Cutting Out Existing Skin Fittings, What Tool?

Boo2 said:
Sorry for the minor thread drift, but does the panel have any opinions as to what is the best stuff to seal replacement skin fittings with when you fit them ?

Boo2
Click to expand...

I use Sikaflex 291 for every sealing job, both above and below water. Some of my underwater skin fittings were resealed around 15 years ago, still perfectly dry.
 
I wanted to remove the D ring from the bow of my old boat and was going to angle grind it off - three people said NO don't do it, the heat will ruin your GRP :confused:

I didn't need to take it off in the end but heat and GRP :confused: Perhaps it was because of the type of fitting e.g S/S bolt that goes through a thick part of the hull and more heat would be generated and in contact with the hull!
 
Last edited:
Zagato said:
I wanted to remove the D ring from the bow of my old boat and was going to angle grind it off - three people said NO don't do it, the heat will ruin your GRP :confused:

I didn't need to take it off in the end but heat and GRP :confused: Perhaps it was because of the type of fitting e.g S/S bolt that goes through a thick part of the hull and more heat would be generated and in contact with the hull!
Click to expand...

You don't grind the whole flange off - just enough of the internal bore to separate the flange from the thread. Bronze is really easy to grind (or drill) and does not generate heat like trying to grind stainless would.
 
I appreciate a cautious, measured approach to grinding metals but I find Dremels rather slow and they get through a lot of cutting disks to do any good. Probably that or a Fein (?) Multitool cutter to get the GRP off the stem of the fittings without much risk to the thread. It may be possible simply to undo the nut and prise the fitting out - if you can break the seal under the flange and up through the hole. If not, then it's time to cut the flange off and that might be better done with an angle grinder. Make a few practice cuts on some scrap metal to get a feel for controlling it, though, they can kick and grab.

Rob.
 
john_morris_uk said:
I think that the hole saw technique is the best one though.
Click to expand...

It's good as long as you can get the right sized saw - which is a little tricky to measure as you need the outside diameter of the fitting just below the flange, and of course that's buried in the hull so you have to estimate based on the inside diameter. And then holesaws aren't available in every millimetre step size anyway. We did get one slightly wrong, and it essentially widened out the bore of the fitting while leaving a thin tube of metal intact around it. Fortunately thin enough to be broken with some careful use of a cold chisel and a club hammer, but it wasn't as neat a process as the others.

Dremel cutting disc around the inside sounds plausible too - except on half-inch fittings like my heads intake, where it probably wouldn't fit!

Pete
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top