Quote:
Originally Posted by roverhi
All the screw in push snaps on my 40 year old boat are holding up just fine. I surmize either the holes were drilled too large on initial installation or the layup is paper thin, too thin to hold the fasteners on your boat. More likely the former but being a catamaran, the builder may have been exploring the boundaries of light construction.
I'd do a light countersink of the pukas, plug the holes with with epoxy thickened with West Systems 404 filler additive, and redrill the holes. If you cover the filled holes with waxpaper and secure a flat surface over them while they are curing, you probably wouldn't even have to sand the epoxy plugs. That should fix the problem.
If you bed them with 5200 on reinstallation, don't plan on ever removing them. 5200 has got a reputation as one hell of an adhesive. Personally, I like LifeCaulk as a bedding compound as its much less of an adhesive and remains pliable (better seal) practically forever. |
I have used the glue-on velcro successfully for many things, particularly if I was testing the location of something lightweight. In fact, I have one
winch handle pocket that was secured that way for years. It was in a protected corner, and I used a lot of velcro. Also
solar panels. Yes, that can work. It is actually best for items you do not intend to move often.
Yes, the skin is relatively thin, but I would not say the
cabin top is weak. Specifically, I am talking about the hard
dodger, and I'm sure they cut it thin there, since many
boats would just use
fabric. It has ~ 1 1/2 inches of foam too, so it is fairly strong. The
cabin top has a much thicker skin - about 3/16" over ~1" foam - and that is where I will be working. The hulls are solid below the waterline and have fairly conservative skins on the sides.
Yes, I think the holes may have been oversize. The few I have mounted on the cabin myself felt very secure, and I have broken screws off twice from under drilling. The challenge is that the shanks of the twist-locks were brass and wouldn't take much. I now use the twist-locks with 2 mounting screws.
I think drilling them the correct size will work, sealing them with 5200. Still I think the idea of skin-mount fasteners that avoid drilling is worth discussion. Small epoxy-on frp pad eyes, for example, could be handy. A strength of ~ 600 pounds should be attainable, with a working load of over 100 pounds (for a 1" square fitting - larger sizes could be stronger).
Food for thought.
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