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I like that design alot, Frank. It's
nice to have a shut-off safety feature built into the thru-hull.
What kind of epoxy are you using? How
do you mix it without getting air-bubbles trapped inside?
Jon
Hi James. Although I'm not using the K boat plans, I'm basically using
the same method for electrical through hulls as Dan. I have some brass
threaded rods from the hardware store, and these are sealed in epoxy into the
stainless nipples used as through hulls. I have a collar welded inside the
nipples, and nuts and washers to hold the whole thing in place inside the
nipples. The cables on the outside are bolted down on the brass rods, but I'm
using spade connectors on the inside. The inside cables pass through a
ball valve and then connect to the brass rods. In this way, if a leak
develops, I can pull the wires off the brass rods and close the ball valve
after throwing the breaker. This setup is for the motor connectors because my
batteries will be inside in sealed boxes so the connections aren't as large as
the main battery bank cables but a means of having a quick disconnect on a
large cable is also possible. Welding cable connectors would work the same
way. They are made of brass, and take a 1/4 turn to release. They are good
for large amounts of amperage, and will fit inside a 2 inch nipple.
The ability to isolate each through hull with a valve is a high priority
with me. I can't really see where an epoxy filled nipple can blow out, but the
valve gives me peace of mind. Here's a sketch of the connectors for my motors,
but again, a large single cable could be run the same way. This is an older
sketch and doesn't show the bolts and washers which are on the outside of the
welded collars inside the nipple so the epoxy fill is sandwiched into the
nipple from both ends. Frank D.
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