General question on drilling through transom

[AUMike99]

I am installing a TurboSwing Ski Tow Bar on my 2019 Fisherman 216. The installation requires that I drill a hole through the transom to support the stainless steel bracket. I've never drilled through a boat. Pretty straightforward installation but before I drill I wanted to see if anyone had any words of caution? Does the transom have any metal for strength reinforcement that I might encounter when drilling? The instructions say to add sealant (non-PVC, non-silicon) into the newly drilled hole which makes sense. Installing "standard" as shown in photo. Thanks in advance!

 

[glacierbaze]

Some GW’s have aluminum plates in the transom. Your best bet there is to call Grady White customer service.(252) 752-2111
Standard, as shown in photo, is mounted to the engine, bracket, not to the transom. Either way, it is a low mounting point for a tow rope, especially a ski rope. The trend over the years has been to get the rope higher, onto a pylon, or an arch, for anything but tubing.

 

[AUMike99]

Thanks for your reply glacierbaze. I realized that photo is not a good one. It does require a hole to be drilled through the transom. A different view would illustrate better. While this tow bar installs here, it is angled in such a way that it is a good bit higher once installed. The product simply takes advantage of the sturdiness of the engine bracket. Appreciate the heads up on the potential for metal inside!

 

[AUMike99]

Here are some pics

 

[glacierbaze]

That picture explains it better, you are just adding a second bolt in the upper engine mount. I doubt there is a plate that high, they usually support a knee brace to the stringer, but don’t take my word for it, it’s a free call to Grady White.
Drill from the outside in, to make sure the hole lines up, and use a plate, or a large washer on the inside, and don’t over tighten and compress the skin on the transom.

 

[AUMike99]

Yes, just a second hole. Thanks.

 

[PointedRose]

I think ideally you drill, then coat the inside of the hole with epoxy, then if needed, redrill after it sets up. Then use sealant for the install. Tape around the fixture to keep the area clean, apply sealant so there is a little extruding and gets air bubbles out but not so tight to squeeze out all the sealant. Let it set up overnight and then tighten down the next day after it’s mostly set up. Use throw away gloves throughout. Peel back the tape and trim excess sealant with a utility knife if needed.

one other thing is you can coat the bolt before it goes in with tef-gel to prevent electrolysis between dissimilar metals (alum/ss). Get the smallest package since you won’t need much.

minor edit - countersink the drill hole to prevent cracking of the gel coat

 

[AUMike99]

Great input PointedRose. Thank you.

by the way, there is metal. I drilled through no issue but encountered a thin plate of metal.

 

[Mustang65fbk]

I probably would've just gotten a ski rope that has the two attachment points to the boat and then the one for the ski handle that are like $20 on Amazon, either that or added a ski pylon and called it a day. But if that's the route that you want to go then by all means good luck with it.

https://www.amazon.com/AIRHEAD-Tow-Harness-12-ft/dp/B000ZYCLHG/ref=asc_df_B000ZYCLHG/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=198070526115&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=15907457160360315372&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9033364&hvtargid=pla-379255527830&psc=1

 

[DennisG01]

Turbo Swings are fantastic - you made a good choice - they do EXACTLY what they say they do and are SUPER strong. I like the quick disconnect feature, too - although likely you won't need to do that much.

Yes, as you are surmising, installation is as easy as it sounds. Generally, it would be great to slightly oversize the hole and fill with epoxy then re-drill... but that's not really practical unless you have a lift to easily pull the engine off. In lieu of that, use a pipe cleaner to repeatedly coat the inside of the drilled hole a couple times. Just be careful not to drip much down between the engine bracket and hull as you don't want to epoxy the bracket to the hole!

If you can't do that, don't worry. Smear the inside of the hole with a good sealant like LifeSeal then put some on the shaft of the bolt and twist a little as you insert it. Bolt it up and go skiing!

 

[AUMike99]

Turbo Swings are fantastic - you made a good choice - they do EXACTLY what they say they do and are SUPER strong. I like the quick disconnect feature, too - although likely you won't need to do that much.

Yes, as you are surmising, installation is as easy as it sounds. Generally, it would be great to slightly oversize the hole and fill with epoxy then re-drill... but that's not really practical unless you have a lift to easily pull the engine off. In lieu of that, use a pipe cleaner to repeatedly coat the inside of the drilled hole a couple times. Just be careful not to drip much down between the engine bracket and hull as you don't want to epoxy the bracket to the hole!

If you can't do that, don't worry. Smear the inside of the hole with a good sealant like LifeSeal then put some on the shaft of the bolt and twist a little as you insert it. Bolt it up and go skiing!

I agree! Super pleased with the installation and the functionality of the TurboSwing. It's nice that you can adjust the height too. Any height (other than the very lowest height) works with the Fisherman 216 even with the swim platforms. Used it for hours today to pull my daughter and her friend. As you say, super sturdy and the quick disconnect will be nice when I use my boat for its primary purpose of fishing. I used a good sealant and didn't epoxy.

 

[grady33]

Anytime I drill a hole in the boat, I make it a tiny bit larger and then fill with epoxy and the after it cures come back and drill the hole I wanted down the middle. Help keeps the moisture out!

 

[DennisG01]

Anytime I drill a hole in the boat, I make it a tiny bit larger and then fill with epoxy and the after it cures come back and drill the hole I wanted down the middle. Help keeps the moisture out!

The job is already done

But look at where he is drilling the hole. He'd have to remove the engine to do that. While the method we've mentioned (oversize drilling, filling with epoxy) is a "best practice" thing, in reality it's not necessary. Properly sealing (and resealing when necessary) is perfectly fine.

 

[grady33]

The job is already done

But look at where he is drilling the hole. He'd have to remove the engine to do that. While the method we've mentioned (oversize drilling, filling with epoxy) is a "best practice" thing, in reality it's not necessary. Properly sealing (and resealing when necessary) is perfectly fine.

Yeah I saw that. Just figured I reiterate it in case someone else needs similar help. It’s the resealing part (when needed) that gets overlooked and causes issues down the road.

 

[DennisG01]

Yeah I saw that. Just figured I reiterate it in case someone else needs similar help. It’s the resealing part (when needed) that gets overlooked and causes issues down the road.

Yup - I agree.