I finally got around to moving the holding tank vent hose to a thru hull fitting, installed between the rub rail and the stripe.
I have removed the stanchion and sawed off the vent tube flush with the base. Now I need to patch the hole in the deck, so I can reinstall the stanchion.
What would be the recommendations for filling/patching the hole? I surveyed this site and found one who said they glassed it, someone else mentioned marine tex, and others were not specific for what they used.
Thanks in advance
Don't over think this. Whatever makes you happy.
Fiberglas, epoxy, 5200, silicone, .........
Personally I'd take it to the hardware store and get a rubber stopper "cork" and wail it into the tube bottom with a rubber mallet. Then fill the exit hole with silicone or liquid steel or the like.
I'm sure there's a dozen other ways.
OHHHHH are you talking about the DECK or STANCHION hole?? LOL!
Deck, defo epoxy/microfiber thickener after you have cleaned up any crappy deck around the perimeter.
IIWMH, I'd rout out core around the perimeter w/ a Dremel #115 bit, leaving the top and bottom skin intact before filling (making a skin-epoxy-skin sandwich.)
If you are talking about the vent hole in the stanchion, here is what I did with a hole with a GPS antenna wire at the pushpit it's held up for 3 seasons now. From a hardware store got a stainless steel electrical punch-out hole plug, the ones with the little tab clips on the bottom, put it in place and crush-fit with a hose clamp, removed the plug and bent the little tabs back, finally assembled with 5200 held in place with tape, after cured clean up outside with a razor blade.
Jim
As I mentioned above, I need to plug the hole in the deck. Thanks Ken for your recommendation.
Roland : I'd take a piece of tape and put it on the inside (underside) and the use glass or 5 minute epoxy to fill the hole.
For the hole in the stanchion itself, I'd take a screw and screw it in the hole with some butyl rubber!!
A few thoughts
Pro way of dealing with holes
https://youtu.be/kxWDhwfCgNE
There is a ton of excellent information on his channel.
I ended up using Jamestown Distributors Totalboat Thixo epoxy to fill the deck hole. The epoxy product comes in a caulking tube with a mixer tip, so using it is certainly simple. I put some duct tape on the bottom of the hole and filled the hole up with that epoxy. After giving it a day of drying time, I reinstalled the stanchion.
Roland,
Why get rid of the stanchion vent? I did the same as you, installed a thru hull fitting near stripe. When getting advice from Peggie Hall on the matter, she said to keep the original vent since more air going into the holding tank is a plus. I kept it, now I have two vents.
I got rid of the stanchion vent tube because it was inadequate for venting, and I believe it was also a cause for that stanchion to need to be re-caulked too frequently. I took the opportunity to put a backing plate on that stanchion while I was at it.