Head Removal

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Oar_lover
Posts: 3
Joined: Fri Apr 03, 2009 4:57 am

Head Removal

Post by Oar_lover »

Hello Boaters!

I've got a 1961 22' Thompson Sea Lane Cuddy with the old pump style head in the cuddy under the seat deck. I need to remove this for new CG regs, my marina's head policy and also for weight reduction. I am concerned about the best way to ensure wateright integrity thru these fittings with the head removed. Not exactly sure how this thing works but it has one or two thru hull ports. I do not want to go thru the costs of removing the ports at altogether since I just finished painting the hull. I do however want to know some ways seal these in a manner to "double-guard" agianst any water into the boat thru these ports.

Who has some experience or ideas with issues like this?

Thanks,
LancerBoy
Posts: 1417
Joined: Mon Jan 28, 2008 3:47 am
Location: Minneapolis

Post by LancerBoy »

Sounds like you need a dutchman.

Now, a dutchman in this instance is not Dutch painter Van Gogh, it's a patch made of the same materials as whatever is being patched.

Plywood planking cut to fit in the hole with a plywood butt block on the interior or new short ribs. Seal with plenty of 3M5200 or similar and screw or thru-bolt.

Andreas
Oar_lover
Posts: 3
Joined: Fri Apr 03, 2009 4:57 am

Post by Oar_lover »

Well I was hoping for more of a fitting, hose connection or "seal" that would be less of a "cut and paste" operation. I haven't pulled the throne just yet and I'm not familiar with the plumbing as it relates to the hull of the boat.
Say a replacement port that fit the exisitng hole were available, that was my first thought. I need to study how the original port is afixed.

Thanks for the reply and I'll keep this posted in case anyone has a different solution.

B. Alan Webber
Phill Blank
Posts: 412
Joined: Thu Jan 05, 2006 4:20 pm
Location: Hurley, Wisconsin

Post by Phill Blank »

Oar_Lover,

There is no easy way to close off a thru-hull fitting.
Number one we are talking about a "head" a toilet which needs water to flush. So there is one thru-hull fitting and if it was set up to discharge out thru the hull into the waterway, rather then into a holding tank, there would be another or two fittings. To have a head with a direct discharge out of the hull this would only be done if this boat was an off shore (Ocean) going boat or was done by someone who did not give a damn about turds floating around their boat.
These thru-hull fittings generally would be a 3/4" for the inlet or flush water and 1-1/2" for the discharge or waste line out. If you disconnet the hoses the only recouse is to plug the hole and hope it does not losen and leak or do a repair that you know will not leak now or in the future. To my knowledge there is not a plug made that will replace the thru-hull fitting. They do make a wooden tapered plug whcih one uses when a hose breaks and you need to make an emergency repair while out on the water to keep from sinking before you reach shore to make the final perminant repair.

So I would suggest you just make the repair as discribed by Andreas and make sure you do not spring a leak when under way.

Sorry no easy fix for this problem.

Good Luck,

Phill
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Oar_lover
Posts: 3
Joined: Fri Apr 03, 2009 4:57 am

Post by Oar_lover »

Thanks for the reply. Based on what I have learned and the input I have recieved I will probably end up replacing the thru-hull fittings with new ones and capping them with a female pipe cap on the interior of the boat.
This does seal it but doesn;t really provide any safegaurds if the thru-hull leaks or the pipe cap fails.
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