How to: Seal deck penetrations

There is a treasure house of fantastically well-done articles on how to properly accomplish various boat-related tasks at Compass Marine. The one Erick referenced* shows how to properly seal deck penetrations with epoxy, and addresses many of the details left out of common explanations.  For example: using a bent nail chucked in a drill to route out the core really doesn't work all that well, unless:

• You have a cored deck
• Your hole happens to be located between the webs formed by resin filling the scores in the core material
• Your hole is not located where plywood reinforcement was used - where most load-bearing fastenings will be made

In fact, using a bent nail sounds like one of those processes worked out in a hurry in a boat yard by someone who lacked the proper tool for the job.  Not something you'd want to set out to do on purpose.  Read the article - you'll see what I mean.

More over, there are several rainy afternoon's-worth of excellent reading there on the right/best/easiest way to do things.  (When pulling a cutlass bearing, does it really matter where you make the saw kerf?  Yes!)

Check it out - you won't be disappointed.


* Thanks to  Erik at Erick's Wanderlust Blog for finding this great site, and to Scott at Downeaster Yachts for pointing it out to me.