Cutting hole in boat

[Wisefam22]

Once you do it you feel like you can do anything. I have my instrument panel out, pieces labeled and taking to a guy to see about fiberglassing over and being able to flush mouth my garmin.

Transducer old and new put in, vhf mount almost done.

Next on list is cup/rod holders.

 

[Julian]

Yeah....I agree....once you get that first one done each subsequent one gets much easier!

First hole I cut in my boat was for a 12v port in my 2003 LX210

Biggest holes I've cut is for 2 6x9 speaker on my old SX 230.

Number one thing I've learned....ideally have an assistant, and always have a big ass shop vac running or even 2 (you'll thank yourself later!)

 

[Jgorm]

Yeah. Same thing when you take a sawzall to a vehicle

 

[AJack]

I'm currently working on using starboard to create my own dash panel to mount the Garmin next to the Connext, removing the tachs since it's shown on the connext.

 

[AJack]

Yeah. Same thing when you take a sawzall to a vehicle
View attachment 86420

Nothing under my JK is stock. Once I started cutting things off, it became fun.

 

[2kwik4u]

I had the same feeling on my last boat. It was a '98 Rinker in 2007 with a PERFECT interior. Had been stored indoors on a trailer it's whole life with minimal family usage. I mean PERFECT vinyl on everything. It came with two crappy speakers and an equally terrible head unit. Got some spare cash and wanted to increase the tunes, so I upgraded both speakers, and added two more along with a new head unit. I decided to put the new speakers in the rear side panels that were covered in vinyl. When it was time to cut, I literally sat there with a razor in one hand starting at the spot to cut. My buddy came up after a few minutes with another razor and poked a hole in the center of my marked cutout zone and said "Quit screwing around and cut the damn thing would you"...........I was pissed and relieved all at the same time.

The results were nice, but man was it nerve racking for that first cut. This picture doesn't do the shape of the vinyl justice (looks dinghy here)


I'll be cutting into my AR190 here soon. Going to put a hatch into the helm storage area. Have to run some tower speaker wire as well. Not looking forward to those first cuts.

What are you guys using to cut the fiberglass with? I was debating on buying one of those vibrating microcut tool things. Any idea if they're worth a crap?

 

[Mainah]

Fornster bits are great for small circular holes leaving shavings more than dust and a perfect hole. The hole saw set from harbor freight that goes up to 5 inches is good for 6.5 inch speakers using a brushless drill with a big battery or an old tear your arm off plug in monster. The ridgid job max with the body saw attachment and small metal blade work well for larger and non-curcular holes with making too big of a mess. A trim router with flush guide bit and a template do a great job at making a perfect hole at the expense of a really gigantic mess. A side cut bit will work on a dremel or trim router but can be hard to control and makes a huge mess.

Measure twice, tape off, mark well, measure again, have confidence when making the cut, and let the tool do the work which may be slow at times. Shop vac is a must. Shop vac with dust deputy will save the shop vac filter and preserve suction. Wear googles, cap, dust mask, long sleeves/pants, and gloves.

 

[Julian]

What are you guys using to cut the fiberglass with?

I either use Milwaukee Holes saws, or a Dewalt Cut out tool for non-circular holes. Just be careful not to go too fast and watch out that the bit doesn't get too hot (it will melt the fiberglass if it does)

 

[Mainah]

One more related note. Screw pilot holes need to be the perfect size to get the screw to bite without damaging the fiberglass or breaking the screw. Use a old piece of what you have cut out to test pilot hole sizes. I have found the need to go to my finally graduated wire guage split point drill bit kit at times for this.

 

[zipper]

One more related note. Screw pilot holes need to be the perfect size to get the screw to bite without damaging the fiberglass or breaking the screw. Use a old piece of what you have cut out to test pilot hole sizes. I have found the need to go to my finally graduated wire guage split point drill bit kit at times for this.

If I may add, chamfer the holes, in gelcoat, to help prevent spider cracks and to allow more sealant, if used.

 

[Mainah]

If I may add, chamfer the holes, in gelcoat, to help prevent spider cracks and to allow more sealant, if used.

I have never done that but makes sense.

 

[zipper]

I have been for any holes I put a screw in.

or this guy

And it was not because of either of these videos. I have for a while.

 

[B0at1n]

The most nerve racking part of my first hole for the simrad was the fact I called to see how much the dash piece was if I messed up, it was $300 bucks, ouch! But the scary part was it’s not in production yet! So even if I wanted to I couldn’t get a replacement. Haha. I held my breath and did it anyway! All worked out and I’m super happy.

 

[tdonoughue]

Reverse the drill when you start until you are through the gelcoat. Then switch it to forward. Also helps with avoiding chips around the hole you are cutting.

 

[Wisefam22]

Well fiberglass guy isnt able to due to fiberglass not setting properly on plastic so we are now working on making our own flat/flush mount for the chartplotter then we will attach to original dash with tachs on each side.

Going to move the fuel gauge and keep it as main/back up once I wire in the garmin gfs10 to read fuel levels. If I add 2 I can get fuel consumption per engine to display.

 

[Bluewater272]

If I may add, chamfer the holes, in gelcoat, to help prevent spider cracks and to allow more sealant, if used.

I do this as well. Gives a bit of space for the screw head to nestle and haven't had any cracks in the gelcoat. Not a lot of chamfer, just a bit.

I'm currently working on using starboard to create my own dash panel to mount the Garmin next to the Connext, removing the tachs since it's shown on the connext.

Sounds awesome! Please post up a thread with the details/build when complete. I'm trying to figure out how I could do something similar (but not have it look like hot garbage).

One more related note. Screw pilot holes need to be the perfect size to get the screw to bite without damaging the fiberglass or breaking the screw. Use a old piece of what you have cut out to test pilot hole sizes. I have found the need to go to my finally graduated wire guage split point drill bit kit at times for this.

This is very good advice. Fiberglass has an uncanny knack for binding up and snapping a screw going into a hole that's just slightly too small.