The Dynaplate is in. I feel very confident of the waterproof nature of this installation
Notice the puddles of bedding compound squeezed out from beneath the backing plate. The same pressure has pushed bedding down the holes around the bolts. Also notice the shiny bolt on the right in the foreground. That is the gold plated hardware for conducting the current.
Here is the hookup. The #4 cable runs to the negative post of the battery bank. The copper foil will run directly to the HF antenna base. The braid will ground the radio itself.
The bad news is that the old plate needs to have the corroded bolts replaced. The even worse news is that the plate is directly above one of the bunks. I will order the replacement bolts and work on a strategy to lift this 8000 lb boat high enough to remove and properly instal the plate. I can't risk a leak. The plate has no backing plate and I don't have confidence in the seal.
I have decided to remove the old plate and fill the holes. It's just not worth trying to jack the boat. I believe I can remove the plate and fill the holes by simply dropping the bunk. Enough room to fill and repaint but not enough to re-thread the bolts and be assured of a good seal. I will have to oversize drill the holes and fill them as I did on the new dynaplate. In this case I will probably do a couple or three pours and top it with some cloth just to make sure.
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