i want to add ports to help keep my hulls dry. all the hobies i've seen have added ports in front of the front pylons. my crew likes to sit there sometimes so i am considering adding them to the area between the pylons. my hulls are still hard so repair of the common soft spots in front of the pylons is not an issue yet. i would like to read some discussion of pros and cons of port locations before i start cutting on my hulls. any suggestions?
marsh hawk
Marsh,
I am a huge fan of port holes. I have at least one on each hull on all my boats except my new 14. I am not sure what kind of boat you have but since you mentioned pylons I assume it is a 16 or a 14. The problem with putting it between the pylons is it is sometimes hard to access. If you want to look inside it can be difficult to look down and see. Also if you have one of those hand pumps it will be hard to get the right angle to get it on the actual bottom of the hull. You can put them forward of the front crossbar and just have your crew sit on them. They should not crack unless the hull around it is soft, in which case it would crack anyways. Another good place is to put it behind the rear pylons like under the tiller assemblies. This one would have to be on the small size but its perfect for putting your hand in and sponging out. It is good for when a boat is on cat trax or tilted back. Just make sure you put plenty of silicone on it when your putting it on or you will have to take it off and re-do it. If you try to put it on around the edges it rarely stays. Make sure you are using a curved one if the deck is curved or a flat one if the deck is flat.
-Todd
Marsh,
on the wire
magazine has a great article on hull ports. Look in the archieves I forget what month it was but it talks about the pros and cons of the different locations and it also has a step by step with pictures instruction guide. Good luck -Peter