TOPIC: Backup block for bow eye question

I am replacing the bow eye on my 1959 Whitehouse 14.
I have a wood block cut to the rough shape of the inside of the bow, to reinforce the area.
My question is, should the block be glassed in or not?
I want to put some thickened epoxy between the hull and block, to fill the gaps, as I know the block, doesn't fit the rough inside of the hull, perfectly.
I'm thinking of waxing up the block real good, so the epoxy doesn't stick to it, and the block will be able to be removed if needed.
I made the block out of mahogany, so it should last.
How is this normally done?
Thanks for any advise.

I have found that it is best to glass these blocks in. Set the block to where you want it and then use a long old bolt to first hold it in position until the resin sets up. Remove temp bolt and install the new bow eye bolt into the hole with plenty of thick resin to seal it up. Glass over the inside of the block and end of bolt with some regular resin and cloth. The reason I do it this way is because you would be surprised at how easy it is for water to come in through this area. And you nead a good pulling point if you ever need to be towed in. Also there is alot of stress on this point while towing your boat. Alittle over kill here woun't hurt. Skip.

pirate,

i agree with "skipthescrounger" EXCEPT that his method MAY (and i emphazie MAY) cause you to have "one H of a time" getting the OLD bolt out of the hole, to put the permanent one IN. - it takes about 2 "drops" of epoxy to stick it in-place REALLY good.

if you want my advice, GREASE the old bolt well, before inserting it in the hole AND put 2/3 layers of WAXED PAPER between the "thickened epoxy" & the block, so that you CAN get it out if you ever need to.

yours, satx

I've had an ill-fitting, loose pine block, roughly shaped to the contour of the boat, behind my Falls Flyer's bow eye since 1977. Based on this real world experience of half a lifetime, I'll say it really doesn't matter what is back there or if it is secured by anything but the bolt tension, as long as it won't pull through the hole.

The bow eye, i'm installing is a "U" shaped, 3/8" type, bow eye.

I think I will wax the block good, wrap the bow eye threads, with wax paper. Then use the bow eye to clamp the block to the hull, with thickened epoxy, between them. I would cut off the wax paper enough to thread nuts on.
If I put sealer under the pad of the bow eye, and around the threads, closest to the pad, just before I tighten it the last 1/2", I think I would leave the wax paper there, and call it done.
The bow eye, should be able to pull right out, and the block should be able to be knocked off easily, if needed in the future.

Anyone see anything bad with this ideas?
Doing any glass work, inside the bow, will be hard. It's all I can do to reach in to put the block in.

You might consider using oak or ash for the block. A softer wood might have a tendency to crush and colapse over time, just a thought.

Millionbubble,

imVho, i'd use OAK, as it's cheap & will probably outlast the hull in a sheltered location.

yours, satx

I can muddy up this even more. The strongest bow eye anchor I have seen is on my 1960 Harvey. They did not use wood to back up the tow eye, they used roving and resin. It appears that they cut a 4" strip of Roving about 24" long. They simply folded it over & over - back and forth on itself. Sort of like a sandwich. You could do the same thing - the tricky part would be installing it so the roving is compressed into the hull.

Prep the hull by cleaning with acetone. Cut out the strip of roving. Dip it in a shallow pan, perhaps a used pie tin or aluminum foil baking pan. (I've used a frisbee - the cured resin remaining will fall out of the frisbee when you bend it) Take your V block and cover it with clear plastic packing tape. Take the saturated roving and fold it back & forth on itself till it is looking like a small pile of napkins. Slap it into position, then press the V block into it. While holding the block, have someone on the outside of the boat run a drywall screw into the wood V block using the existing hole in the bow. The screw will need a washer unter the head to prevent it from pulling through the bolt hole. Watch out for the screw as it is drilled into position - you don't need any extra holes in your hands. Draw the screw up snug - don't over tighten it. Clean up your mess while the glass cures. The next day, remove the deck/drywall screw. Take a hammer & pop the wood block out. The plastic tape will allow it to release from the glass. Drill the correct size hole for the bolt. Install the bow eye backing the nut up with a flatwasher & lockwasher. It will NEVER pull through, and there will be no wood in there to shrink & loosen.

Your mahogany is likely not as rot resistant as you think. True mohogany is almost extinct and the replacement is not very rot resistant. I used the heart wood of White Oak for mine. It is very rot resistant and dense so it will not crush. Just a thought.

What I have done for the Glastron is that I laminated 3 pieces of 3/4" plywood together, creating a 2-1/4" thick piece. I shaped it roughly to the hull contour of the hull and drilled the holes. I am covering it with several layers of epoxy to protect it. The plan is to seal it in place with 4200 (not 5200). I've got a good bearing surface with a lot more contact than a single thickness piece plus I think it will probably last a good long time. I also plan to use fender washers on the bolts.

My 58 MFG has the wood bedded with fiberglass but not over it. It has a full wooden interior keel. I never had it off because it is in good shape but I did take the nut off and installed this to tie my anchor rope on. I thought i had a newer better pic. This one is old. My boat now has a fore deck on it.

This is how the factory did it on our Manta Ray.

Leaving the corners of the 2x4 wood block exposed and in a spot that collects water was not good. The wood was worm food by the time I got it.

To repair I cut out the FG straps and ground flush. Laminated 2 scrap pieces of 3/4" PVC sheet with epoxy. Covered bolt hole in hull with a piece of clear packing tape(exterior side). Thickened up some epoxy, buttered one side and clamped in place. I also added some backer board around it, nothing to do with bow eye. When cured I removed clamps. Thickened some more epoxy and added 1/4" chopped FG and covered the block. When cured drilled hole.

Some things to pay attention to. Make sure your blocks inside surface is parallel with the outside surface of the hull so the washer will make full contact when tight. For the same reason when you drill the hole make it 90 degrees to the hull surface. Just like when drilling holes in your transom, seal the wood inside the hole.

Ditto on Tey1967. White oak is best for the backing. Go to any cabinet shop and they will probably give you a scrap chunk free. I get garbage cans full of the stuff for kindling. DO NOT glass the entire piece over. If water gets in there it needs to drain out and dry up otherwise no matter what type of wood you use will rot over time. I've replaced many pieces of laminated plywood because it crushes from use and separates. IMHO
Cal