Advice on replacing a self-bailer

My mirror is currently fitted with a supersucker bailer that hasn't worked since I bought her, so I'm going to replace it with an Andersen Super Mini Bailer that's just arrived on my desk this morning courtesy of those nice people at Trident

Anybody got any advice or experience on how to fit it? Essentially, it has a couple of rubber seals and four bolts with corresponding nuts and I know its supposed to be mounted on the inside. Beyond that, there are no instructions and I've not done this before.

Not that I need panic. I'm sure once I've got the boat in front of me it'll become fairly clear, and there's always my old man (unlike me, eminently practical) and all those nice people at the club to point and guide me; but I thought I'd ask here first in case anybody had any advice or directions?

It's been impossible across the summer to take my eight year old out with me without eventually caving in to his incessent hints that "It'd be really fun if we could capsize Dad!" so I'm really looking forward to not having to do quite so much bailing with a bucket and sponge any more!

The Anderson Super Mini Bailer has the main flange on the inside of the hull. You need a hole cut-out 40 x 85mm and you insert the bailer from inside the cockpit. Then carefully drill through the fixing holes using the flange as a template. On the outside of the hull, countersink the holes so the bolt heads will be flush. I would recommend sealing the cut edges and holes with either epoxy or a waterproof sealant to prevent water ingress into the wood. There should be a rubber flange seal to be fitted between the hull and the fitting. A little sealant around the cut opening and bolt holes would not go amiss to ensure a full waterproof seal. You will probably need a helping hand to insert and tighten the fixing bolts. Clean off any excess sealant. Leave it for a couple of days and then retighten the bolts.

Quite a simple job really.

Roger
59725

Can't offer any better advice than Roger already has but, if you are on your own when you come to do the fitting you may find this helps. When drilling the holes in the hull, drill them small enough that the screws require turning to go through the holes, but only with light finger pressure. If you do not have a wide enough range of drills to make that possible, put a little bit of something sticky on the underside of the screw heads so that when you poke them through the hull and bailer they will stay in place. Put the nuts onto the screws and wind down finger tight. Get a small pair of molegrips to hold the nuts and, having positioned the molegrips aginst the centreboard casing to prevent them turning, tighten the screws from below.

All good advice and the Anderson super mini is one of the best self bailers available, personally the only one that I would use.

Paul

Thanks guys. The advice is much appreciated as always. Seems like it should be straight forward enough. Will be nice to finally have a bailer that sucks water out, rather than one that's terribly easy to open by accident, and only seems to suck water in!