Hole in the hull

[magpie patrick]

A small one, and well above the waterline,  but a hole nevertheless. 

 

Juno is GRP, about 35 years old, no other signs of distress. Is there a GRP weevil local to Somerset? Can I  expect more holes? This is near the back, on the left/port side, Internally it's in the battery compartment. 

 

Thoughts?

 

 

[Alan de Enfield]

4 minutes ago, magpie patrick said:

no other signs of distress.

 

 

No signs of crazing or star-cracks in the gel coat ?

Is there any deformation on the inside (flakes / strands pushed inwards) ?

Is it a perfectly round hole ?

Size of hole ?

Edited March 26, 2022 by Alan de Enfield

[Tony Brooks]

Battery compartment ventilation/drain but you have just noticed it?

 

Did it ever have a rubbing band or corner fender fitted there so a blocked up screw/bolt hole where the filler used to block it has fallen out?

[1st ade]

1 minute ago, Tony Brooks said:

Battery compartment ventilation/drain but you have just noticed it

Beat me to it...

[magpie patrick]

There are three holes where the corner fender should be - this is a fourth. There's never been an external fitting here in my ownership. It may be as you say that I've only just noticed or that the previous owner plugged the hole and the plug has fallen out.

 

To answer AdE questions, it looks drilled, it's big enough for the prong of a meter probe but not the shaft.

 

There are other far bigger holes for ventilation! 

 

Nothing to worry about then, unless my neighbour is drilling them... 😮😄

[Alan de Enfield]

2 minutes ago, magpie patrick said:

To answer AdE questions, it looks drilled, it's big enough for the prong of a meter probe but not the shaft.

 

 

Have you upset anyone ?

 

Could it be .177" or .22" diameter ?

[magpie patrick]

You suggesting I'm being shot at? I have occasionally upset the odd person here but I don't think they'd be that subtle... 

 

But yes it is about that size! 

[magpie patrick]

I thought I'd attached pictures of the hole but I hadn't 

[ditchcrawler]

I worked with a chap who drilled a row of holes in the bottom of another chaps boat, it wasn't in the water at the time. I can't remember what the magistrate said about it

2 minutes ago, magpie patrick said:

I thought I'd attached pictures of the hole but I hadn't 

 I wonder if the previous owner had some wonderful idea of hanging an anode in the water and that is where the wire went out?

[Tracy D'arth]

Looks deliberately drilled to me.

[Tony Brooks]

18 minutes ago, Tracy D'arth said:

Looks deliberately drilled to me.

 

Agreed and judging by the flaking of the gel-coat it was drilled from the inside to the outside.

[magpie patrick]

2 hours ago, ditchcrawler said:

I worked with a chap who drilled a row of holes in the bottom of another chaps boat, it wasn't in the water at the time. I can't remember what the magistrate said about it

I can't imagine the magistrate said anything kind

2 hours ago, Tracy D'arth said:

Looks deliberately drilled to me.

 

2 hours ago, Tony Brooks said:

 

Agreed and judging by the flaking of the gel-coat it was drilled from the inside to the outside.

Okay so someone in the past for some reason has wanted a hole there. Do I worry about it? Is filling urgent? Pointless? Or something to do "when I get round to it "? 

[Alan de Enfield]

1 minute ago, magpie patrick said:

Okay so someone in the past for some reason has wanted a hole there. Do I worry about it? Is filling urgent? Pointless? Or something to do "when I get round to it "? 

 

It doesn't look to have affected the structural integrity, if not anywhere near the waterline just fill it with some 'plastic-padding' filler next time you have a batch mixed up.

[David Mack]

When Fulbourne was converted in the 1960s, holes were drilled in the upper part of the hull for bolts which held angle iron frames which in turn supported the wooden cabin roof. When the boat was deconverted in the 80s the holes were just left and are still there today.

Now you can lie in bed in the windowless under-cloth camping fitout and just about see what is going on outside.

And on sunny days you get a nice upside down pinhole camera image on the opposite side of the hull!

 

[Tony Brooks]

Tape a piece of acetate film over the outside and fill from the inside. While you push filler in from the inside massage the film so the filler ends up flush with the gel-coat and nice and smooth.

 

A really posh job would be to countersink both sides so the filler could not fall out.

[Slim]

A really short term fix (if you're concerned) would be a round head set screw with the nut on the inside and washers as appropriate

[Awayonmyboat]

There is no GRP dust on the inside so that rules out you having upset the neighbours enough that they are attacking your boat with a drill. It's probably been there all your ownership and you just have not noticed it - it is amazing how good the brain is at filtering things so that you see only what you expect to see/want to see.

[Murflynn]

just fill it with any old car body filler and get on with your life.

 

Torque about a storm in a teacup!

[Dinz]

Was the previous owner a DIY expert?