I have a screw loose

[stephennoble]

I am fairly new to boat maintenance and learning fast, however some advice please. I have just purchased an older boat 1982 a Samphire 23. I note there are many loose screws on the deck, hinges, stanchions, cleats etc. Some of these just tighten with a screwdriver but many just go round and round. The deck is I believe balsa core with an epoxied deck (over the old fake teak deck 'she-dek?) now painted. At home I would have filled the hole with timber, grip fill or a raw plug; then reinserted the screw. However on a boat I would like some advice.

 

[Concerto]

Are you sure they are screws as bolts would be more likely used for the fittings mentioned. I expect the original sealant has dried and shrunk, combined with the nut remaining fixed to the thread and is turning. Again I would expect that the balsa core would not have been used where fittings were to be placed, plywood was more likely.

Your first move would be to check under the deck to see if there are nuts fitted - some may be glassed over and there will be a bump in the fibreglass. If fibreglassed in then you will need to cut the covering away to get to the nut. Then remove the nut and bolt and check for any rot in the plywood pad. If none, then new sealant and refit the bolt. If there is rot then you will need to use an alum key in an electric drill to carve out some rotten timber, then cover the under deck hole and fill the new void with epoxy. Then drill and seal as normal.

For more detail read http://www.westsystem.com/ss/bonding-hardware/

 

[oldsaltoz]

You really need to get onto this, moisture in a balsa deck can cost a small fortune to fix.

All penetrations should have been drilled out oversized and filled with a mix of epoxy resin and Micro-fibres.

then re-drilled to the required size and a sealant or gasket installed when fixing.

The procedure is pretty straight forward.
Start by removing the loose screw or bolt. re drill the hole at lest 20 to 30% oversize, your objective is to make the hole so that you have a minimum of 10 mm each side of the bolt/screw that will filled with the epoxy.

One the hole is drilled tou need to remove some of the Balsa between the deck and the skin below. this is done with s drill and bent bit of steel. Take a good look at the material that comes out of the hole, it should be bone dry. if not you you may have to dry it out. DO NOT repair any wet areas, this is a death sentence for your deck if you do.

After drilling and drying, fill the hole just proud of the deck using a mix of epoxy resin and Micro-fibres after taping the hole on the underside.

After curing (the next day normally) sand off level and re drill the hole so the bolt is a neat fit and add a sealant or gasket material before inserting it.

All bolts should have a good backing, this can be a backing plate for say a winch or other heavy duty area or as simple as a penny washer for a light duty fitting.

With a balsa deck you should use nits and bolts rather than screws, if you must use a screw, drill it out oversize, fill with with epoxy as above and pre drill for screw so that it will not break the epoxy.

If you find any soft spots on deck, they are best repaired from the underside, this preserves the original deck finish.

Good luck and fair winds.

 

[stephennoble]

Thank you for your replies and links to further information. Much appreciated and I have learnt more. :encouragement:

 

[oldsaltoz]

Hi Stephennoble,

I have now been sailing for almost 60 years and I'm still learning. I don't think you ever stop learaning about sailing, maintenance. tactics, navigation, trim, set up, re wiring, carpentry, fibre glassing, painting, polishing, anti fouling, primers and painting. the list seems to just keep growing.
Then there are the projects that others come to me with using the old excuse 'but I don't know how to do it properly and you seem to do it half the time and much better than any of their own efforts.

The wife is not a keen sailor, just not into sitting in one spot for hours, she has to be doing something all the time. But both my sons and daughters love it.
Looking to retire at the end of this year, so just in time for the really warm weather here in Oz for a lift out and complete refit.
No small task on a 42 foot cat let me tell you.

Good luck and fair winds. keep us in the loop with your finding and progress.

 

[Scotty_Tradewind]

I think the guys above have covered good ways of doing the job.

I have a balsa cored deck and had just one area around a hatch that had become soft with water ingress.

I treated it by cutting back a few centimetres, luckily finding good dry balsa and fitting a bigger hatch.

If the boat is not worth a lot of time and effort, you could consider drilling out the drill hole accurately, right through the thickness of

the deck.

As long as the hole is clean and round you could then pass a rod of Tufnol into the hole with a mix of epoxy in the hole and around the rod.
https://www.google.co.uk/search?sit...0.0....0...1c.1.56.hp..1.10.846.0.-PLqS_F2jwI

When the epoxy has gone off, cut the rod level with surfaces, then drill down through the rod and fit the deck fitting items down with a

stainless steel A4 machine screw, nut and large diameter washer with a good flexible sealant in the hole etc.

good luck!

S.