I've got a leak around the thru hull fitting from the fish box on my 2001 Gulfstream. I've been trying for 2 days to get the hose off the fitting. You can only get one hand in, left, and have to reach past 3 hoses beyond elbow deep. I see posts where it has been done but looking for any tips or tools used to get that hose off in such a difficult place. I've tried a hose pick and pulling and rotateing by hand. I just ordered a longer hose pick. Thanks
Gulfstream fishbox thru-hull
- Thread starter olaje
- Start date
If the hose pick you ordered doesn't do the trick, I would try an adjustable pipe wrench with teeth, or large vice grips and attach it just outside the fitting, then try your back and forth like you did with your hand.
If you are braver, a heat gun on the pipe will help loosen it but please be cautious of gas fumes. I did use one when installing a new hose addition to my live well on my 228, but made sure everything was opened up for ventilation.
Carpe Diem and good luck with it!
If you are braver, a heat gun on the pipe will help loosen it but please be cautious of gas fumes. I did use one when installing a new hose addition to my live well on my 228, but made sure everything was opened up for ventilation.
Carpe Diem and good luck with it!
Heating the hose is one method but that may not be practical. It also may cause damage and burning of the hose. Other than that, the best approach is to slice the hose lengthwise from the hull side end inward and peel the hose off. You will need to replace the hose most likely but you should anyway. A new hose will make installation easier. Oh, you will probably need to slice the hose at the livewell end also
IF the hose is still worthy of reuse... Is there enough room between the nut and the hose where you can back off the nut about a 1/4" (I would assume there's enough room)? That may be all you need to squirt some sealant in from the outside between the fitting and the hull. OR... I wonder if forcefully backing off the nut will slide the hose off? You'd need someone on the outside holding the thru-hull from moving, of course.
Be sure you can reach the other side of the hose(the drain coming from the bottom of the fish box). With the foam that is hard to access and I had to cut away a bit to get access to mine. Also it's worth removing the thru hull and re-sealing as that's a known spot to let in water as well.
Thanks, I tried the pipe wrench and strap filter wrench but still couldn't get it. The strap wrench slipped and the pipe wrench didn't have room to move much. I just got some large oval vice grips today will try tomorrow if my arm isn't too soar. I've bruised my arm up pretty good so far trying to get that sucker free. I may try the heat gun but from the outside thru the fitting.
You are correct, I can't get a heat gun in that location and the fuel file line runs above this location also. The problem with cutting the hose is replacing it is going to suck. I will have to dig a lot of foam out all around the fitting under the fish box. It is an option but I'm not ready to try it yet. I've also considered cutting the end like you mentioned but the using a union fitting to splice the hose to get the lost length back. I don't know if I can find a bar union that big and I would rather not and more connections but it is another option I'm considering.
Yep, I cut some foam away so I could get my arm in better but I haven't gone so far as digging out all the foam around the fish box elbow. Yeah, I want pull it all the way out and seal good so I won't have to deal with this again for maybe 10 year! It is not fun and very painful. Sounds like you did it before and just cut and replaced the hose after digging out all that foam?
Got the hose off yesterday! Many bruises and soar arm but happy. Thanks for all the ideas. The large oval vice grips and hot water in the hose did the trick. The large oval vice grips enabled me to get leverage to twist the hose at the fitting and pull. The hot water softened the hose enough where I could pull an wiggle the hose by hand close to the access port where I could put more pressure on it.
Getting the backing nut off the thru-hull fitting wasn't too bad. Only real issue was that the entire fitting would spin when trying to remove the backing nut. I sprayed the inside of the fitting with PB Blaster and had a helper hold a vice grip contraption outside. The vice grip contraption went inside the fitting and the outside of the small pointy vice grip would rotate and push on the tabs inside the fitting. The vice grips could be adjust to the correct diameter.
I wondering if someone has service this before. The sealant came off way too easy to be 5200.
Getting the backing nut off the thru-hull fitting wasn't too bad. Only real issue was that the entire fitting would spin when trying to remove the backing nut. I sprayed the inside of the fitting with PB Blaster and had a helper hold a vice grip contraption outside. The vice grip contraption went inside the fitting and the outside of the small pointy vice grip would rotate and push on the tabs inside the fitting. The vice grips could be adjust to the correct diameter.
I wondering if someone has service this before. The sealant came off way too easy to be 5200.
The little nubs inside the fitting are there for just that reason - to keep the fitting from moving while installing/removing. There is a special tool for that, however a makeshift one is fine. A much better to do it is to EXPAND the pliers to the ID of the fitting and situate it such that it's on opposite sides of both nubs.
Just out of curiosity, why did you compeltely remove the hose when all you needed to do was loosen it a bit and squirt some new sealant in there?
Just out of curiosity, why did you compeltely remove the hose when all you needed to do was loosen it a bit and squirt some new sealant in there?
Yep, you could use pliers as well for the inside of the fitting but I used the vice grip pliers because they would stay open without having to hold them open like you would have to do with regular pliers. Also with the skinny vice grips as the key and regular vice grips as the handle, I could get a lot more leverage for breaking the backing nut free. But, more people probably have regular pliers than the vice grips I had. There are several posts with creative tools to get the fittings out.
For why I didn't just leave the hose attached. It was considered and an option, but I view just putting more sealant around the fitting without removing all the old sealant first as a quick fix and not a fix I would expect to last 10+ years. Putting more sealant on top of old sealant will likely leak much quicker than cleaning out old and reapplying new. There really isn't any extra length in that hose so you may be able to get the fitting about out about 1" at best. Pulling too hard on the hose away from the fish box and you risk breaking the elbow under the fish box the is surrounded by foam. There is a post where this happened to someone.
Thanks for writing back, Olaje. But what I meant about the pliers was not the "kind" of pliers - it was how you use them... Using BOTH nubs.
Yup, I hear you on the sealant. You know what removes old sealant really well? Fishing line and/or a plastic razor blade. I do this for a living - it would remove more than enough of the old stuff and you'd be good for at least 10 years. Moot point, though - you got it done!
Yup, I hear you on the sealant. You know what removes old sealant really well? Fishing line and/or a plastic razor blade. I do this for a living - it would remove more than enough of the old stuff and you'd be good for at least 10 years. Moot point, though - you got it done!
I think we are saying the same thing in regards to the fitting dogs or nubs. Here is a better picture of what I did.
I think we are saying the same thing in regards to the how for the thru-hull tool. Here is a better picture of how I used the vice grips to contact and turn on the thru-hull dogs or nubs.
I finally finished. I used the hot water in the hose again to soften it up and liquid soap on the thru-hull nipple and end of the hose. Slid right on, but the first try wasn't as smooth.
I installed the fitting first and then waited 24hr to make sure the 5200 was cured before I tried to put the hose on. Half the hose kept getting hung on the opening of the fitting nipple and I heard popping of the foam, around the fishbox elbow area. I stopped thought about it and tried the hot water and soap, and that was it. No popping and went right on. I hindsight I would have gotten a helper and put the hose on the fitting at the same time as seating the thru-hull fitting on the hull.
I installed the fitting first and then waited 24hr to make sure the 5200 was cured before I tried to put the hose on. Half the hose kept getting hung on the opening of the fitting nipple and I heard popping of the foam, around the fishbox elbow area. I stopped thought about it and tried the hot water and soap, and that was it. No popping and went right on. I hindsight I would have gotten a helper and put the hose on the fitting at the same time as seating the thru-hull fitting on the hull.
Ah. Yes, Olaje. Same thing - I was basing my response on your first picture where the pliers where griping only one dog/nub.
Hmmm... 5200? I know this is in hindsight, but that was the wrong stuff to use. That stuff is like super glue and you only need a sealant here. The fitting stays in place with the nut. In the future, it's possible that removal of this fitting can cause damage to the gelcoat. 5200 will stick to the gelcoat stronger than the gelcoat sticks to the fiberglass.
Now, the common response is "I don't plan on removing this"... but what if the previous person had used 5200? You'd certainly be cursing them!
Or... what if this fitting gets damaged and you have to replace it? Like I said, this is hindsight - but at least remember this for the future. In reality, there are VERY few places to use 5200.
Hmmm... 5200? I know this is in hindsight, but that was the wrong stuff to use. That stuff is like super glue and you only need a sealant here. The fitting stays in place with the nut. In the future, it's possible that removal of this fitting can cause damage to the gelcoat. 5200 will stick to the gelcoat stronger than the gelcoat sticks to the fiberglass.
Now, the common response is "I don't plan on removing this"... but what if the previous person had used 5200? You'd certainly be cursing them!
Or... what if this fitting gets damaged and you have to replace it? Like I said, this is hindsight - but at least remember this for the future. In reality, there are VERY few places to use 5200.
