Grab handles

[Fr J Hackett]

It may well be less strong, but is it strong enough? If epoxy is used as suggested in the West manuals the bulkhead and grab handle effectively become one with the addition of a metal strut.

That's a question for the OP and his wife but in the end you would be relying on 15mm of screw thread and the plywood is likely to splinter before the screw pulls out and I have little doubt that 8 or even less screws used in such a way would support the weight of a person suspended from the handle and as The OP indicates they are going to be a hand hold not something to clip into.

 

[thinwater]

Look into Tee nut options. Many variations.

 

[onesea]

Look into Tee nut options. Many variations.

I would go with this option, or similar.

Put them on the inside held in place by a couple of small self tappers.

Or these or similar:

M8 Tee Nuts 4 Pronged in A2 Stainless - Westfield Fasteners Ltd

Last thing you want to be doing is doubting the strength of a grab handle.

 

[thinwater]

I would go with this option, or similar.

Put them on the inside held in place by a couple of small self tappers.

Or these or similar:

M8 Tee Nuts 4 Pronged in A2 Stainless - Westfield Fasteners Ltd

Last thing you want to be doing is doubting the strength of a grab handle.

Yes, those are good. The problem with the drive-in type is that ...

• They can be difficult to install in hard materials.
• They need to be smacked with a hammer. Not good on a bulkhead.

I suppose they could also be epoxied in. Never tried it. I would make some groves with a file and rough them up.

The prongs are only to prevent the nut from spinning, and if lubed, this is a minor force.

 

[Daydream believer]

One should look closely at the "D" handle construction. It may seem sensible to fit the 2 plates with a total of 6 bolts. However, with low quality \DIY store, handles the plate is fitted to the handle with a single screw about 5mm diam. If the thread has been poorly machine cut, it may have a slack fit to the screw. It would seem pointless making the plate fixing so secure if the rest is not so.
So, no matter how well the plate is fitted, the handle may not be firmly fitted to the plate. I have fitted quite a few in various situations & not all come up to spec. A side load will easily rip it off the plate.

 

[Poignard]

Stemar said he hopes to avoid anything unsightly.

Effective though they are, few things are more unsightly than a pronged tee-nut

 

[thinwater]

Strength. Just some stuff to consider.

• ADA (shower hand holds, US) are required to hold 250 pounds. Name brand bars are generally rated at 500 pounds. Obviously, this depends on the anchor system. If you go with shower handholds, stay with name brands. Those that I have installed were well engineered, burly strong, and I would be happy with them on a boat. But there is probably some cheap stuff out there.
• World Sailing does not seem to have a stated value, but somehow I remember 500 pounds.
• Will you clip tethers to the handholds? Some do. Then the requirements is 5000 pounds, and yes, impacts up to 1000 pounds are not unusual. But more than 200 pounds on a handhold would be very unusual. But to get a WLL of 200 pounds requires 1000 pound breaking strength of handle and anchors.