Taken on Water while surfing

[Moseley618]

I upgraded to the 750's and now my thru hull fittings leak because they are under water while surfing. I think it is leaking around the fitting, I have tightened them as tight as I can get them. What do I do now? Silicone under the fitting or plug or something else?

[mnpracing]

if the fittings don't have sealant, then reinstall with some 3M 4000 or 4200. For the inside of the fitting where the hose connects, use a wrap or two of black electrical tape on the barbs then reconnect the hose. If those two things don't resolve it, there is something else going on...mine didn't have sealant (I presume because they wouldn't normally be under the water level).

[Martin Jr]

had the same problem - fittings kept popping out. engine compartment got flooded once and water was being forced out of the air vents!

Simple fix - get some of the wet/dry pvc cement the irrigation pro's use and coat the threads on the fitting and on the bag. Leave the o-ring on the fitting. Screw tightly together by hand.

You'll never have an issue again and you will be able to use the wakemaker's fitting removal trick if you ever want to remove the fittings.

Do not use the cheap pvc cement with primer. Primer will destroy the threads. Get the good stuff (usually blue in color). Any hardware store will have it.

While your buying the cement, get some o-ring lube and coat them once every couple weeks.

[Moseley618]

I bought my bags from wakemakers with the fitting already cemented in and they don't leak but seam that is around the fitting leaks a little when the bags are full. Is this normal? My leaking comes from around the thru hull fittings. I think I should upgrade to the SS ones and instal them with sealant.

[bergermaister]

At $15 a pop for stainless you may try resealing what you've got first. Tube of the sealant is around $10+/-. When I put in my new thru-hulls on the sides I noticed that the hull isn't completely flat under the rub rail so the fittings don't sit perfectly flat - there's just a sliver where the water could come in when they're submerged. I'd rather goop them up with sealant and snug them down, then wipe off the excess that comes out as opposed to cranking them down so tight they might start cracks. On the inside you might also cut back the carpet where the nut for the thru hull is contacting the side. The carpet under it won't let it seat down completely and you could also goop it a little before the nut goes on just for good measure.

A hot soldering iron will make rough carpet cut edges smooth and keep them from fraying.

[08LSV]

I bought my bags from wakemakers with the fitting already cemented in and they don't leak but seam that is around the fitting leaks a little when the bags are full. Is this normal? My leaking comes from around the thru hull fittings. I think I should upgrade to the SS ones and instal them with sealant.

I had the same issue with the black plastic through hull fittings. Those things just leaked everywhere you could imagine, at the hull and at the hose. I ordered all new SS ones and used 3M 4200 to seal them. Ever since the change out I have not had any issues with them. Wakemakers.com has them for $12.95 a piece, but there was a thread on here before the crash that had a guy selling them much cheaper on ebay. You should search there.