Bow Eye

[flkeysaqua]

The 73 19-6 I've recently purchased had a lot of work that needed to be done the small project I'm undergoing now is the bow eye it looked like crap pulling off the boat a little bit and rusting slightly so I've removed it thinking I would just have to put a stainless plate on the inside and hit it with a wire wheel turns out the bottom hole is about twice the original size with some rot. What would be the best way to repair it? Thanks in advance for the advice


                Chris

[LilRichard]

There should be a wood core on the inside - you need to cut it out, and put a new solid wood core in.  I layed a TON of glass on from the inside... don't want that to fail at the ramp.  Then I put an aluminum backer plate on before the nuts...

[flkeysaqua]

Its going to be fun cutting the old one out the hatch is only 4 inches and the vent hoses run through the same spot. I might be better off making it a 6 inch hatch. Or would drilling it out from the outside and filling it with a 1 inch dowl work then backing the inside with a stainless plate or aluminum

[RebelYell]

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I just repaired my bow eye on my 1990 Osprey 200.

Like you, I went to remove mine for painting the bow and found some rot.

I took a drill bit and "wallered out" the black rotted wood from the inside of the hull at the backing wood core. Its thick. I removed all the rotten wood until it was normallly colored and let it dry out for about a week.

Then, I taped over the outside holes and filled from the backside with Marine Tex....I was careful to do it in about three applications so that it would cure nice and hard.

It came out solid as a rock. I also have a backing plate on the inside of the hull and a small plate on the outside of the hull to provide reinforcement.

If the rots not too extensive I would think you could grind it out like I did, fill with Marine Tex, and redrill your holes.

Thank Gawd for Marine Tex !!!!!    

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