246 vent cover advice

elarson5757

Guys

Much like most of the older 246's, the plastic vent covers on both sides of mine were cracked (see pictures).  Every one I've ever seen were cracked across the last two mounting holes where the piece is less than two inches wide and I'm sure gets a ton of flex.

I ordered new pieces at a cost of almost $500 and they came in as much better made fiberglass pieces!  My question is this...

The new piece came with dimples already in the pieces for proper placement of the holes.  So I drilled slightly oversized holes allowing for free passage of the stainless screws AND chamfered the holes to protect the gel coat (I hope). That said there were NOT dimples for these last two mounting holes!!  So does this mean I should NOT drill holes in these spots and assume they planned it this way and they will be fine OR did they plan for the holes to be drilled wherever and I should proceed to place them as I desire??

My gut tells me to let the 5 propositioned holes hold and leave the narrow section alone assuming the fiberglass is strong enough to be fine as is. 

Michael T

@elarson5757, Iike your "gut feeling" I think, no matter what they've done to improve the construction, that narrow piece probably gets a lot of flex. I'd install them  without drilling that last hole and see how it works.

elarson5757

Michael T said:

@elarson5757, Iike your "gut feeling" I think, no matter what they've done to improve the construction, that narrow piece probably gets a lot of flex. I'd install them  without drilling that last hole and see how it works.

It's actually the last two holes that are in the narrowest section of the vent cover. It means that section....about the last 16"-19" would not be held to the boat. 

Should I put silicone or some other non-permenant sealer in the holes before Indrive the screws in?

Michael T

Geez, 19" not fixed screwed in place....hmmmm. How does it sit on the area? Would it be prone to getting caught on something? Could a couple of "dabs" of 4000UV at the narrow end hold it securely yet allow flex?

I always put a sealant in screw holes to stop water penetration and potential fiberglass delamination. I have heard Al recommend 3M4000UV (with the UV protection) for similar circumstances. that's what I'd use here.

elarson5757

Michael T said:

Geez, 19" not fixed screwed in place....hmmmm. How does it sit on the area? Would it be prone to getting caught on something? Could a couple of "dabs" of 4000UV at the narrow end hold it securely yet allow flex?

I always put a sealant in screw holes to stop water penetration and potential fiberglass delamination. I have heard Al recommend 3M400UV (with the UV protection) for similar circumstances. that's what I'd use here.

I'll get some of that tomorrow before I install them. The "loose" end actually sits in a form matching " channel" if you will that's moulded into the boat itself. 

elarson5757

Answered my own question by test fitting the piece with just the five pre-set screws in it. It doesn't come close to matching the curvature of the hull where it goes so a screw is absolutely necessary to hold the end down or it sticks up about an inch from where it should lie..ill drill and chamfer a hole and install tomorrow. 

I'm thinking you don't draw these screws tight...leave a little "play" and allow the piece some room to move and flex on the screws a bit...

RinkerRookie

Just looking for an update on your project....

I have a 2010 246 BR.  Mine aren't cracked although they are warped and one of the screw heads has busted off, leaving the shank in the hole.  It is on the starboard side, first one fore.  It only rides about 1/4 to 1/2 inch above where it should be.  Not a real problem, I just don't like busted crap on my boat, no matter how insignificant.

Thanks,
RinkerRookie

elarson5757

RinkerRookie said:

Just looking for an update on your project....

I have a 2010 246 BR.  Mine aren't cracked although they are warped and one of the screw heads has busted off, leaving the shank in the hole.  It is on the starboard side, first one fore.  It only rides about 1/4 to 1/2 inch above where it should be.  Not a real problem, I just don't like busted crap on my boat, no matter how insignificant.

Thanks,
RinkerRookie

I replaced both covers with new ones that are now fiberglass and came in black as I ordered to match what I have. The largest end of each side comes with the 3 or 4 "divots" if you will where you need to drill the holes and they lined up perfectly.  For the holes along the top front, I filled the old ones with 5200 and then drilled and chamfered new ones after drilling them in the cover and marking for them. 

twbolto24

where did you order the black vent covers from?

JonSnowCancun

where did you bought them? im looking the same for a 246 br 2010, thanks