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I'm in the Pacific NW and occasionally get seaweed clogging in the intake. First time it was overboard into the chilly waters to pull the weeds out! Very unpleasant but no time to think about it.
After some thought I found a 6" piece of hose that I can put over the fitting for the hose that goes from the strainer to engine and also fits over the end of my dingy foot pump. It needed a bit of duct tape to tighten the fit. Now when it plugs (about once every year or two) I grab my foot pump and the hose from it's spot beside the strainer. I pull the engine intake hose and replace it with the hose and foot pump, stomp on it and its clears quick and easy. Sometimes it takes a good hard stomp but always works...

I too want to do this project..
Any opinions on getting the acrylic cut locally or buying from Catalina Direct?

I'm thinking VHB as well.
Justin and/or Eric...do you know what size VHB you used?
And after taping were you able to just press in the portlight and it set up and cured without a jig?
After that you were able to lay in a bead of sealant to completely fill the gap between the fiberglass inset and the new acrylic?

Thanks for any and all comments!

Check all your fittings. I thought mine was shot but on examination it was just the plastic hot water out elbow fitting that was leaking. Had to replace with a brass fitting as that was all I could find on a remote island.
Lucky.....A $10 solution!

I actually take all my cushions home for the winter. It's great to dry and air them out. It also makes any projects down below so much easier.
For heat I have a Wabasto diesel forced air furnace that is fantastic. Dries and heat the boat fast when aboard on those cool nights.

As Stu said, virtually nothing needs to be done here in the Pacific NW.
I've had our boat for 24 years and nothing has ever frozen.
I do fill the fuel tank to avoid condensation in the tank and leave the water tanks full (drain nothing)!
I do put a couple of 60W lights bulbs on the floor in coffee cans on legs to move air and run a dehumidifier until its close to freezing. The dehumidifier does freeze up at that point so I turn it off
Never a problem though

Pull the tank. It's easy to do after draining the tank. I just pulled the hose off the filter and use the boats fuel pump to dump the fuel into a large pail(s). Use acetone or alcohol to rinse out the tank then dry completely.
Change all filters and start with fresh fuel.
Might get lucky as it might be fine!

Hard to see.
Mouse turds?

Apart from that incident the only other time I had water in the vberth locker was when my anchor locker drain leaked. That's 23 years in the damp Pacific northwest. No need for a pump on my boat

If I had limber holes my boat would have sunk!
I have my sounder and speedo under the V berth and I once sprung a leak after being on the hard for a couple of months.
I didn't know about the slow leak but a week or two after launching I was at the boat and I looked under the V berth for something and I saw a foot or so of water.
Without limber holes the leak was contained and the water inside was level with the water outside. Having limber holes would have allowed the water to continue filling the boat, draining into the bilge and being pumped out until my batteries died.
I was happy not to have sunk. East fix.

Recently my tach was ready high, then low, then bouncing around crazy at times. Then it would settle down eventually. I pulled it out and cleaned up the terminals, and was told to take a slot screw driver to the adjustable switch and move it back and forth between the three settings being careful to leave it where it was in the first place. This was meant to clean off the contacts.
It seems to have works as it was ready properly when I was done.
Let us know if it works for you.

I just went through that in the spring.
After much thought I found out the easiest way on my boat was to remove the teak veneer plywood and cut out the upper starboard corner of the second piece of plywood to get access to the back, starboard side of the anchor locker and ran the wires through holes I drilled in the anchor locker, down into the locker under the V-berth. That's where I located the relay for easy access. Then I went straight back under the V-berth on the starboard  side, through the hanging locker and along the space below the shelf to the water fill hoses and straight down and across to the battery box. There were predrilled holes for the factory wiring so very easy. I did drill a hole in the starboard side of the battery box so I could enter there and go straight into the box. I found I had room in box for the circuit breaker. I also added  +ve and -ve buss bars for a tidy installation.

Mine is scratched into the gelcoat on the starboard side of the transom just below the rubrail.
Looks like a grade two student did it.

Susan, Kevin,
Those look like something I need.
Are they a swap out fit?
Do they keep out the bugs and water?
Where did you find them?
Thanks

I just installed new batteries and refrigeration. I wanted to know consumption to decide on solar needs so I bought and installed a Victron 712.
Super easy to install, nice blue tooth to my cell phone and tablet and also give voltage of my reserve start battery.
I didn't do a lot of research so I'm not saying it is the best but I'm happy to have the info provided.

Not here
$97 new and $60 to look at them and do what they need to. Also they are so backed up it would take a week to get to them.
I figured I might as well spring for new and keep trying things in the meantime.