By Keith J. Lindholm
If you missed part one of Keith's step-by-step instructions on how to install a dorade box, click here.
Last month we covered steps one through five; we now continue with the remaining five steps.
6. Take your teak dorade box, line it up on the pattern you traced out earlier on the deck, and confirm (once again) that the hole in the deck matches up with the hole in the top of the dorade box. With the dorade box in place, you will notice that it is on a slant (to port or starboard) because of the deck camber (some applications/locations may be already level depending on your hull design) and you will have to trim off one side of the bottom to get the box(s) level.
With that in mind, place a small level across the top (center) of the dorade box and gently lift the edge of the lower side (the side toward the lifelines) until the level shows that you are fine. Now, measure the distance the box is off the deck and this amount (in my case it was half an inch) that needs to be cut off the opposing side of the box toward the centerline of the boat.
Before you do any cutting though, prop up each dorade box with shims until they are both level, screw the dorade into the base fitting, and set each one into its proper place. Now, go to the bow of the boat and take a good look. Picture what the finished installation will look like based on what you're about to cut off the high side of the box—do you want the dorades to be perfectly level? In most instances yes; in my particular application on my Island Packet 31, I left them slightly slanted because I liked the way they lined up with other deck hardware and the molded fiberglass mainsheet track supports behind them. Anyway, it is up to you to decide and once you determine the amount to cut off the high side of each box, you are ready to continue.
7. With the correct measurement previously determined, draw a line straight across the side of the dorade box (the side that will face the centerline of the boat) that represents how much will be cut off. With half-inch masking tape, start at the bottom corner of the front (facing the bow) of the box (the tape is just used to mark a perfect line to follow around all three sides that will be cut) that touches the deck closest toward the lifelines, angle up and around the side of the box following the straight pencil line, and then angle down toward the bottom corner of the box facing the stern. This is the material that needs to be removed and the tape gives you a nice line to follow with the saw.
Caution! Take a good hard look before you do any cutting and be 100 percent certain that you are removing the material from the correct side of the dorade box. As long as you remember that the excess is removed from the side that faces the centerline of the boat, you won’t have any problem.
You can cut off the excess material in any manner you choose and in my case, because of the shape, length, and angle of the cut, I chose to use a regular hand saw and it worked fine. The hardest part is holding the odd-shaped box in place while making your cut so you have to place something under it for support. Ideally, it would be great to have a large band saw where you could pre-position the box on the correct angle and run it through the blade accordingly.
Once your boxes have been cut, place them back on the deck of the boat, drop the dorades in place, and take another look from the bow to insure you are now a happy camper and so far so good. If you're satisfied thus far, remove both boxes from the boat, and grab your half round rasp file.
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You need to have two “weep holes” on the lower side (facing the lifelines) of each dorade box to allow rain and condensation to drain from inside. I did this by turning the dorade box upside down
(Be careful! This may throw you off so mark the correct side before turning the box over) making a mark about an inch to an inch and a quarter from each lower corner toward the center of the box and then used the half-round side of the file to remove approximately a quarter-inch of material.
The result is two half-moon shaped “weep holes” that will permit adequate water drainage. Lightly sand (150 grit) the weep holes smooth, along with the bottom edges of the box where you cut off the high side, clean and wipe with a tack rag, and apply one coat of varnish on the inside of the box diluted with mineral spirits by approximately 30 percent.
You now have the epoxy setting in the holes and covered, the dorade boxes cut and varnished inside, and can finally call it a day. Take the boxes home with you and prior to retiring for the evening, put a second coat, full strength, on the inside of the box and let it dry overnight
8. The next day, remove the plastic covering the holes and down below, push the plastic pipe liner up into the holes and see if it still fits with the addition of the epoxy. Needless to say, it should go all the way in so that the rim of the liner is flush with the cabin roof. If it will not, tape your plastic trash bags back over each hole and use sandpaper from above to smoothen out the hole until it fits snug. (This means going down below, removing a portion of the trash bag and checking the fit usually more than once.)
When the pipe liner finally fits, take your cordless drill and drill pilot holes at each designated screw hole in the liner rim. Secure it with 3/8-inch pan head philips screws and you are now finished on the inside. (Note: If the pipe liner is longer than the thickness of your deck, trace a pencil line around the excess that exceeds beyond the deck outside, remove it from inside, and then cut it off about an 1/8 inch below that mark.)
On my Island Packet 31, the pipe liner came up to about a quarter-inch below the deck surface so no modifications were needed. Moving back up on deck, take your 3M 5200 sealant and put a small bead (seal) around the area where the deck pipe liner ends in the top of the hole. Now, take your mushroom vent and unscrew the top part completely out. Center the bottom portion over the hole and trace out the flange with a pencil on the deck. Check your pencil mark to confirm that you are centered and put the base back in place. Take your cordless drill and drill pilot holes in the designated areas around the metal flange and then move it to reveal the pencil line and the screw holes.
Put a bead of 5200 sealant around the inside of the pencil mark, especially down inside the pilot holes, and screw down the base plate with 3/8 inch screws. Clean up any of the excess 5200 with mineral spirits and an old tooth brush to get it out of the nonskid. You can now screw in the mushroom vent and from down below, install the black finger knobs that open and close them. Back to the dorade boxes!
9. The dorade boxes come with four L-shaped brackets that screw into the inside of the box and then bolt through the deck. First, after I initially placed the four brackets inside the box at the anticipated locations to ensure they were not going to hit the mushroom vent, I then turn the box upside down and placed a piece of two-inch wide scrap wood across the bottom of the box simulating the deck. Next, I positioned the L-bracket in the first bottom corners (on top of the scrap wood), just beyond the weep holes that I had previously made and marked the location of the first two pilot holes with my pencil. The same process was repeated at the top.
I then used an angle drill, wrapped the drill bit with tape to mark my depth, and drilled the pilot holes accordingly. I then used half-inch screws, filled each hole with 3M 101 Sealant (not as permanent as 5200) and secured each bracket on the inside of the box with a short stubby phillips head screwdriver.
(Note: You may have to bend the brackets a little to get them to conform to the deck.)
When all four brackets are affixed to the inside of the box, put the box back in place following your pencil lines previously traced out on the deck. With the box in the correct position (opening directly above the mushroom vent), reach inside and mark all four designated holes where the bracket meets the deck. Remember, you will need four pan head bolts long enough (I believe the diameter size was a quarter-inch and the length somewhere around three to three and a half inches for my installation) to accept a washer first, then insert down into the bracket, through the deck, and then have enough down below to accept a second washer, nylon lock nut ,and a round cap nut to give it a finished look.
10. With all four holes marked, you are now ready to drill through the deck. Use a slightly bigger drill bit than the bolt and again
, make sure you hold the drill on the same angle as the deck. Once all the holes are drilled, place the bolts into place in the brackets, and try a dry fit to make sure the bolts go all the way through into the cabin and the dorade meets the deck accordingly.
With a secure fit, mark the deck where the two “weep holes” are and remove the dorade box. Take 3M 101 sealant and put a 3/8 wide bead all the way around the inside of your pencil line that depicts the outline of the box, with the exception of the two weep hole spots, and put a little circle around all four holes as well. Now insert the bolt/washer combination through each bracket and then evenly lower the box down onto the deck. A second set of hands might come in handy at this point since they can help guide the bolts down through the holes and will be needed later to tighten the lock nuts down below. With that said, hold the bolts from turning inside the box (I had to use one of those elongated upside down Z-shaped screwdrivers) and have your buddy tighten the lock nuts down below.
Clean off the excess sealant around the base of the dorade box with mineral spirits and the installation is nearly complete.
Just apply whatever finish you choose to the outside, install the metal base on the top of the box (don’t forget pilot holes) to accept the dorade, and screw it in and tighten the set screw with an allen wrench.
Congratulations. You're done!
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