That little ring / U-bolt on the bow for the trailer ...

[chataqua]

We've had a great summer, going a lot of new places, doing new things, learning to fish and having a great time.   Last trip however (off the Eastern Shore of Virginia to an uninhabited island to explore an old lighthouse) , after we trailered and opened the garboard plug on the ramp  a lot of water came out of the hull.   She's been super dry before, And this was a full flow of gallons, not just damp spray.  I knew something was wrong.  So she's sat on the trailer until we could get around to proper care.  Florence scares for us lengthened when we could get back to it. 

Had the idea, that if it came in, it has to go out ... so we got a garden hose and filled the hull with water on the trailer ... I had a guess of where it came in, so we lowered the bow as far as we could ... and sure enough, water came out of the fitting mid way up the bow for towing / trailering.   

Disclaimer :: Now, while I was certain this was a great idea to figure out the leak (fill the hull with water on the trailer),  I don't think I'd advise what I did, because, well, water is heavy.  A gear tooth in the (old rusty) trailer jack failed trying to pick the nose up to drain the water faster, so we have to get a new one of those.   Trailer repair is scheduled for this winter (and that was high on the list), so I'm not super upset in that regard. Bricks and a car jack helped alleviate the situation when I realized what I did.   I heard a lot of creaking from the trailer that made me think I did I bad thing.  (And now I'm worried about the leaf springs ... )    But overall, we survived.   

All in all, I'm embarrassed to say, I don't know the proper name of this piece of hardware.    So, if someone could educate me, I'd appreciate it.     

Where I'm at now is, what do I do to fix it?   The water is coming in ( ... and out ... ) from the thru hull for this hardware.    We're at a minimum going to have to cut some kind of inspection port in the bow locker, but I don't know what I'll see on the inside.   Is there a backing plate?  What's on the backside?  Just normal nuts?   I've gone through some rebuild pics, but haven't seen anything that clues me into what we're going to need to properly repair it.    Can we just caulk it?   Should we remove the piece, rebuild fiberglass in the holes and redrill? (I think I'd be more comfortable with this kind of repair for a longer term solution.  )    Upgrade the hardware?  What have some of you experienced folks done for this? 
 
I'm loving my '76 170, and want to keep her sound.   Thanks!   ( I can post pics post tomorrow if they're requested. )   

[RickK]

The u-bolt you're referring to is called a tow/lifting eye and is used for lifting the boat out of the water and also to tow the boat.
On the inside of the boat there is a block of wood that fits in the "v" of the bow and the u-bolt goes through the wood and there is washers and nuts .  There should be something on the outside to stop the bolt from pulling through the hull.  You have the same type eyes on the outside of the transom also.
Caulking would seal the holes up.
You saw no other exit points when the hull was full of water?  Was someone standing or sitting in the front of the boat the whole time you were out?
Oh, when you filled the hull with water there is a good chance you soaked the flotation foam that is inside the hull and stringers.
Edit:
Here is a pic of inside of my hull at the place the u-bolt will come through

[mshugg]

With a 1976 hull, the wood block is most likely rotted, and would need to be replaced.  Glass encapsulated marine ply or a high density composite like Coosa 26 would be best for this.

[chataqua]

No water in the bow ... we did have an extra person aboard, so there was more weight forward than normal.   We did a slow troll through waves up and down the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel, so there was plenty of time and opportunity for that to be the entry point.    As far as that flotation foam ... will it drain?   Or am I going to have to rip it out ?     

[RickK]

The wood I pulled out was toast so I used a piece of 4x4 split in half and ground to match the angle. I resin coated it and putty'd/glassed it to the hull.
As for the foam, this winter leave the boat tilted up higher than usual and let it drain out.

[chataqua]

I generally leave her tilted to drain out the stern ... in our area, with the temperature fluctuation and humidity levels, we get condensation, so I like to be able to have that drain / air as much as possible.   

[Corynelsonflkeys]

One trick i did before i tore up my deck was put a fan in the aft deck hatch(if you have one) and let it blow for a couple if not a few days and when I finally ripped the deck up most of the rotten wood was dryISH. Depending on how you stringers were designed for that particular year will make a difference on water penetration to the foam as well. I had a bulkhead just behind my gas tank and the bottom of the stringer where it connected was wide open and had exposed foam facing the center.