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Posts: 5874
| Gene,
Congrats on the new boat. What did you get?
As for drilling into the gelcoat, just go slow. Measure twice, then measure again. And double check, and then, drill. Use MASKING tape, as duct tape gets gooey, and you'll pull the stringy stuff out of it and wrap around the drill bit. Drill a pilot hole, 1/8" works, first. Then the final hole. Again, go slow. Let the drill do the work. Try to avoide letting the drill bite too much, and pulling itself in too quickly. When you have the hole drilled, use a champher bit to relieve the hole. This will avoid strespoints and cracks. Use the correct size drill bit for the screw you are using, if using sheetmetal screws. If you are going to use machine screws, and tapping holes, use the correct drill bit for the tap you are using. You will still need to champher thew hole, but do it after tapping. Finally, you can use clear RTV to help seal the holes from water, and secure the screw in the hole.
Good luck. Once ytou gat that first hole drilled, the butterflys go away!!
Edited by Shep 6/5/2006 12:50 PM
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