inspection ports on DS II

[Guest]

i need to replace inspection ports near the fore end of the centerboard trunk. i read somewhere that these were factory installed. i've looked around for replacement ports and they come in 4 and 6 inches. the ports that came with the boat measure about 4.25 inches diameter of the cap. i haven't yet put the current ports side by side with a 4 inch port at west marine. maybe they're the same thing. also, when removing the ports, i inspected the foam inside the hull. it doesn't feel most, it's yellowish like the foam in my bell canoe and the bilge area is very dry. do you think this is close-celled foam? should i also check the seats or other areas for moisture? on my previous sailboat i left the boat covered with the inspection ports off to cut down on condensation. anyone here do that for a DSII? thanks.

chad
7749

chad (gilliscmnr19-at-juno.com)

[Guest]

I had inquired at D&R about the replacement ports sold at the boating stores being slightly undersized ( I believe the 4"). Rudy's reply was to take a dremel or a wood file and enlarge the hole. Took me all of 5 minutes with a wood file for each one. Its good to know that replacements are now easily available. My boat has a pair foward of the trunk....on each side. I guess the rear one was previous owner installed on your boat as I dont have that one?

Harris (hg-at-myhost.com)

[Guest]

The original equipment Inspection/Bailing ports in my 1979 DS II leaked and were hard to open and close due to having a fine thread. I was down at D&R one November, back when Rudy had an annual Fall Clearance Sale, and picked up a pair of Beckson 4" ports. They fit after I used a rasp to slightly enlarge the holes in the cockpit sole. The nice thing about the ones that I bought is that they were an off-white, almost "Light-Tan" color, and so match the original gel coat.

Rod Johnson, "SUNBIRD" (rjohnson24-at-juno.com)

[Guest]

I had the same probelem earlier this year. Searched high and low and eventually found that RWO makes inspection ports that work like a charm

http://rwo-usa.com/products/inspection.html

Check it out

Shawn Bivins (bivi_1-at-yahoo.com)