Fastners: Best drive type?

[model 10]

Originally Posted by missourisailor

if you have people who know what they are doing and care about the work, a single #2 Apex Phillips bit can remove thousands of screws.
Done it many times!

I never got thousands of countersunk 10-32 screws out with just one #2 bit. A new bit was a lot better than having to use an easy out. With heavy duty airliners you can use a rivet gun / air hammer type impact attachment to bust out tight screws. But in normal operations there will be one bastard screw in every couple hundred so you had to be careful.

[missourisailor]

I agree about always having a few SoB'ssss.

But back in the good ole days when the "Double Golden Globes" was flying, on our "B", "C", & "D" checks, the wings were always opened up with a three man crew. One on each wing and the third as the "F%*#ing witch (with a "B")" man. It was his job to get out the screws that did not come out with a butterfly. If the butterfly did not turn the screw, then we marked and moved on.
I often went several nights on the same Apex.

And yes a pneumatic screw knocker will shatter Apex's like nobodies business. The third man would go through dozens if not a hundred bits a night.

A lot of the time it was easier to drill the head off and replace the nutplate then to jack with the screw.

[rognvald]

Excellent discussion and it is apparent that preferences in screw/bolt head types are as different as to why some men like blondes, others brunettes. However, there is an overriding factor that has governed my concept of boat repair/construction and that is 1.) simplicity, 2.) availability and 3.) quality. What is the simplest, quality application and how readily available is the component available when failure/replacement is necessary. If, for example, you chose to use Robertson heads, you could easily carry replicates of every screw/bolt types aboard. A breakdown in Tonga would create no concern. We have a dedicated hardware box that contains nuts, bolts, washers, screws, springs, etc for every item aboard. Well, almost. We use Phillips head screws in quality American made stainless steel exclusively aboard our boat. We have never stripped a head we installed since we do not over-torque and periodically refresh those which show signs of stress/potential failure as part of normal maintenance. However, similar to Suijin, I share his desire to create the best possible system--especially when a major replacement is the soup du jour. It has been said that every boat is a compromise of some sort and the best system is the one that makes the owner feel most comfortable with his decision. I am readily open to improved technology but would temper that desire with practicality. With quality drivers and quality hardware, my vote is to stick to the industry standard: Phillips. Good luck and safe sailing.