Dinghy davits bolts rusted

[pillars]

This is on the underside of a cat cockpit floor. There is a fiberglass dinghy davits setup with these rusty bolts holding it in place. The floor above is solid, so I am not even sure what they are screwed into.
Thoughts on best course of action?

[thinwater]

Originally Posted by pillars

This is on the underside of a cat cockpit floor. There is a fiberglass dinghy davits setup with these rusty bolts holding it in place. The floor above is solid, so I am not even sure what they are screwed into.
Thoughts on best course of action?

a. The deckside may be leaking (failed bedding). Check that.
b. Or the locker may just be chronically damp and the bolts are 304 SS rather than 316 SS. Probably nothing to work about. They're just stained.


Your call.

[hellosailor]

Unbolt, inspect, clean, replace with better grade stainless bolts and anti-corrrosion paste and proper sealant, as needed. Shouldn't be a biggie.

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by hellosailor

Unbolt, inspect, clean, replace with better grade stainless bolts and anti-corrrosion paste and proper sealant, as needed. Shouldn't be a biggie.

Exactly.

Also, not clear to me whether this is inside or outside shot but regardless I would make sure there are good backing plates under the davit mounts.

[pillars]

Originally Posted by skipmac

Exactly.

Also, not clear to me whether this is inside or outside shot but regardless I would make sure there are good backing plates under the davit mounts.

See the pic attached. It's outside looking at the underneath of the cockpit floor. The structure is fairly thin in that spot and there is no penetration through the floor. So this is screwed into something inside that structure or the structure itself. Worried about corrosion of that and I am not even sure you can get at it (the backing plate)? I guess would have to take the whole davit off and see what's under there...

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by pillars

See the pic attached. It's outside looking at the underneath of the cockpit floor. The structure is fairly thin in that spot and there is no penetration through the floor. So this is screwed into something inside that structure or the structure itself. Worried about corrosion of that and I am not even sure you can get at it (the backing plate)? I guess would have to take the whole davit off and see what's under there...

OK, now I see the setup. Thanks

In this situation I would be very curious to know what kind of bolts and what's behind that bracket.

Are these regular bolts or lag bolts? Are they standard bolts going into a threaded plate or imbedded nuts or is it a lag bolt screwed into a plywood pad or what?

To start I would remove one of the bolts to see what it is and the condition of the hidden part of the bolt.