Offshoreonly.com - Started to Drill the Holes, BUT....

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Started to Drill the Holes, BUT....

Okay, all bundled up out I went. Uncovered the boat, hit the little switch and watched the hatch cover go up (thank you Santa for those 2 new batteries) and set to work.

When I talked to Eddie Marine last week Ken told me that he figured I'd have to go down a quarter, maybe three eighths of an inch and then I would "break" into the water chamber area. Said it would be obvious as the drill would break free then hit again.

SO: I started to drill the front one and went down about a quarter of an inch and something (besides doing this whole thing anyway) was bothering me so I stopped. I yanked the brass plug out to be able to see in the water passage area as best I could. I also took the rags out where I'd stuffed in so that aluminum filings wouldn't drop down into the exhaust passage area. I then took a hose clamp and kind of straightened it out a little to run back under the brass plug threaded fitting toward the center of the flange to see how far back the water chamber went. It stopped solid just past the hole. I then looked down the center of the manifold (the exhaust area) and saw how the exhaust area curved back toward where I'd just been drilling. I then rechecked the distance of the water chamber with the flattened hose clamp again and I don't think there is any water chamber there. I think if I'd kept drilling I'd drilled right down into the exhaust area, not into a water chamber area. It looks the exact same front and back. Now on the sides it's a different story. I can see how the exhaust area goes basically straight down for quite a ways. I figured I could drill down two full inches and not break into the exhaust area. However after drilling down about three quarters of an inch, not breaking into any water chamber, and remembering what Eddie Marine said, I just put the brakes on. I'm going to call Eddie Marine again tomorrow and MAKE SURE there is a water jacket there. I figure even if I can only drill the sides, that should cool it enough. I just really don't think there's any water chamber area on the front and back directly below the flange. I think it's solid alluminum until you get to the exhaust area. I did everything I could think of to try to check to see if somehow there was water chamber under there but I can't see any sign of one. If I ever broke through, either on the side or the front, I was going to blow some air down that hold and check where the brass plus was out to be sure I felt air.

Am I being totally paranoid here or what? I just don't want to take the chance and drill for water and come up with exhaust. I also started with a 1 sixteenth inch drill bit and that's all I've used so that little quarter inch deep hole in the front of the flange right now is a complete non issue, the gasket will cover it fine. I just want to know if in fact there is or is not water chamber area where I'm drilling.

This has become such a pain in the azzz.