garboard removal

So when I built my duck boat I made a minor error. I used a one-way garboard.




This is a problem because when I hunt marsh grass, seeds, and other particulates usually find their way into the bottom of the boat. The result is a boat that is a pain to drain. I melted the plastic ball enough that I could get in there and pull that part out, however the steel retaining rod inside of it is pretty much there to stay.

When I installed the drain, i slathered the surface that touches the transom with epoxy and then sealed the edges with epoxy. Mounted using screws and let the epoxy cure. I want to replace it with a drain tube. Now the tough part...how do I remove it without a chainsaw?

 

Grab a screw driver (that you don't like too much) and heat the tip and shaft with a torch, until glowing hot. Place the tip in the screw head and hold for a minute or so. This will soften the epoxy's grip on the fastener. You can usually turn it out after a few seconds on the screw with the hot driver. Back it out a few turns then move on to the next screw. You can use a ViceGrip to remove them the rest of the way.

To remove the garboard drain base, insert a length of pipe or bar stock with the same threads as the plug and use the torch again. If you install a "jam" or stop nut on the pipe and lock it to the garboard drain base, before heating it, you can use the pipe to extract the base, once the heat softens the goo.

All this works because epoxy doesn't melt, but softens with heat, permitting you to remove the fasteners and base, yet the goo will cool and retain it's shape (threads and all) afterward.

 

Par, pipe...that's brilliant.

 

Soldering iron will get some heat in as well, just hold it on, bop your driver into the slot/philips & undo

 

A soldering iron will be hard pressed to get enough heat into the bonded drain base, as the bronze will make an effective heat sink, though this trick works on fasteners well, if not too long.