bollards

[gbmacca]

I have a !962 Chris Craft Constellation, wooden boat and have just noticed two of my bollards are lose, but when I have tried to tighten the bolts, they just keep spinning, so guess the nut, which is somehow set into the a deck plate, below decks, is spinning.

Have tried to jam the nut but with no success.

I will be unable to use them if I am cannot tighten.

Is there a trick to this, as I don't want have to go below and pull the timber plate off, as that looks to be quite a considerable job.

I am sure that I am not the only person this has happened to - so guess there must be some logical answer that I am unable to figure out.

Cheers

Gbmacca

[slightlysoft]

Often times a quick jolt from a cordless impact driver can cinch a bolt down with a spinning nut, if that's what's really going on down there.

[tkeithlu]

The picture is not pretty. For one, you have spinning (unsealed) bolts in a wooden hull. There isn't really a quick solution, although Slightlysoft is right. Simply tightening the bolts is not enough. You have a site for water and then rot to get into your hull. It may have already happened, so full exploration is called for.

Once you've gotten it apart, reset the bolts and the bollards in epoxy, perhaps MarineTex, and properly protect your beautiful boat.

Sorry. No free lunch today.

[gbmacca]

Thanks guys

The bolt has a Phillips head on it so will try a drill to see if that grabs but had not thought of water egress so will have to address that also.

Bugger!!

Every job I think will take a minute - I have learnt to multiply by ten!!

Cheers

Gbmacca

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by gbmacca

I have a !962 Chris Craft Constellation, wooden boat and have just noticed two of my bollards are lose, but when I have tried to tighten the bolts, they just keep spinning, so guess the nut, which is somehow set into the a deck plate, below decks, is spinning.

Have tried to jam the nut but with no success.

I will be unable to use them if I am cannot tighten.

Is there a trick to this, as I don't want have to go below and pull the timber plate off, as that looks to be quite a considerable job.

I am sure that I am not the only person this has happened to - so guess there must be some logical answer that I am unable to figure out.

Cheers

Gbmacca

Get someone down below to hold the nut with a spanner while you screw from the top.. or Vicki Verki..

[gbmacca]

Ahh - Mr Boatman 61

What can I say which will not offend?!

If it was only that easy!

There is a wooden plate which covers where the nuts would be and that is between beams which are deck supports.

To remove that plate - is a massive and messy job.

I was hoping for a logical and sensible solution.

Cheers

Gbmacca

[chris95040]

Originally Posted by gbmacca

I was hoping for a logical and sensible solution.

Give it some time, that feeling will pass.

[Don C L]

I actually have been pondering your case. I have one idea that MAY work. Without seeing photos, perhaps you can drill into the top of the bolts and then screw in a (smaller size) hex head screw. Then if you can grab it and lift while you tighten it may catch enough below to begin to tighten. The obvious problem then is as soon as you try to back the screw out it may then loosen the bolt. Before trying to back it out, perhaps a drop of Aerokroil will help to ensure that only the inserted screw and not the whole bolt turns counter-clockwise. Also the trick is to leave enough of the Philips head to grab once the screw is backed out.
Sorry that's all I got. I feel your pain though.

[stormalong]

You have a 58 year old boat with a wooden structural member loose. You need to know why. What you don't know can hurt you. If your anchor is secured to that bollard or it is used for mooring lines and it is rotten you have a potential disaster in the making. What will happen if that bollard breaks loose?

If there is a wood cover plate that has to be removed to inspect it - remove or destroy that plate. You can make another plate easily enough.

That's just the way it is with old boats.

[gbmacca]

Don C and Stormalong

Thanks guys. Constructive replies.

My fault, as my boat is longer than the pen, had one mooring line on a bollard about 5' from the aft of the boat, which I can see was not designed to take the buffeting which I get when the wind is up here.
Perth is the sixth windiest city in the world and I have had real problems with the clears on my flybridge.
I now have the rope to the stern - which although on a 45 degree angle - seems to be working.
I think what I am going to do is to cut the bolts, remove them and bollard, then bolt another solid plate of timber to the deck, then affix the Bollard to this. I have a plate on the master bedroom ceiling, which is about an inch thick, then with teak deck and undersides, most probably about two inches of thickness of timber to play with.
To be sure, I will put a pilot hole through first to see what length bolts I can use to affix the new plate.
I have checked the other side and although I have never used that as a mooring bollard, it too has loose bolts??
Thanks again for your advice.

Cheers

Gbmacca

[psk125]

Can you drill them out with a hole bit (maybe 20mm?) that would remove the bolt and some of the surrounding wood? You could then fill the hole(s) with an epoxy mix that you could re-drill for new bolts?