Drilling holes in my boat- what bits? How to find a 2 1/16" hole saw?

[zimm17]

I'm doing my XS steering install this weekend. What kind of drill bits work best on the transom? Lowe's has a ton of different types.

Also, I can't find a 2 1/16" hole saw to cut a hole for my depth gauge. They only had 2" and 2 1/8". That's not very comforting. Any ideas?

[gcarter]

Go 2 1/8"...gives a tiny bit of clearance. This is really non critical.

[MOP]

The 2-1/8" is what you want it allows for a little clearance, you can get fancy with the bits but it is really not worth it any decent metal set will get the job done. Cut on the slow side and pilot any critical hole larger bits and ever the hole saw will tend to walk off a little if not perfectly square.

Phil

[Morgan's Cloud]

I'm surprised George and Phil did'nt mention it , but .....
Someone around here said a while back , and it could have been one of them , and I followed their instructions when cutting the holes for all my new gauges .... Run the drill slowly in reverse just as the cutting edge makes contact with the surface. This will scribe a neat clean starting point without tearing up the gelcoat/glass around the hole. Then go back to normal drill direction and you're on your way !

[gcarter]

I'm surprised George and Phil did'nt mention it , but .....
Someone around here said a while back , and it could have been one of them , and I followed their instructions when cutting the holes for all my new gauges .... Run the drill slowly in reverse just as the cutting edge makes contact with the surface. This will scribe a neat clean starting point without tearing up the gelcoat/glass around the hole. Then go back to normal drill direction and you're on your way !
I remember Phil (I think) saying that!!

[Tom Davis]

Dewalt makes drills that cut from the outside in that are specifically for drilling fiberglass! I'm surprised nobody mentioned it or uses them. They have a small pilot drill in the middle then instead of the standard drill point the angle is reversed so it cuts the outside of the hole first. They only go up to 1/2 inch as far as I have seen.

As far as the hole saw goes you can get custom sizes in 1/16 increments but they are very expensive and usually come in complete sets. So other than that you have two choises, use the smaller size and then sand the inside diameter with a drill sander to custom fit it to the gauge, you are only removing 1/32 per side. Don't forget to use RTV sealent to prevent the exposed wood from moisture, or you can use epoxy to seal the wood (make sure you leave room for the epoxy thickness when fitting the guage). The second choice is to go to the next size up 2 1/8" again you will have an oversize hole of only 1/32, but the guage will tend to sit in the bottom of the hole, again don't forget to seal the wood.

Caution: make sure when sealing the wood that it is fully cured before installing the gauge, for future removal of the gauge if needed!

Just my .02

Tom Davis
Winni Bandits