We splashed today after working in the yard for a few months and I noticed some weeping from the centerboard thru hull around the bronze nut at the base of the thru hull. I searched through the forums and didn't find a lot of information on how to replace/reseal the thru hull. My thought is this was leaking before we hauled, we just didn't catch it because I thought water in the area was from the anchor locker.
1. Does the centerboard have to be removed to replace the thru hull or am I going to have to remove it to get access to the top of the box if I am blocked high enough. I just had the board out and repaired it, so removing and replacing wouldn't be too bad and that would probably be the best way to do it.
2. Can you replace the thru hull without removing the mast? I'm confused on how you would get the hose back on the thru hull and the stainless steel tube since there isn't much room there. I'm thinking maybe I could just push the hose further back on the stainless tube to get some room for a new hose and then slide it back down to get it on the thru hull.
3. Is the fitting just a mushroom thru hull sealed with sealant. I've seen some posts talking about this fitting being glassed into the hull. One post mentioned the sides were ground down to fit in the trunk can anyone confirm?
4. I believe the thru hull is 1 inch. Has anyone seen any different sizes?
5. How would you clean the area inside of the centerboard box so you can get a good seal with the new thru hull? Seems like access would be an issue. Does it make sense to cut a hole inside of the top of the boat in the raised section in the floor right in front of it to get access to the thru hull?
Here is a video so you can see the leak in a bit more detail
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-o8Bk-KSVe8I'm thinking we are going to have to haul back out to take care of this in the next few days.
Bummer that this is going to be a round trip back into the yard.