There's a hole in my bucket

skipper681

skipper681

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Hi all,

As some of you know I'm a trawlerman and I'm turning my hand to this yacht thing so this is all new to me.

Theres a thing that has a little paddle wheel in this boat that I've got, it seems to be broken from the skin fitting.. It is below the waterline and there's there's no 'head' unit that I can find it attached to so it's un needed. It is about the size of a toilet roll cardboard holder with a paddle wheel at the bottom that goes through the hull.. It has to be a speedo but I'll not be needing it so...

I have 2 questions...

First of all what is it, or what did it used to be and secondly....

It's left a skin fitting hole below the waterline so instead of epoxying it and filling it has anyone ever invented a skin fitting to block a hole, ie. one without a hole in it?..

I'm trying to upload a photo but it's not letting me... I just want to block the hole so question 2 is the important one, I've checked chandlers for skin fittings but they're all for in or out, I want a blocked one, I dunno what to search for... Any ideas?

Thanks folk.
Skip
 
Last edited:
skipper681 said:
Hi all,

As some of you know I'm a trawlerman and I'm turning my hand to this yacht thing, its all new to me. This thing has a little paddle wheel and seems to be broken from the skin fitting.. there's no 'head' unit that I can find it attached to so it's un needed.

I have 2 questions...

First of all what is it, or what did it used to be and secondly....

It's left a skin fitting hole below the waterline so instead of epoxying it and filling it has anyone ever invented a skin fitting to block a hole, ie. one without a hole in it?..

I'm trying to upload a photo but it's not letting me... So basically I'm guessing it's some kind of speedo by the wee paddle wheel... I just want to block the hole, I've checked chandlers for skin fittings but they're all for in or out, I want a blocked one, I dunno what to search for...

Thanks
Skip
Click to expand...
skin fitting + seacock + blanking plug
 
seacock, blanking plug, jubilee clips etc etc, been there and done that.. it's not ideal... to glass over it means feathering the edges, again thats feasable but not ideal..

Should we go on dragons den and make skin fittings without a hole?
 
Nobody has answered the "what is it" question ...

It's the impeller for a log instrument (speed through the water - apologies if I'm teaching egg sucking!)
 
I wanted to blank off two loo sea cock holes that were no longer needed. An old GRP boat had just been cut up in the boatyard. A bit of GRP hull - reasonably flat - provided four circles sufficiently large to cover the holes in my boat. I used the redundant seacock bronze bolts to secure one circle on the inside and one on the outside over each hole. I filled the cavity with sealant. That was 17 years ago, now. Still going strong! The bulge over the unwanted hole might annoy a racing type but in practice, you can grind the outside circle down to 4 mm (or less) as long as the inside one retains full thickness.
 
Thanks all and as usual some of the usual suspects put the thread on a tangent.. I'm not over complicating it, im simplifying it.

I want a skin fitting without a hole...
 
Usually the skin fitting has a blanking cap to put on when you take the log wheel out to clean it. They often fur up with oceanic crud.

Mine is kept in the chart table. It maybe aboard "SOMEWHERE?"

Or measure it and try eBay. Is the skin fitting it plastic or metal?
 
skipper681 said:
Thanks all and as usual some of the usual suspects put the thread on a tangent.. I'm not over complicating it, im simplifying it.

I want a skin fitting without a hole...
Click to expand...

I could well be proved wrong, but I don’t think such an item exists, the potential market is so small, why make a skin fitting that doesn’t have a hole? Your best bet is probably to do what others have suggested and glass it over.
Or you could always follow the old pantomime song.....’ Mend it with straw dear Henry’ .....but I wouldn’t recommend it.
 
Fit a BSP skin fitting and a blanking cap?

Personally, I would probably install a new paddle wheel log, or a second depth sounder/fishfinder.
 
'skipper681'....

The broken device is almost certainly part of a 'Rotating Speed/Distance Log' device, which typically would send both speed and distance run to an instrument head fitted most likely onto a cabin bulkhead.... or it may have sent that info to an 'integrated instrument' capable of displaying various boat performance data, when selected, such as depth, wind speed and direction, speed, and other 'stuff'.

The broken item you have may well have a maker's part number embossed, and there may be an electrical cable that leads to an identifiable display unit with the maker's name on.... such as Brookes and Gatehouse or NASA.....

Photographs posted on here will help 'passers-by' - who have/had something similar - identify your log through-hull and then better suggest where you may source a blanking cap. There will be lots of them about - even used and gathering spiders in someone's garage.
 
zoidberg said:
'skipper681'....

The broken device is almost certainly part of a 'Rotating Speed/Distance Log' device, which typically would send both speed and distance run to an instrument head fitted most likely onto a cabin bulkhead.... or it may have sent that info to an 'integrated instrument' capable of displaying various boat performance data, when selected, such as depth, wind speed and direction, speed, and other 'stuff'.

The broken item you have may well have a maker's part number embossed, and there may be an electrical cable that leads to an identifiable display unit with the maker's name on.... such as Brookes and Gatehouse or NASA.....

Photographs posted on here will help 'passers-by' - who have/had something similar - identify your log through-hull and then better suggest where you may source a blanking cap. There will be lots of them about - even used and gathering spiders in someone's garage.
Click to expand...

This is the wisest reply so far..

Why hasn't a skin fitting blanking plate been invented yet? It would be so easy to do and obviously just as strong as other skin fittings..

Confused wooden trawlerman..

Skip
 
skipper681 said:
This is the wisest reply so far..

Why hasn't a skin fitting blanking plate been invented yet? It would be so easy to do and obviously just as strong as other skin fittings..

Confused wooden trawlerman..

Skip
Click to expand...

Because there is no market for them for reasons that have been explained to you.

Bemused steel submariner.
 
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