broken screw on travler

[steveebryant]

Dear Sailors,

I have a 1989 Hunter 30. I tried to remove the port cleat on the traveler. It was tight so I used my drill which has a hammer switch. Needless to say that screw snapped quickly with little applied pressure.

I do need to remove that cleat because under it is the bolt/screw that I need to gain access to in order to tighten the traveler down to the deck.

There are spaces in the ceiling, port and starboard, where the screws holding the traveler in place protrude. Access to these spaces is gained easily. In both spaces, there are three screws that protrude and, in my case, the nut for one of those screws is loose and drips steadily when it rains-both port and starboard.

Do any of you have experience with this problem or one like it?

The problems identified here are:
1. Broken screws -- I am almost certain that a screw removal tool will be a colossal exercise in frustration and futility???
2. Leaks into the boat because the traveler "bolts" are not tightened properly

If you have any suggestions, I would appreciate hearing about it.

Thank you
Steve

 

[Barnacle Bill]

There is a device called an "Easy Out" which is a bit that looks sort of like a tapered drill bit where the edge grabs a screw or bolt when turned counter clockwise - when stuck down into the hole of a screw or bolt which was drilled out by the drill bit designed to accommodate the easy out you intend to use. They come in quite small sizes to quite large sizes to cover the gamut. Usually you use the grip handle that is used in a tap set. They are available at hardware stores, or Home Depot, Menards, etc.

 

[kloudie1]

With the other screw out or snapped, you can then remove the the cleat and the bolt you need to re-bed. Most likely, you have stainless that has galled and it will have to be drilled out. Ya may want to pull the other cleat and remove the entire traveller to re-bed everything.. If the other cleat is galled too, drill it out as well and either re-tap the holes or use thru-bolts to replace the mess. Use an anti seize lubricant when replacing so that it is much easier to get apart the next time.

 

[steveebryant]

broken screw in traveler

With the other screw out or snapped, you can then remove the the cleat and the bolt you need to re-bed. Most likely, you have stainless that has galled and it will have to be drilled out. Ya may want to pull the other cleat and remove the entire traveller to re-bed everything.. If the other cleat is galled too, drill it out as well and either re-tap the holes or use thru-bolts to replace the mess. Use an anti seize lubricant when replacing so that it is much easier to get apart the next time.

Kloudie,
Do you know if there is a product that I could use (conveniently such as JB Weld) to fill the hole left after drilling the screw out? If there is a suitable product that will allow me to fill the hole and then re-thread the hole, that would be great. I suspect I will find nothing like that. So I would need to prepare to drill the existing screw out carefully and then purchasing the next size drill bit up and re-threading again . . . . drilling a larger hole and re-threading sound a bit tricky, like I me might be making a bigger problem than I have. I know that something needs to be done and at that step-by-step.
So, I am wondering if worst comes to worst, where can I find a whole new
traveler "that would fit my boat"?

Thanks again for your thoughts and advice,
Steve

 

[steveebryant]

Barnacle Bill,
I may be forced into considering doing this.
Thanks for your response, Bill
Steve

 

[Johnb]

My experience is re tapping holes requires less skill and is more likely to be successful than using an "easy out". If you break one of those in the screw then you will know what screwed is because they are near impossible to drill through.

On the other hand, even with my lousy metal working skills, drilling the screw out is not that hard if you have a good drill bit, keep pressure on so the screw does not work harden under the bit and lubricate it, with water if you don't want to get oil into things, the lubricant is more to prevent the tip from overheating. Try and drill down the center of the screw. That is easiest before you break the head off.

A set of taps is relatively cheap and you will have them forever.

 

[kloudie1]

Going to need some pictures of the work area, Steve.. I was thinking a cam cleat or jam cleat?? is it threaded into an aluminum plate which is in the glass of the cabin top? Many Hunters have a fairly thick aluminum plate buried in the fiberglass where the traveler is mounted .. Sometimes when the bolts arren't bedded well, the stainless screws corrode with the aluminum and the whole mess can really be a bugger to get out.. I have seen one where the holes all had to be re-drilled in a different place along the traveler because the stumps of the stainless bolts could not be removed. Sometimes moving the piece a little way and plugging the old hole with epoxy filler and a little gel coat is better than fighting a battle with the stuck ones.

 

[steveebryant]

Going to need some pictures of the work area, Steve.. I was thinking a cam cleat or jam cleat?? is it threaded into an aluminum plate which is in the glass of the cabin top? Many Hunters have a fairly thick aluminum plate buried in the fiberglass where the traveler is mounted .. Sometimes when the bolts arren't bedded well, the stainless screws corrode with the aluminum and the whole mess can really be a bugger to get out.. I have seen one where the holes all had to be re-drilled in a different place along the traveler because the stumps of the stainless bolts could not be removed. Sometimes moving the piece a little way and plugging the old hole with epoxy filler and a little gel coat is better than fighting a battle with the stuck ones.

I'll see if I can get some pictures to post. I would like to fix it . . . but I can still sail it like it is. I'am afraid it will turn into more of a project that I will be able to do justice to myself and the nearest, qualified repair shops are located 130 miles away. By qualified I mean a big marina on a popular boating lake.

Something you said frightens me:
"Many Hunters have a fairly thick aluminum plate buried in the fiberglass where the traveler is mounted .. "

I will provide pics that my permit you to answer this question a little more definitively. Is the plate an arbitrary addition found on some 1987 boats and not on others? Is it possible that such a plate would not need to be removed. I know these are rambling, ridiculous questions I am asking now. There are just too many unknowns now. I will probably need to dig in a little deeper into the problem before I know much more. But that burns up sailing time and could be big money. I like to keep care of my stuff but. I am 66 years old and I could probably keep this sweet thing going for as long as I got left

Thank you for replying and sharing your thoughts---
that goes for the others of you who have commented too!