Repairing eye on front of boat, Help.

[INEEDAV]

Anyone have a good solution other than crawling my 6'5" 220# self into the nose of my boat to replace this eye? I hate to cut the plate out to get to it from the back. Can I get these from RexMar?http://www.***boat.com/image_center/data/506/169000_0270-med.jpg

[Hud]

I used my grandson!! :D

[INEEDAV]

I am willing to pay shipping on him, let me know what it will be to 80863.:D

[P-Money]

We tore the bow eye outta our hyro last summer. We had to cut a hole in the bulkhead and crawl up inside of it. When your up in there be sure to put some sort of extra support on the backside of the eye. Like Hud said, just find some skinny fellow to help you out.

[rrrr]

Originally posted by INEEDAV
I am willing to pay shipping on him, let me know what it will be to 80863.:D
While you have him there he can get those mismatched socks and loose change that are behind the washer and dryer.
:D :D

[DetroitJim]

I had that problem on my flat, ended up drilling a hole in the deck and going in with a swivel socket and a 1 ft. extension. Then I added a small bow light to cover the hole and it looks great.
DJ

[superdave013]

Originally posted by DetroitJim
I had that problem on my flat, ended up drilling a hole in the deck and going in with a swivel socket and a 1 ft. extension. Then I added a small bow light to cover the hole and it looks great.
DJ
Rudy Ramo's boat has a nice sized round anno cover on the deck right up at the front. When I asked about it he said it's to be to the bow eye.
When I had to replace the one in my old Hondo flat I when under the deck. Could not quite get at it so I exhaled and pushed the rest of the way. lol, that was pretty dumb! I was stuck in there until my girlfriend pulled me out by me feet! Then I got the skinny kid down the street to do it.

[Speedin' Ian]

Dragboat Dad and myself ran into the same problem on our Cole TR2. We took a long piece of rebar(spelling?) and welded a t-handle on one end an a swivel on the other end, after we slid the new bow eye on we were able to put the backing piece on by sticking it on the end of our extension with a piece of tape and slipping it on the bow eye. After that we lightly taped the nuts onto the end of our extension and tightened them down. Not easy but a lot better than cutting up the boat

[Snowboat]

Billy, I can get in there. Take the seats out, go in arms first, have the wife knowed up on tooling, and slither. If the hole is covered and too small, cut it a little bigger and then make a new glassed cover. Tool list on request (for a one trip effort), saves the marriage.

[INEEDAV]

http://www.***boat.com/image_center/data/520/169000_0271-med.jpg
Here is what I have to work with, I guess worst case scenario if I get in there and get stuck go ape $hit and stand straight up through the deck I will have some damn funny photos to post.:)

[P-Money]

That looks like a nice little spot to try to fit in! Before we fixed ours from the inside, this so-called "professional" recommended cutting an "access hole" in the deck of our freshly painted hydro. This access hole would be about 6" across and be covered by this cheap, piece of shit plastic lid-looking thing that looked like it came off a Bayliner. After that, we decided to fix in on our own.

[INEEDAV]

I am gonna try to get in there tonight, should be good. I will have my wife record this while I am trying to get in there. Should be interesting.
SI, thanks for the tip, I took a cheap 3/8 extension and a piece of pipe. I now have a 6' extension that I can put my wobble sockets on. Worth a shot before I start slithering.

[Sangerboy]

I had an experience similar to SD's, was able to get in but had trouble getting out:( Took some skin off around my lower ribcage. The next time I had #2 daughter Katelin (14 at the time) go in and was a piece of cake for her. Rewarded her with a new pair of inline skates:D Everyone was happy(no pieces of self left on sharp edges)

[21rayson]

Originally posted by INEEDAV
I am gonna try to get in there tonight, should be good. I will have my wife record this while I am trying to get in there. Should be interesting.
SI, thanks for the tip, I took a cheap 3/8 extension and a piece of pipe. I now have a 6' extension that I can put my wobble sockets on. Worth a shot before I start slithering. here,s a tip when using wobbley sockets or swivles wrap black tape around the joints it helps them from flopping around. to keep the nut from falling out of the socket use a little of silicone.

[INEEDAV]

First attemt at whole entry. Ended in anger :mad: , blood, and a small bump on my head. I did find the name of the individual that built the boat under the deck, so it wasn't a wasted trip in there. Looks like I may have to do a little trimming on it, damn it.

[DetroitJim]

Hey sdave why don't you hook him up with your top secret double bow eye setup.....

[RaysonKid]

Originally posted by INEEDAV
Anyone have a good solution other than crawling my 6'5" 220# self into the nose of my boat to replace this eye? I hate to cut the plate out to get to it from the back. Can I get these from RexMar?http://www.***boat.com/image_center/data/506/169000_0270-med.jpg
Hey, I had to crawl my 6'4" 210# frame underneath the deck of 72 superlites Sanger. Its really fun doing fiberglass work in that small confine.
WEAR A RESPERATOR. ..:eek: :eek!:
Sucks being the smallest at the time..:D

[FlatUgly]

I had the same prob with my Rayson Craft, cut a small hole under the dash taped every exstension i had together and taped an LED pen light on the end took a little while but I got it with little damage, no pain and no blood

[smalls]

Is the collar/nut on the bow eye stripped? If not just tread it back on???

[ACCEPTENCE]

Make the cuts, do the crawl and ifin ya get stuck...call the fire dept. They'll be glade to cut you out;)

[INEEDAV]

Small Tte threads were fine, it screwed back on. I still had to get in under the deck to tighten it up because the nuts on the back side had backed off quite a bit. Got my upper body in, much to the delight of my laughing wife, and used a 36"extension and wobble socket to run it down tight.
Billy

[Fiat48]

Might be a good time to go over all the bolts on the boat. Specially that steering gear, rudder, etc.

[BGMAN203]

I second what Fiat said. Do what I call a "bolt check". Take all the tools needed into the boat with you and start at the nose of the boat and work all the way back to the transom, make sure they are all tight and in good condition.
Also take a good look at that chain. It looks rusty in that pic. When I did the resto job on my boat, my chain was rusty. I was able to clean it up and use it, but it almost spelled disaster for me last spring at Parker. I made a speed run in front of the beach, while I was letting off the chain snapped, I lost all steering. Lucky for me the boat went straight, instead of a hard right or left. Anyways, the chain continued to rust, and eventually broke at one of the links. After closer inspection all the links were cracking and ready to break. Glenwood and Rex Marine sell that chain real cheap. If it were me I would just change it and not have to worry about it.
Brian

[058]

I sent my wife under the deck...:D

[Snowboat]

While you are at it. I would take a piece of heavy nechanics wire and go between the cable clamps and through the chain, a couple of links up. That way if the end link breaks, or the loop on the cable goes, you won't.

[INEEDAV]

Pulled the v-drive out last night to put new bearings and seals in it. I found one loose bolt that connects the drive shaft at the v-drive end and both set screws were loose on the input shaft coupler. I think a boat wide check for loose bolts is definately in the cards. The chain has seen better days and will be replaced.
Is the seal on the shaft as simple as it looks? Just a seal placed in a piece of hose that is held on with hose clamps.
Thank you all for the suggestions.

[SUI-CY-COLE]

i had the d-ring break on my cole and i had to take the bulkhead completely out repair the problem with a reinforcement plate and reglassed the bulkhead back in..its good as new now....i wouldnt even think about cutting a hole in the deck to repair one...goodluck!

[hondo sanger]

good form, i haft to tighten up my bow eye 74 hondo r.b. whole bow is filed with styrofome. hole to get in is real small. i am big fat ass. so i think i am going to make hole bigger. cut out foam.
not looking forward to dowing this job. let know how i do .

[V-DRIVE VIDEO]

I tunnelled the foam out of a 74 Hondo once, definately no fun. Two big obstacles... small access hole in the bulk head and the center (front to back) bulkhead leaving only one side to work in.
When the bow eye broke on my 75 Hondo (also foam filled deck, and an access hole big enough for your arm) I was 30 min from Parker and didn't want to tow it all the way back home broken.
I wasn't about to tunnell out the deck and replace the bulk head in million degree heat also ruinning my weekend. I probably couldn't have finished it in the timeframe of my trip anyways.
I cut the dreaded deck hole, fixed the bow eye and glassed in the same circle (after removing the edge for fill area) I had just taken out.
If my deck wasn't 1/2 of an inch thick, or if I had a decent paint job, I may have just strapped her down tight drug her home and made the tunnell later.
At the races its common to see an aluminum cover where they too, cut the "dreaded Hole". :mad:

[superdave013]

Originally posted by INEEDAV
I think a boat wide check for loose bolts is definately in the cards. The chain has seen better days and will be replaced.
Is the seal on the shaft as simple as it looks? Just a seal placed in a piece of hose that is held on with hose clamps.
Thank you all for the suggestions.
You should do that bolt check thing alot. I used to give the bolts a quick once over when I was cleaning and polishing. Pretty much every time I drove it.
Seal is as simple as it seems. Look a little closer and you'll see the seal is held in the housing with a snap ring. Prolly can get one at your local bearing supply place for a buck or 2.

[hondo sanger]

day
#1 i used a pruning saw w/ long pole to cut out styro foam. now i am resting today. i plan on cutting dash brace to make hole big enough to get in. my wife is small but she has big tits. so i cant use here. i have couple gradkids i can try. in the end i will haft to do it. i will have wife stand by to call 911. let you guys know how i do. also is their a bow eye with bolts on outside. so as next time
all i haft to do is tighten them up? cya AL

[Hud]

lol's, loctite them!

[Picklefork]

I talked to a guy once who was driving home from the lake on the freeway. His trailor did a little bucking and then he noticed someone comming up fast on his right. It was his boat. In heavy traffic. Bow eye had broken. Said he started praying hard! Please!! Do not let that SOB hit anyone.

[hondo sanger]

three days digging got their, cut bulkhead bigger now some one small enought to get up to bow eye. after four different people.
grand son was the guy. bought bow eye with nuts on out side
in case it ever needs tighting again. locked tight out side nuts also inside, then put lock nuts on. glased wood back in. so my friends!!!!! that bastard job is done . AL