Waterproof Deck Plates?

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gobigkahuna

Member
116
1
OBX, North Carolina
My amas each have two 6 inch deck inspection plates that are dated and appear to be leaking.  Some are the "screw in" type and the others "pop in".  Both appear to be leaking and I'd like to replace them.  I found these at a local boat supply store, price is right and they appear to be no worse than what WM sells.  What's your experience?

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Moonduster

Moonduster

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They need to be installed in a plane. If there's any camber to the deck where you install then they'll leak and then crack.

 
NaptimeAgain

NaptimeAgain

Super Anarchist
1,707
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Annapolis MD
I have several in the fishboxes on my powerboat. They seem to stay on OK, but I'm not sure they are 100% watertight. Another option is Armstrong deck plates that I use in the motor wells for the OBs.

 
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gobigkahuna

Member
116
1
OBX, North Carolina
NaptimeAgain said:
I have several in the fishboxes on my powerboat. They seem to stay on OK, but I'm not sure they are 100% watertight. Another option is Armstrong deck plates that I use in the motor wells for the OBs.
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I've thought about Armstrong deck plates but not sure they will work on my boat, the deck is balsa cored and has non-skid.  I would probably take a lot of work to make the surface smooth enough for the gasket to seal.

 
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gobigkahuna

Member
116
1
OBX, North Carolina
Moonduster said:
They need to be installed in a plane. If there's any camber to the deck where you install then they'll leak and then crack.
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I gave the suspect hatches a closer look and they were not mounted on a flat surface.  There's a small amount of camber to the deck, but enough so that the cover doesn't seat properly.  I will have to build up the surface so that the mount will be flat.  Surprising just how much rain water accumulated from such a tiny gap, but I can't see anywhere else it might be coming in from.

 
D

DDW

Super Anarchist
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The trouble with Beckson is they don't use UV resistant plastic. The white ones will be yellow after about 1-2 seasons in the sun. On the other hand the cheaper copies don't seem much better. There are stainless ones with screw in deck plates that are forever. 

 
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gobigkahuna

Member
116
1
OBX, North Carolina
Anyone have any experience with deck plates by "Rabud" in Florida?  Four of the six deck plates in my boat were made by them and they seem to still be in pretty good shape.  Thicker and stronger than the other two (one Beckson and one West Marine) and unaffected by UV.  They are pop ins so I may replace them with "Twist-N-Lock" models just to be safe.

 
IStream

IStream

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The Becksons also take paint well, just don't get it on the threaded parts or where clearances are tight.

 
C

claudiajohnston

New member
49
8
gobigkahuna said:
My amas each have two 6 inch deck inspection plates that are dated and appear to be leaking. Some are the "screw in" type and the others "pop in". Both appear to be leaking and I'd like to replace them. I found these at a local boat supply store, price is right and they appear to be no worse than what WM sells. What's your experience?

View attachment 290008
I'm looking for deck plates that are really leak proof. Those thin plastic screw in types with the o-ring don't seem to work very well. Brand, model and a good place to buy them please.

Thanks in advance. waterproof deck Utah
Click to expand...
I'm looking for deck plates that are really leak proof. Those thin plastic screw in types with the o-ring don't seem to work very well. Brand, model and a good place to buy them please.

Thanks in advance.
 
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