leaking screw on transducer

scuby

i was looking at the screws on the transducer bracket for my fish finder and noticed it was a little loose, anyway i took it off and noticed some water dripping out of the screw holes where it was screwed into the hull, the sealant had worn away over time.
Just wondering what is the best way to get it dried out properly.
Should i drill the holes bigger to leave more air at it to dry it out? I have sucked some water out with a large syringe ( without the needle ), and while i was looking closely at the gel coat around it, i noticed two old holes from where it was attached previously and were re-sealed and get coated over, before i had the boat. I opened them up to help let the air in and just covered them with some tape while trying to suction as much water out as i could.

It's a Seahog Seejeep boat with a cathedral hull

fergal.b

If you are going to fill the hole with resin or fiberglass filler it will have to be dry first and the best way of doing this is time and air movement, if it's very wet you could try and connect an vacuum pump or aquavac to the lowest hole "blocking of the back of it if it's through the hull" and see if you can suck out any water, your other option is to use a silicone sealant that will stick even when wet to fill the holes and drill new ones, You could also take out your bung holder and remove any sealant from inside the hole and let it drain out over the winter or again block the back of it and use the aquavac.



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scuby

Thanks fergal.
The holes are under the floor area that I presume are filled with foam. On 2nd pic it would be under the loop of the fuel line.
I will try to get a vac and have a bash at it and try to get it as dry as possible before resealing

breghall

I reccommend drilling a few test holes in the rear of the transom to see if it is rotted or is the problem just where the transducer was mounted. Few few holes here and there under the splashwell, andsee if the wood shavings are dark brown and moist (hopefully there not). Then fill the holes with some fibreglass filler or Sikaflex.
You shouldn't have water dripping from any hole. If you're lucky and it's only wet from where the transducer was mounted then I have heard of people leaving halogen lights fixed in an area for a few days to help dry out wet spots in transoms.