OK--have been thinking about my problem with my '81 Hobie 16 (The Mistress) and finally decided to go to the source. I think I know the answer but thought I would see if there is a "jury rig" in the interim..

Having a leak of around 3-4 litres was worrisome but only after a sail and occasionally during when the back hull was under water at times--when the gudgeon separated from the transom I realized that a reapir was in order. The screws had worked themselves loose. I am inexperienced with fiberglass so I bought longer screws and, using the port that was in the hull about 2 arms lengths from the transom, I put a piece of wood inside the hull to give the screws something to "purchase" (photo seems to be too big to attach--can send). Since the transom is to far to reach I used a dowel and a hole in the wood to hold it in place. I also put lots of silicone on the side of the wood facing the transom. I then held the wood in place using the dowel and screwed in the screws--some had "bite" and some "missed" (yes I know-lame). I then pulled out the dowel. Since there have been other repairs the fiberglass under the gudgeon is looking worse for wear--I used silicone to provide a seal for the screws and gudgeon. Fiberglass repair is definitely in my near future.

OK--now that you have the hair-brained set up here is my question (yes I know I should bite bullet and do fiberglass repair):

Can anyone suggest a method to better screw or bolt the gudgeon into the wooden backing on the inside of the hull until I can make that fiberglass repair? My arm cannot reach the wood or inside of the transom and I am super reluctant to cut an inspection port.

I know through bolts are the way to go but how to put the nuts on?

OK--advice welcome--hope above is clear enough.

BTW to add to mystery I sailed her solo the other evening and zero leakage--usually sail with crew and get a few litres..

Je.. Hobie16-man y're making quite a mess of your hull transom.

I personally hate silicone for these type of repairs!

Anyway, why don't you use bolts through the wooden plate with there heads inside the hull. Put the nuts on the outside, so on the gudgeons and saw the bolts level with the head of the nut.
If necessary use a less thicker/flatter nut.

Leading and holding the bolts from the inside is a bit of fiddling but is possible.

And for g..ssake, remove all the silicone (at least for the wooden plate) and use epoxy.

Also Hobie has a one-piece rudder gudgeon for the 16 ( about 30 bugs) which will help you with the wear and tear already outside the transom.

Silicone is nasty--epoxy good idea.

Really like your idea about reversing the bolts--trick would be to line up the bolts perfectly with the pre-drilled holes---feasible since the one piece grudge on can serve as a template!

Will require me to retrieve the wood but bet I can do that with a long coat hanger or a dowel with a screw taped on.

Super answer---will let you know how it turns out!

The reversed bolts, with the nuts on the outside, will interfere with the lower rudder castings when turning.

The way to properly fix this is to cut in a small port in the deck within reach of the transom.

The bolts thread into an aluminum plate that's fiberglassed to the inside of the transom.

I don't know how your port could be so far away from the transom, there isn't that much hull behind the crossbar, but I'll take your word for it.

Matt is right, you need a port that's close enough to allow you to use longer bolts, to connect to nuts on the inside.

You also need to be careful to be sure the fiberglass core hasn't turned to mush from the water intrusion. You may be in for a big job, and something that might be better left to a professional.

You might also check with a local fleet, maybe someone close to you has done this, or can refer you to a good shop.

Good luck.

Mike

The boats are impressive but I liked the AC45 fleet racing better.

OK--all good points.

Will take a look at the lower gudgeon holes/bolts--could be a significant issue.

Not sure why the port is so far away--am pretty sure my arm is normal length for a shorter guy..

Cutting inspection port seems drastic but maybe necessary.

Mush, gulp. Will take a look and get help as needed.

The other potential option which I didn't see mentioned, is to drill and tap the screw holes to the next larger size - 1/4"-20. Then use larger screws.

sm