What was I thinking?

[workinprogress]

I did something really stupid. I installed my livewell inpump a few months ago. It was one of the first things I mounted on my j16. I got the hole saw close to the floor of the boat and went at it. Complete, total lack of forethought and preplanning went in to this particular blunder. I immediately looked at the hole from the outside of the transom and thought, man the bottom of the hull sure is thick. I've never even had the boat in the water, but judging from my old j14 and pictures of other people's j16s in the water, my hole is just about at the waterline. Bigtime bonehead move. I can see me going to the bow to help my son land a fish and the pump running dry--not a good thing. I have since mounted the pump in the sump and have a 3/4" hole that needs patching.

While researching the topic here I took some comfort in noting how many people were quick to chime in with "I did something like that once" stories, but I still cringe when I see that damn hole. I read lots of good advice in NCbowfisher's thread, and was really impressed with a picture tutorial by dwilliamskeg, but still don't feel prepared to tackle this hole. I'm ready to do 15 stages of meticulous, painstaking work if that's what it takes to fix it the way I want to--like it was never there.

Here's what I think I am going to do. Cut a wood plug with a hole saw to fill the middle of the hole. (sized to leave about 1/4" between the plug and both outer and inner edges of the hull. I'm thinking about using Marine-Tex on the inside of the boat. I have used it to patch small bolt holes in the j14 after I removed the front deck before I got rid of that boat, and it matches the interior surface nicely. I have some chopped strand mat and polyester resin leftover from when I glassed in my livewells, and I think I will use that to build up to slightly less than flush with the outer edge of the hull.

Here's where I get lost. I don't know anything about gelcoat. What kind of material should I use and what is the technique for getting a finish that blends in with the finish of the outer hull?

If you can identify any flaws in my plan, please do. Thanks for the help.

[seacrets]

I'd use a hardwood (that's a must) dowel and two part epoxy. Recess the plug so you can finish w/ gel coat. Just my $.02.

[NOTHING ELSE MATTERS]

Workinprogress, instead of pluging the hole, you can do a few things with it.For starters, you can use it as an exit on a second gilge pump, or if your bilge pump exit is up high as mine, take the hose from there and put it in the new hole with a new fitting, or put a new fitting there with a 90 degree elbow on the inside and run a piece of hose higher than the water line and plug the hose.Having an extra "hole" is not always a bad thing. ;D;D;D;D;D;D

[FLboy3]

Most of our boats have holes in about the same location as your new hole. There for the self bailing for water in the boat. But most of us use a plug to plug the holes mostly because these boats don't self bail very good. Why not use it for that, and just use a plug. Just a thought.....D