So my Solcat 18 portholes finally gave way this past weekend after many silicone repairs. i went to the local marine thinking it would be a simple fix, old out new in. nope... the employee at the marine said that ony 2 sizes exist 4 inch or 5 inch. as 5 is too big and 4 too small, the solcat must be 4.5! i cant just cut the fibreglass hole wider as one side of the hole is right against the daggerboard slot.
should i try and fibreglass over the hole then cut out a smaller hole for the 4'? or was the marine lying about only the 2 sizes existing?
any ideas how i couuld fix it?

Thanks!

and by protholes i mean the porthole covers.

What is the cut out size?
The 4 inch Viking port has a cutout size of 4.5 inches.
http://www.apsltd.com/c-4513-inspectionports.aspx

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Ron
Nacra F18
Reservoir Sailing Assn.
Brandon, Mississippi
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Yes the cutout size is 4.5 inches. now, any idea if i should get the Viking Inspection Ports or the RWO Screw Thread Inspection Port?
they both have a cut out diameter of 4.5 but i cant really see a difference. any idea?

thanks for the help!

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Will
Solcat 18
Toronto Ont
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RWO's are 4.25
Viking's are 4.5

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Ron
Nacra F18
Reservoir Sailing Assn.
Brandon, Mississippi
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I'm way late posting on this but just in case your still fiddling with this issue, I have two options for you. 1. I have my old inspection port covers from my Sol Cat and their yours if you want them. 2. Just buy the 5" models and cut out a larger hole. I just refinished my boat and without doing a detailed measure I went ahead and ordered the 5" model from Salty dog (oops!) To use them I just biased my cut away from the dagger boards and cut away the opposite side. Easy to do with jig saw and fine tooth blade. The deck is plenty big for the marginaly larger ports. Now the fittings are re-bedded and secured through fresh holes in the fiberglass, and best of all, I can now get some Fat Bags for the boat!

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Jeremy Hales
1974 SOLCAT 18
Salem, OR
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thanks for the reply, i bought the viking port holes for my local marine and they fit perfectly! just put them in added a bit of silicone to make it water tight and away we went!

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Will Schwan
1976 SOLCAT 18
Toronto Ontario
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Nice, glad you found some that worked. To bad your so far north, I've been dying to meet someone with a SOLCAT in the area so I can check out their setup and compare notes. Hope the weather is being good to you up there!

Cheers,

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Jeremy Hales
1974 SOLCAT 18
Salem, OR
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