E26 (1987) transom thru-hulls

[stobias]

My E26 has 3 lines that drain through the transom. 2 are cockpit drains and 1 is for the manual bilge pump. They are 1 1/2" nylon. Twenty three years of UV have caused them to crack on the inside along the bottoms. This causes them to leak into the bilge-whenever it rains.
Has anyone figured out a way to replace them without cutting an access hole in the cockpit side of the transom, and without removing the engine and fuel tank? I'm not even sure that removal of the engine and tank would help all that much!

 

[SurabyaKid]

Loren has written about his experiences in replacing the transom through hulls.

When I found the same problem on my '88 E26, I looked at access through the quarterberth by removing the teak plywood bulkhead and found I could reach the through hull nuts and hose clamps from there. As the cracks were quite small, I decided to wait until the next haulout to permanently repair and did a temporary repair by just filling in the cracks with 4200 bedding compound to stop any leakage. I think the permanent repair could be done on the water with another person in a dinghy at the transom.

Pat

 

[Loren Beach]

Here it is

http://www.ericsonyachts.org/infoexchange/showthread.php?t=7890&referrerid=28

 

[stobias]

Pat, and Loren, Thanks for the reply. Pat, is your boat an inboard? I tried to get to the fittings through the back of the quarter berth and found that my arm is about 2' too short to reach the port side! Even the starboard side would be a challenge. Crawling, upside down through the lazerette also left me short. I reluctantly asked my yard to look at it and they said that they also couldn't do it without cutting. I would hate to cut a panel out of the cockpit side of the transom-absolutely last resort. I am going to look again and see if the access would be better without the fuel tank. I suspect that the tank will not come out or move with the engine on its mounts. All of the stuff that was installed at the factory, before the deck and furniture went in is a nightmare to get to 20 years down the road! A few years ago, I replaced the holding tank and all of the sewerage lines. Working through the small access door in the vanity was horrible!!

 

[Loren Beach]

If you need access thru a fiberglass surface, you might want to install an access plate. There are versions of these with an O-ring that screw in/out.
Loren
http://www.beckson.com/twistdp.html

 

[SurabyaKid]

Yes, Pronto has an Universal M12 inboard.

The attached pictures will hopefully show you what I was looking at. I could lay a hand on the port side though hull and and strap. The starboard side is easier, but hidden in these pictures.

Temporarily moving some of the hoses or even the diesel fill hose would probably open up a bit more working room as well.

A previous owner had installed inspection ports on the transom for access to the backstay tangs and stern rail stantions. They were quite chalky and hard to use when I got the boat, so I converted them into cockpit speaker mounts, knowing that I could still use them as inspection ports if needed. There is not much space in the transom wall, so I ended up building teak offset rings to mount the speakers on. I don't know if there is enough room for a hand to get a wrench on the backing nuts unless you mount the inspection ports quite low.

Pat

 

[stobias]

Pat, Your boat actually looks more accessable than mine, and I was scratching my head as to why! Then I realized; my boat has the extra "limited edition" teak inside-like around the windows, etc. Part of this is the area seperating the quarterberth from the engine space. I have a narrow rectangular hatch that comes out of a larger stationary panel. The same at the back of the quarterberth. Thank you for the attached photos; because of them, I will take a fresh look at the area. I could always remove the bungs and pull the trim out. This would make it look just like what you have. Pat-with the access that you have, do you think that it should be reasonably doable?
One question...you say that you can reach the port side between the hull and strap-what do you mean?
If I had to cut access, I would use access plates, as Loren suggests. I would have to see if they would help by being cut into the faces of the benches, aft of the propane locker. What is really funny is that I'm pretty sure that my previous E28 had access plates in the transom, under the helm seat. Would have made this job a snap!

 

[stobias]

Pat, I realize now that you meant that you were able to put your hand on the port thru-hull and strap (hose clamp?). That sounds encouraging.

 

[SurabyaKid]

I took the pictures to document (because I knew I'd forget) what everything looked like back there. I was multitasking when I wrote the previous reply and had to edit it a couple of times...yes I meant the hose clamp.

I do think the job can be done without resorting to cuting in inspection ports...it may require some stretching or removing of other hoses temporarilly and would definitely be better done on a cool day than a mid-August heavy humidity day.

Pat

 

[Saoirse]

A beast of a job

This is a beast of a job!!!! If your E26 is tiller-steered you may have more elbow room? We have an E26 1987 with wheel steering, thus quadrant, cables and pulleys are all in the space photographed by SurabyaKid. I was able to replace both thru hulls (with bronze fittings) and hoses by removing the side panel to the engine space and aft panel of the quarter berth. I chose bronze fittings to match the diesel exhaust. Like Loren(I think), I did not replace the small plastic discharge vent directly above the main exhaust. Also that Saoirse was on her mooring when we replaced ours made it that much more interesting.
I hope this helps you.
Saoirse E 26 1987 K'port, ME

 

[Saoirse]

This may help:

 

[stobias]

Thank you Pat and Saoirse, If it could be done with the wheel steering in place, I feel much better about my job (tiller steering). And Pat, Your pictures showing how my boat would look if I removed the teak bulkheads around the quarterberth caused me to take a new look at it. This BBS has again been a huge help!!