1st big project, bronze thru-hull

Multihullgirl said:

There is a fiberglass product I know as 'strong-back' which I believe is 'structural fiberglass' at McMaster-Carr (mcmaster.com) you can get that and fabricate a backing plate for yourself. You may be able to buy something like you want at McMaster, whether or not fiberglass

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Are you talking about G10 (Garolite)? I used that for my thru-hulls; also, got it from McMaster-Carr. Used West Systems 404 mixed into epoxy for the adhesive to the hull. I think that is what people used on other threads on this topic.

Maybe this will be useful: I have used G10 for a number of different things. It is really a hard material. I use a saber saw with fine teeth to rough cut rounded shapes. Then do final shaping using either a sanding disc on the table saw or sanding attachment on the angle grinder. This makes a lot of dust. The dust will coat everything in the shop. I do it outside if using the angle grinder. I rigged up a vacuum attachment for the table saw.

When cutting G-10 on the table saw, I buy cheap plywood blades (fine spaced teeth). They don't last too long. But normally, there are not very many cuts to make.

I do a rough cut with the sabre saw...outside the line. Then finish shaping by sanding with the tools mentioned above.

I've used the method you mentioned too and work just fine. The really big cutters get pretty expensive, but not that bad. Makes it an easier, less messy job too.