Smart Tabs and Leaks-gctid374191

[Guest]

I took the plunge and installed Smart Tabs on my 175. As I was drilling the holes for the plates, it felt like I went through about a half inch or so of fiberglass and then broke through to some softer material. I filled each hole with 3M 5200 and then screwed the plates on. Everything went well and feels rock solid. So here's my question ... if any of the holes did leak, where would the water go and how would I tell? Would water from those holes end up in the bilge? I couldn't really see a way for it to drain into the bilge, and I guess in the back of my mind is the fear that if any of those screws did leak, the water would just be trapped in whatever that softer material was and cause rot that I never knew about until maybe it was too late. Is that a possibility, or would the water find its way to the bilge?

Thanks,

Kent

[Guest]

kent83 wrote:
I took the plunge and installed Smart Tabs on my 175. As I was drilling the holes for the plates, it felt like I went through about a half inch or so of fiberglass and then broke through to some softer material. I filled each hole with 3M 5200 and then screwed the plates on. Everything went well and feels rock solid. So here's my question ... if any of the holes did leak, where would the water go and how would I tell? Would water from those holes end up in the bilge? I couldn't really see a way for it to drain into the bilge, and I guess in the back of my mind is the fear that if any of those screws did leak, the water would just be trapped in whatever that softer material was and cause rot that I never knew about until maybe it was too late. Is that a possibility, or would the water find its way to the bilge?

Thanks,

Kent

You would of drilled through the other layer of fibreglass in the transom and then into the plywood core.

If you have set the depth correctly to drill, then you wouldn't have broken through into the fibreglass inside.

So, no, any water that gets in would be trapped between the 2 layers of fibreglass.

But if you have filled the holes with 5200 and then fitted the mounting screws then all is good and it will be water tight.

I also applied some 5200 onto the mounting plate of the smart tabs, but it not really necessary.

[Guest]

As Danny wrote, you didn't breach the inner transom, so all is good. The sealant is all you need to prevent a Hull.breach.

Great product. Smart Tabs are the best "bang for the buck" on older Bays...