Inspection ports

Now that I've spent countless hours repairing holes in my boat, I decided today that I had grown tired of a sound boat and that I needed to put some holes in it.

You what?

Meh, I was bored.



I also need to be able to repair the bow handle. And, because of "Dolly", I should have a way to keep tabs on the rudder mount. And the rudder mount may need attention simply from wear and tear anyway. Then, I'd also like a place to put my ID, keys, cell phone, and maybe a drink.

So, a few weeks ago, I emailed Annapolis Performance Sailing and said, "Hey, I noticed you sell inspection ports and cat bags."
They said, "Why yes we do."
I said, "Well send me a few of them there things. Oh, and I'd like that there cat bag too."
They said "Sure! No problem!"
I asked, "Is a cat included in the cat bag?"
They said, "Nope."
Shucks. Well, I ordered things anyway and within a week, a UPS truck showed up.

Mine are the 5" variety. 4" is generally recommended on the bow but I can't stand not having room to work. So mine are 5", white, and the lids screw on. The inside of the boat isn't really pretty so I didn't want clear lids.

Anyway, while it's too cold to mess with gel coat on the deck like I wanted, it wasn't too cold for handy dandy 60 year old jig saw to come out and play.
I taped the underside so it wouldn't scratch up my less than perfect finish. He's old, but he's still fierce!





I've seen instructions saying to whip out your compass and draw a circle, but I'm not nerdy enough to own a compass. *snort*
So I obsessed a little over whether or not the port was centered, then used a pencil to trace the outside. When done with that, I used a drill to put a hole in where I would start with the jig saw.






Once you've sawed a circle, pull the jig saw and sit down while your heart pitter patters over what you've just done. If you develop chest pain, go to the ER.




Once recovered, take a screw driver and start working that circle off. There's foam attached to it underneath and it doesn't want to let it go. So be gentle.

Here's what I found when it popped off.



The yellow foam is the "glue". The white foam are the "blocks". And boy have they loaded up this hull with foam!

Now, here is one important reason to install these ports. The foam blocks do very well floating in liquid water. However, vapor can penetrate it and it becomes water logged. So, for simple preventive maintenance for your foam blocks, you can uncork these ports and let them dry out. This isn't a problem with boats which don't leak. However, this one is over 30 years old (1974 judging by it's hull number) and so it may have some spots like in the hull joint which haven't made themselves known.
These foam blocks are a major pain to replace so it's easier to have a way to allow them to dry.

Where was I...

Ah yes, so you peer into the hole and find foam in your way. You have to dig it out. I used a combination Dremel and knife. I want to leave as much foam as possible so up in the bow, I only removed what would get in my way for the handle repair.





Now this is exciting stuff. I've searched the internet far and wide and nobody has really documented where the blocks are on the Minifish. They have on the Sunfish, but not its smaller sister. So, for those wondering and appreciative of my bravery, here is where the block stops in the bow...
First a picture to orient you from the hole and the bow:






The red line is where the block stopped...





...which is about here when you look at the boat from the outside:





I could have moved the hole further up, but I don't have the handle and needed to leave enough room.

For curiosity's sake, here's a look up into the bow:





I took my trusty shop vac and vacuumed out those pieces of foam. Minifish wouldn't want parts left laying all over so it was the right thing to do.

The next step is to test fit the port. It's easier to enlarge a hole than to shrink it. Slow and steady wins this race.
I got a lovely fit.





I'll wait to seal this one until after I've fixed the handle, but here it is with the lid on:









Wow, deck ports! Just like a big boat!


Okay, so I was done with the fore port. It was time to cut the aft port (vocabulary practice again). This is where my belongings will be stowed away.
So again, same thing. Trace, cut, rest and avoid a panic attack, dig out the foam and here you go...the inside of the rudder mount looking nice and strong and ready for action:





Drawings on a sunfish would show you that a block does not go all the way to the stern. In fact, a 5" port would fit without digging through a block (again, by drawings I've seen). On a Minifish, it extends to merely an inch or so from the stern.


Not knowing how thick things were, I waited until I had seen the inside before getting screws. I ended up purchasing 1" long screws with tapered heads. You could get away with shorter however, I found the length was easy to work with when threading a nut.

I fitted the port down into the hole and drilled one hole using the port as the guide for where the holes would be. I drilled one hole at a time and dropped a screw in to hold it in place so all the holes would line up.

Now it's time to seal things up and for good. You'll need marine caulk or equivalent to seal the port.

Here's an illustration of what you want:



I ran a bead around the bottom of the port where it meets the deck. I slipped it in and gave the port a 1/4 of a turn to make sure things were sealed. I then dabbed caulk where the screws go and tightened things down. I used a similar pattern to how you tighten a wheel on a car. You tighten a screw, move to the screw opposite of it and tighten, etc. That way it goes down as evenly as possible which will help keep it sealed. Wipe away the excess using acetone and you should get this:







Good seal:






So, When things are cured, drop in the cat bag minus the cat:






Then screw on the lid:






And your boat will keep your things with you even in a capsize.

Note: Not all catbags are waterproof so ye be warned.

"There's no thrill in easy sailing when the skies are clear and blue, there's no joy in merely doing things which any one can do. But there is some satisfaction that is mighty sweet to take, when you reach a destination that you never thought you'd make." ~Anonymous

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