My 1999 Hunter 340 has six YS 10" 2-hole cleats (3 on each side). The stern cleats have thru-bolts attached to nuts with lock washers and are readily accessible from the cockpit lazarettes, making for easy removal. The mid-ship cleats are another story. They also appear to be mounted via thru bolts and nuts, because I'm able to turn the screws from the deck but they will not come off, they keep spinning. So I'm trying to figure out how to access the nuts. I tried to access the port cleat from inside the galley pantry, but the plywood sides are in the way. Same situation trying to access from the microwave enclosure. Before I start cutting plywood, does anyone know the proper way to access the nuts? Thank you all!
H340 Midship Cleat Access
- Thread starter floridahunter340
- Start date
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but there are no nuts. The machine screws you see are screwed into a 3/8" aluminum plate to make assembly of the boat easier.
If and when I were to run into the same situation, my first steps would be to :
- drill a hole into the centre of the screw
- use an easy out to "hopefully" be able to remove the screw
- thread the aluminum plate with the next largest screw size
- insert the next largest machine screw size.
Lots of work. Compare that to removing the interior cabinetry and make your decision plus the fact it will look like hell after you replace the cabinetry.
If and when I were to run into the same situation, my first steps would be to :
- drill a hole into the centre of the screw
- use an easy out to "hopefully" be able to remove the screw
- thread the aluminum plate with the next largest screw size
- insert the next largest machine screw size.
Lots of work. Compare that to removing the interior cabinetry and make your decision plus the fact it will look like hell after you replace the cabinetry.
Thank you Ralph, the aluminum plate design may be good news since it'll keep me from destroying the cabinetry only to find out there are no nuts...
Rich: there's not enough space to stick something under the screw head, but I plan to try remove the other screw so I can lift the cleat and get screw out. I'm looking to replace the cleat as it's beat up.
Picky, picky, picky. OK, I'm back to the drawing board.
Seeing as how you're deep-sixing the cleat, how about cutting into the cleat just under the machine screw head so you can get a blade screw driver under the head and pry up while screwing CCW ? If that doesn't lift out the screw, go with the easy out while holding on to the screw. And yes, as others have pointed out, you can't drive the easy out into the screw unless the screw is held tight.
Ralph has an ingenious idea. But I would cut the cleat just under the head all the way through. This will allow you to remove the cleat since the screw is not threaded into the cleat. The remaining screw you can put two nuts on each and tighten them onto each other and turn the bottom one and pull the screw upwards with a claw hammer.
DRhoads I did polish it already, cleat is hard anodized aluminum so big gouges can't be buffed out without taking the anodized finish off. It's looking like that's as good as it's going to get.
It's a 25 year old boat. Not everything is going to be pristine. The photo of your cleat looks pretty good to me, and it looks like it would function correctly.
IMHO, I would live with it and find something else to fix.
IMHO, I would live with it and find something else to fix.
Photo shows the cleat looking pretty good. Unlikely that it is aluminum. Hunter -pretty consistently used SS cleats. Suggested ways to remove stripped out machine screw seem reasonable.