Tube tow hook pulled through. Hole repair?

Jhilton0816

Petty Officer 3rd Class
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Apr 10, 2015
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When I bought this boat on the inside by the engine there used to be a small 2x4 wooden block between the bracket of the tow hook and the back of the boat. Well it had rotted out and I forgot to replace it. Overtime of tubing I had no issues.
well couple weekends ago I was tubing and slingshotted some families out and it ripped the tube tow hook out the back of the boat.

I was wondering how do I go about fixing this? And once it’s fixed Is it able to be used as a towing point again?

also another question

the two tow hooks on the transom by the outdrive, are those able to be used as towing points for tubes? Or is that not designed to handle the stress of tubing.... I don’t want to ruin the transom since the first hole isn’t apart of it.

I don’t have pictures of the hole but I’ll give you guys a picture of where the tube tow hook use to be.

this isn’t my picture but it’s the same boat and practically same rear setup
 

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tpenfield

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If I were me, I'd do a fiberglass patch from the inside and add a few layers of glass about 10-12" across the area (use a stitched cloth, like 1708). Then set a reasonably sized (4" x 8") piece of 3/8" Starboard into the resin before it cures. Make sure the tow hook bolts have enough depth to them to go through the thicker material and still have room for the washers/lock nuts . . .

clean up the outside with some gelcoat and then re-drill the holes going through where the original holes were and re-mount the tow hook.

It should be stronger than the original.
 

Scott Danforth

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the two tow hooks on the transom by the outdrive, are those able to be used as towing points for tubes? Or is that not designed to handle the stress of tubing.... I don’t want to ruin the transom since the first hole isn’t apart of it.

I don’t have pictures of the hole but I’ll give you guys a picture of where the tube tow hook use to be.

this isn’t my picture but it’s the same boat and practically same rear setup

the two transom hooks are rated at about 5000# each and are the recommended tow points for towing other vessels and tubes.

the little ski ring at the back of the boat is really for skiers and wake boarders as its it only rated for about 400#
 

Woodonglass

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Uhmm depending on the design of your transom, you may have further issues. If in fact the reinforcement block is the only issue, then the repair should be done on the inside. Grind the surrounding area, fabricate a new backer block from 2 pieces of 3/4" plywood and then use thickened resin to adhere it to the transom and finally glass over it. On the outside do a normal fiberglass repair and then Re-Drill the hole for the Eye but this time make it oversized and then fill it with thickened resin. Once cured drill the hole for the eye and install. do it this way and it'll never rot again.
 

Jhilton0816

Petty Officer 3rd Class
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Apr 10, 2015
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78
Here are he pics....
msi what y’all are saying is that the hooks in the blue are meant for towing them super marble couch tubes? I thought they were just tie down spots for the trailer?

we plan on being on the lake tomorrow for 4th of July and I’d hate to tell the family that we can’t go tubing... so I’m trying to find out what can I safely use to pull a tube with adults?
if I used the ones on the transom(hooks in blue) wouldn’t that have the rope kinda close to the outdrive. Plus how would I put the rope through both of them and keep the rope centered? Might be a dumb question.

Ive heard people also use the cleats on the sides of the stern using something called a bridle, never seen one so this is new to me
 

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tpenfield

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All the above. Have you checked the transom for rot?

It looks like the tow hook pulled out of the engine hatch/housing (not the transom) Not sure if that was why you were mentioning the transom :noidea:
 

sphelps

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Nov 16, 2011
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Pics are worth a thousand words .. I guess that was a mooring cleat that you tied the tube rope to ?
Yep a nice bridle like the ones posted and it’s tubing time !
Now just to fix the hole .. ;)
 
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