Drilling holes to attach things

[astrocaster]

Hi, Everyone,

 

As an alternative to using suction cups to hang things on the interior walls of our Oliver trailer, we would like to consider actually drilling holes to attach various sorts of hangers. If you had done so, please post information on how successful that has been for you. Please describe the process, what precautions you have taken, types of drill bits used, the types of fasteners you have inserted through the fiberglass to make the anchor, and any other information that you think would be useful.

 

Thank you,

Steve

[ScubaRx]

Steve,

 

I realize that it takes a certain amount of nerve to drill a hole in our Olivers. It's kinda like the first dent in a new car, after that it's easy.

 

I've mounted quite a few things in ours, from a paper towel holder to drilling 1 1/4" holes to mount a new switch panel for the inverter I installed (yet again more holes.)

 

Any drill bit will work, I used a hole saw for the larger ones. The sharper the better, it will tend to "grab" as it goes thru so you want to make sure there's nothing too important behind where you are drilling (like a wire, gas line, holding tank, etc.)

 

Screws or bolts work for fasteners. If you are supporting a lot of weight, make sure you use washers or a substantial backing plate.

 

If you are handy with tools and using your hands, it's really not all that hard after the first hole.

 

Good luck,

 

Steve

[dougi]

I hope not to have to drill any holes in my Oliver, by using alternative methods of hanging that will not penetrate the shell or leave any visible signs, once they are gone. IMO, to do otherwise will needlessly reduce the market value of your trailer.

 

So far I've not hung anything that can't be well secured with a suction cup, double sided tape, or hook and loop fasteners. I can't envision needing to drill any holes in the shell in order to hang stuff.

 

However, there is no reason you can't do it if you have a good sharp bit and know how to use it properly. I have no experience at drilling through fiberglass, but I bet a step drill would work nicely. You can buy drill bits for wood that leave no tares on the outside edge of the hole, but they are not cheap and are rarely available at places like Home Depot or Lowe's. I bet they too would make a clean, smooth hole through the fiberglass.

 

I would check with Oliver technicians to see what kind of drill bits they use.

[andrew]

As an alternative to using suction cups to hang things on the interior walls of our Oliver trailer, we would like to consider actually drilling holes to attach various sorts of hangers. If you had done so, please post information on how successful that has been for you. Please describe the process, what precautions you have taken, types of drill bits used, the types of fasteners you have inserted through the fiberglass to make the anchor, and any other information that you think would be useful.

I have done it, check out our mods, and it was fairly easy. I used normal drill bits and hole saws and went slow. I generally used some masking tape so that I could measure and mark on it and make sure I made the hole where I wanted it. I used machine screws with nylock nuts and fender washers on the back to hold everything. I haven't drilled anywhere that I couldn't get to the back of what I was drilling yet, so I haven't had to use any fasteners like that yet.

[DCKiefer]

Haven't drilled a single hole for hanging anything. Double stick tape, the heavy duty variety works great. Suction cups work good too, the larger the better or the type SeaDawg put us onto from Lowes, they even work hanging from under the cabinets.

 

If you do drill I recommend being very carefully. I drilled a couple of holes for a few customizations and it doesn't take much to go through this material.