Improving the seal

[zelmo]

I just noticed that when I come off plane and water washes up into the well I have been getting a little bit of water past the thru hull fitting.



Realize that I have had this setup for years and it has never been a problem. The reason I have some concern is that when I got home recently I noticed some drops of water on the battery charger that is located right below the fitting. That can't be good.

Moving the charger isn't an option, so I am wondering how I can improve the seal. I could slobber silicone around everything while it is apart and but it back together before it cures but then I will have a big mess if I ever need to work on stuff there. I could also use some soft rubber to fill areas between the lines and cables and hope it fills the voids.

[Flash2]

Try some kind of cable wrap or sleeve. Maybe search something like this. https://thmarinesupplies.com/product...ganizer-sleeve

[jimsch]

Get a CV boot replacement boot or something like that to extend the coverage length up the wire pack further.

[mactlman]

get the t/m sleeve for those cables and hoses

[zelmo]

get the t/m sleeve for those cables and hoses

Is that the one from the link above from TH Marine? The description says it is 1.5” in diameter. I am sure that won’t be big enough.

[DrewFlu33]

For whatever it’s worth, all the marine on board chargers are waterproof. My charger was almost completely submerged after having the boat tied up overnight and taking the brunt of one hell of a rain storm. Pumped the water out and it’s been going strong for a couple years since!

[Riccochet]

I get water in through that as well. All the time. And my charger is right below it as well. Gets soaked. Been like that since day one. No problems. Figure a little bit of water splashing around in the bilge keeps it clean.

[billnorman1]

If you want to you can use liquid rubber or silicone, but it won't be pretty.

[zelmo]

Thanks. I think I will check what Minn Kota has to say about the charger getting wet before I go nuts on this. I assumed it wasn’t good but we know what happens when we assume.

Edit: I checked the manual and the charger is waterproof. Now I need to make sure the water can't create other problems. I will still look for a solution but that takes some pressure off to get this done immediately.

[billnorman1]

If you insist on sealing this area you could go inside the hull with a lot of sealant or gasket maker and slop it on where it would be out of sight. You could also seal between the cables from the outside with a nozzle and wipe off any excess. That would be O.K. unless you had to change a hose or cable. I sealed mine from the outside with black gasket maker or liquid rubber I forget. It ain't pretty but so ain't the rest of my boat.

[zelmo]

I remember using some rubber tape years ago to fix a vacuum cleaner hose. It stretched a little and created a sort of pressure fit. My wife was never happy with it but I thought it worked fine.

I may try it on this job since all I am trying to accomplish is making the barrier better. It doesn’t need to be completely watertight. I will post a picture when done.

[born to fish]

There is a self fusing tape similar to electrical tape but thicker. Various brands like Duck, Gorilla etc. You can find at almost any store that sells tape. I used it a lot on trolling motor cables and other applications. It stretches and fuses to itself.

[zelmo]

There is a self fusing tape similar to electrical tape but thicker. Various brands like Duck, Gorilla etc. You can find at almost any store that sells tape. I used it a lot on trolling motor cables and other applications. It stretches and fuses to itself.

That is exactly what I was thinking about. I don’t remember how well the end of the wrap stayed fused. Does it stay in place or is a zip tie needed to keep it secure?

[Jeff Hahn]

3M Temflex rubber splicing tape. It will fuse to itself and hold tight. Available at Lowe's, Home Depot, etc. for about $3.00 a roll.