I'm in the process of readying an 89 H16 for the '02 season. It's a new boat for me and I've got 4 gudgeon screws that are stripped out. Someone in the boats past has installed 5/16 od helicoils in the holes but even they have let go. Any ideas on how to quickly and effectively repair this?

The easiest way would be to overdrill the hole a bit and tap it for a larger diameter screw. Problem is, you may already be overdrilled due to the helicoil repair. See what you can do on this score, you might be able to enlarge the holes in the gudgeons to take a larger diameter screw.



Other than that, installing a port behind the tramp would give you hand access to through-bolt it. Just make sure you seal things well.

You Didn't say Whether the stripped screws were on just one side or gudgeon.



If not, and they are distributed a bit, then you might look into the

aluminum one peice gudgeons sold by Hobie. They have 8 holes per gudgeon,

which might give you a little extra lee-way. You might be able to drill new

holes and seal up the stripped ones.



These die-cast one piece gudgeons require a little fitting and dremel work,

but might be worth it in your situation.

Doug from Murray's has convinced me that installing the port is the way to go as the through bolt is superior in strenth and allows for inspection etc. I've got the ports on the way, 4" dia. actually made for the front of an H14 but I'm told will fit the back of the H16. Obviously you have to be able to reach the transom from the port to start and run the nuts. Any idea on how far from the transom the port should be located??

I think the only structure you need to avoid would be located near the tramp post - you might want to verify that. I would try to put it in a location that will give you access and could also be used for storage while sailing (hopefully you also ordered some fat bags to fit in the ports to hold junk) - two birds with one stone. Also, location may depend on the width and flatness of the deck in the area. Hobies usually have foam blocks in the hulls for flotation, but I don't think they are placed aft of the tramp.

heres a couple of off the wall ways to approach filling the holes. #1 ever seen those little umbrellas that they put in exotic drinks like mai tais? get some of those. maybe trim them so the diameter of the open umbrella is 1" or so. insert into the hole, back it up till it opens, then pack around the stem with epoxy paste (marine tex is good) until you think you have a little mushroom of epoxy backed up against the inside wall of the transom.( i would try this on a piece of thin plywood or illustration board for practice.) let it set, then drill (tap) for screws. #2 okay heres a real off the wall solution. get a six pack of beer, two friends, epoxy paste as above, a glue syringe (hardware stores with west system epoxy have them) and some masking tape. stand the boat upright with the bow in the air against a tree, building, or whatever, get the boat vertical bows up. have your friends lift the boat while you use the syringe to squirt the epoxy paste up into the holes. use enough so that it puddles some inside the boat. tape off the holes so the glue doesnt run out . set the boat down (still as vertical as possible) tie or prop the boat so it wont fall and come back when the glue left over in the mixing pot firms up. remember that epoxy needs clean dry surfaces to adhere. tap for screws after it sets up hard 24 hours. wacky or what!

The best part of both solutions is the fact that you've included alcohol or alcohol paraphernalia in both. A + for creativity. I'm going to try the ports.

The port will be taking the place of a piece of deck once installed. You want it located in a place that will not see a lot of stress. I think mid way between the tramp post and the transom, or a little aft of mid way, would be best.



Walk through how you are going to do the repair. A 4 inch port is not very big. I excect you won't be able to get more than your forearm through. Enlist the help of a kid or small woman if you need more "reach" inside the hull or, perhaps, do the gudgeon repair before completing the port installation.

Best solution is the 4" access port 6-8" forward of the back transom. The 4" port is really a bigger hole than 4 inches, so it is easy to get socket wrench in to hold the nut while tightening from the outside. Ports are great to have, just so you can really air out the boat when on trailer and sitting. catsail.com has good article on installing the ports.