Reply With QuoteWhat i would do is find a good marine grade double sided tape for the light and run the cable up over the transom neatly than thru the steering cable hole this way u drill zero holes
What’s people’s thoughts in regards to drilling through the transom to run the supply cable for underwater transom LEDs ? I’m guessing it’s always better to not have unnecessary holes under the water line.
My boats fibreglass.
This being the case I’ll go through the transom above the waterline and plug it up with the appropriate sealer, then make it look pretty with one of those stainless cable hood things ( I don’t know their proper name )
Any mounting screws for the LED fixture and cable clips will still need to be sealed up too.
Is this the best way ?
I don’t want to end up with a soggy transom.
Or are my concerns out of date ? Should holes through the transom under the waterline be good with the modern 3M and Sika goop.
Saltwater fishing, boat mad but has a job that gets in the way.
What i would do is find a good marine grade double sided tape for the light and run the cable up over the transom neatly than thru the steering cable hole this way u drill zero holes
Thanks gazza ive never thought of double sided tape ?
Is it really that good ?
The steering lines and all the engine cables are in a sealed flexible conduit from the transom pod to the lower engine cowl so I don’t think I’d want to break into that.
Saltwater fishing, boat mad but has a job that gets in the way.
Got trim tabs.If so get some brackets fabbed up and mount them on the tabs. Can even change the angle a bit then
Thanks scottar but no tabs.
Saltwater fishing, boat mad but has a job that gets in the way.
Even if u put a 4mm hole thru the splash well your not doing any damage i would most definatly avoid the transom hole as u mentioned
Art and craft thin 9-10mm double sided tape is so bloody strong what ever u stick together breaks before the tape gives way so there are super strong tapes out there
Can you not use the same hole for the transducer on one side, then replicate that on the other. if you have one hole through the transom, surely one more won't be a problem if it's sealed the same way!
So get tabs.......problem solved
Don't know of any tape that will last long term under water and out in the weather, might be a silicon that might maybe.
Thanks ericcs, I’ve already added a second transducer cable to the existing transom hole on the starboard side and I definitely remember it being a tight squeeze that time so I don’t think another cable will fit,,,Originally Posted by ericcs
Unless I can get a larger cable hood ( ??? Name of stainless cable protector thingy ???)
I’ll have a go at it, bugger of a job trying to expand an existing hole, but you get that on these jobs ha ha.
See you’ve talked me into it now.
I’ll thank you after the job is complete and I’ve lost skin trying to expand the existing hole ha ha.
Saltwater fishing, boat mad but has a job that gets in the way.
don't just drill a hole and seal it with sika etc
drill the hole a bit bigger and epoxy seal the inside surfaces of the hole so the epoxy soaks in to what ever ply that's in there
use a mix of epoxy and talc or microbeads
then put the wire through and use a sealant
You can buy drill bits that drill sideways mate they are specifically designed for enlarging holes they work on a sawing action the side of the drill bit is like serrated up its shaft
IMO screws on transoms were a 1970-1980's fix for the old timers these days we have a wide variety of options to chose from for fixing stuff to transom's that don't require screws
Today we live in a high tech world and everything is at our finger tips, that light your putting on the transom has no force on it so basically anything will hold it on so long as u do a really good prep job
it will have suction applied to it from the water travelling under the boat an dup at speed this can be quite significant
best way is to glass a block to the transom and screw into that for any transom fixings
yes....most boatbuilders dont do this but....its the most effective way to seal a hole.Sika breaks down and fails over time....but its quick cheap and quite good.If you want to mount something below the waterline...drill an oversize hole back it with tape fill with epoxy let set and then drill a screw hole as required into the epoxy and epoxy or sika if you must the screw.. and sika the transom mating surface there simply should be no pathway for water to enter via the interface between the screw and the epoxy and pass into the transom.If later you want to release the screw just heat it up with a heat gun and that should be enough to soften the epoxy to allow you to unscrew.
Yep this is what I did once I repaired the stern on my boat. 552Evo just make sure you use epoxy as inveratta has said. If you use polyester it will shrink and is not as good at penetrating the timber and will allow water through. When I did the holes for the bungs I hole sawed about 10mm bigger in dia and the holes for the screws I also drilled out over size and filled. Takes a little longer but about the best way to stop the water getting into the timber.
stevej has a good idea also with glassing in blocks for transom fittings. I am in the process of doing this for transducers at present so don't have to worry about water as spent many hours repairing the transom from screw holes done wrong.
Posting Permissions