How big of a pita is this job?

[wayne.b]

Originally Posted by Cheechako

Those may have bolts going from the outside handrails thru to the inside handrails. At any rate, You need to rebed the outside ones for sure. An easy way to get bungs out is to use a Sheet Metal Screw and drill. Screw it into the center of a bung, when it hits the underlying bolt or screw it pushes the bung out cleanly. It helps to centerpunch the center of the bung first unless you are good at keeping things accurate.

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That's good advice on how to remove a bung. I'd had one additional refinement: Use a small dowel to first give the bung a sharp rap with a hammer. That will help to break the glue line inward which reduces the likelihood of raising a splinter when backing out the bung.

[roverhi]

Hex head screws of a large diameter almost as large as the plug. Get a hex bit for a battery powered screw driver that fits the screw. Run the screw into the bung and it will pull plug out if it is all loose. If the plug is not loose, clean out the remains of the plug with a small, 1/4", chisel.

For any work on the boat have found this screwdriver to be invaluable. Can double duty as a drill with hex drill bits. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...TNKB5X4BAFMNPT

[Cheechako]

Originally Posted by roverhi

Hex head screws of a large diameter almost as large as the plug. Get a hex bit for a battery powered screw driver that fits the screw. Run the screw into the bung and it will pull plug out if it is all loose. If the plug is not loose, clean out the remains of the plug with a small, 1/4", chisel.

For any work on the boat have found this screwdriver to be invaluable. Can double duty as a drill with hex drill bits. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...TNKB5X4BAFMNPT

Yep, contrary to posts that say use a chisel or an ice pick... no way are those less damage prone. Not even close. But then I've only done a few hundred plugs. Any act prying, not pulling the plug straight out of the hole, will often damage the wood, chipping or ovalizing the hole.. However, plugs shouldn't be glued in, but I imagine some people have done it.

[minaret]

Forstner bit a little smaller than the bung in question. Leaves a thin ring of bung remnant in the bung hole. Stick in the requisite sized chisel (or even flat head screwdriver) and twist and it pops out clean. Helps to heat strip first so there is no varnish over the bungs. JMHE.

[minaret]

Originally Posted by Cheechako

Yep, contrary to posts that say use a chisel or an ice pick... no way are those less damage prone. Not even close. But then I've only done a few hundred plugs. Any act prying, not pulling the plug straight out of the hole, will often damage the wood, chipping or ovalizing the hole.. However, plugs shouldn't be glued in, but I imagine some people have done it.

Forstner creates a cavity in the middle, so the bung remnant when being picked out can collapse inward. Super fast easy and efficient. Personally, I bung with G5 five minute epoxy. Good luck pulling my bungs! But, they don't leak, so you don't have to. Also, I make sure to countersink/counterbore to an appropriate depth with a Fuller bit with a stop collar, so all of my bungs come out exactly the same depth, which is nice and deep if possible. No shallow bungs=no redo in the near future. Also, epoxied bungs=no redoing bungs that popped out because they were shallow and only dipped in varnish or similar. Also, G5 doesn't leave a "ring around the rosey" on your bungs like resorcinol or other less aggressive glues, which usually aren't dead clear. And, G5 being an epoxy, it is designed for gap filling, unlike other adhesives. This means if someone who went there before you left you some less than perfectly round bung holes, you don't necessarily need to go up a size, which can be unsightly. If you try to do this with a non gap filling adhesive, you will pay down the road. JMHE.

[otterhound]

In my boat shop over the last 35 years I've removed literally 1000's of bungs. The method I use is to take a drift/punch smaller than the bung and tap it with a hammer in the center of the bung. This breaks the glue line holding the bung in and then the remains can be cleanly picked out. Hope this helps.
Rod

[Sinbad51]

I recognize the boat as a C&C 30. I had one and had the same problem.
The lands on the handrails align inside and out and there are long screws going straight through with the nuts being on the inside. Don't make the mistake I made and be sure to mark which screws came from which holes. They are different lengths and it made it a nightmare to get nuts and plugs back in.