Stringer Limber hole repair 23' inboard

[Yachtie]

currently working away at replacing leaking fuel tanks on my 23' inboard.

Pulled my tanks and found the route cause to the hole in my tank was from a limber hole weeping water on my tank. (Not foamed in)

The limber hole was pretty poorly sealed, and it was just a rubber hose running through the stringer so unfortunately my stringer is Pretty water logged.

I understand the point of the hole, guess it was original potters design, and it seems to be the only way water in the outer most bilge sections can drain to center bilge.


I drilled a couple 2" holes in the stringer to drain, have a fan blowing on it to dry out.

But what's a good fix for the limber hole. Do I keep it? Seal it? What have you guys done? Looks like the port side did get sealed closed at some point but there is standing water in the outter bilge due to it being sealed shut.

Here a some pics referring to holes in question.

[Old'sCool]

Mine have pic pipe through them

[Basketcase]

While redoing the stringers on my 20, I cut a section off a hollow fiberglass shovel handle and glassed it in the hole. Worked out well. You may drain the standing water out of that stringer, but no amount of fanning will "dry" it out, unfortunately. Once that foam takes water, it doesn't like to give it back.

[Islandtrader]

Originally Posted by Yachtie

But what's a good fix for the limber hole. Do I keep it? Seal it? What have you guys done? Looks like the port side did get sealed closed at some point but there is standing water in the outter bilge due to it being sealed shut.

Here a some pics referring to holes in question.

What I did is soaked some glass mat(10 oz)in epoxy formed inside the limber hole..when it dried I then ground off flush.

[Yachtie]

Originally Posted by Basketcase

While redoing the stringers on my 20, I cut a section off a hollow fiberglass shovel handle and glassed it in the hole. Worked out well. You may drain the standing water out of that stringer, but no amount of fanning will "dry" it out, unfortunately. Once that foam takes water, it doesn't like to give it back.

That's what I figure. Also seams to be a big glob of foam on the outside of those stringers, in the outter bilge. Assuming it was out there for deck support? It's soaked as well.

Wish I had the budget to pull the decks and deal with the wet foam, but not in the cards right now.

[wattaway2]

I used a pc. Of old fiberglass outrigger and opened up inside to allow for potter putty/ epoxy mix. Same technique only with fishing poles where I needed to thru bolt thru the stringers provided something solid to tighten down to with out chance of cracking stringer and collapsing the foam