to get the thru-hull, elbow and pump mounted. I found myself twisted in just about every direction trying to get tools and leverage in the limited space.

Once you have done this and you have it fully automatic, it is SOOOO nice. I still have additional sacs to put in the bow and the back seats (the latter only when I have a small crew), and I so appreciate the ease of filling and draining the integrated sacs.

Edited June 18, 2010 by kernaltao

[Stevo]

Make sure to set you guide mark in the gelcoat and then tape where you will drill to prevent any possible splintering or chiping

[martinarcher]

My ballast system is "T"'d off of the raw water intake line. Works like a champ for up to 2 bags. If your running more than 2 fill pumps I would recommend a dedicated thru-hull.

[TEXWAKE]

My ballast system is "T"'d off of the raw water intake line. Works like a champ for up to 2 bags. If your running more than 2 fill pumps I would recommend a dedicated thru-hull.

Any chance you can take a picture of it??

[martinarcher]

Any chance you can take a picture of it??

Hard to get a picture of it, but you can see it in the beginning of this video....