andersen selfbailer

[Guest wwbaginski]

"new large" one  has just arrived. Looks like it's external mounted, and the mount method is safe & simply. Just to cut a proper rectangular hole. The bottom panels are of 10 mm thick as far as I remember, so 2 questions:

1. should a recess be curved to keep the bottom and the device external surfaces planned

2. should a gasked (or a glue) be placed between the bottom and the device surfaces

"new large" looks really large on my desktop but should look right under the rear twarth.

[Ray Frechette Jr]

I would not torque the bailer to try to follow a curved surface.

Cut the recess flat and install with liberal application of a polyurethane sealant such as 3m 4200 or some other such sealant between bailer and hull bottom.

Sealing cut wood surfaces with epoxy and allowing to cure well first of course...

[Guest wwbaginski]

oops, should be "carved" instead of "curved"   sorry for the mistake

[Ken_Potts]

I didn't do any carving to make the surface flat.  I cut the necessary holes and installed the bailer using the supplied gasket (I think there was a gasket) and some goo (4200?).  I torqued the mounting screws enough to hold the bailer firmly without deforming it.  No leaks yet.

Don't install the bailer directly behind the centerboard.

[Guest wwbaginski]

there is no factory made gasket in the set I,ve got . Home made gaskets seem to be a problem themselves - from what to cut them out? On my boat, the gaskets under the the caps covering the centerboard pin - made of an inner tube rubber - do leak. I will try made them of a 2 part sillicone using a casting method, relatively thick and flexible. But a bailer gasket ought to be as thin as possible I think.

[Peter HK]

Hi Wojtek

I bedded mine in with sikaflex 291 (an excellent product). It came with a gasket which I did not use. Silicones are, in general, not as good in this application. I'd use the same sealant on the centreboard pivot pin covers  (mine don't leak).

Cheers

Peter HK

[Hirilonde]

Mortising it in flush (carving) is a really nice touch, but not required.  Should you choose to do this, mortise a little deep to compensate for the added epoxy you should use to seal the newly exposed surfaces.  I agree with Peter about the use of Sikaflex 291, it is my favorite bedding.  Silicone products contaminate all surfaces such that paint, coatings and everything else you might some day want to use will not stick properly.  It is near impossible to remove this contamination.  I will never use any silicone product on a boat.  Risking that the paint you will some day need to add to your boat bottom will peal away around the bailer is not a chance I would take.

[Ken_Potts]

  If a gasket didn't come with your bailer I probably didn't have one either.  I was probably remembering the cardboard hole template.  Go ahead and install the bailer with just goo and see if it leaks.  You can always mess around with gaskets later if you have a leak.

[Rune Forsberg]

Hi!

This is how I did it, after the holes for bailer and screws I made a recess in the hull for the baseplate and a layer of glassfiber/epoxy.

[John Turpin]

What a wonderful thread and excellent timing.  I have my bailer in hand (a gift from Carl Haddick) and am about to install it in the next couple of weeks.