Stanchion bolts
- Thread starter key-li
- Start date
I had one of the bolts break at the base. My son reported that the Stanchion had more wobble than it should. Glad I found it. Now I'm waiting for some warmer weather so I can drill out over sized holes for as many stanchions as I can get to the bolts for and fill them with with epoxy and redrill the proper holes.
When I bought my 410 2 years ago one of the stanchions was pushed in, and the 2 machine screws outboard had no heads. I thought it was going to be a big deal but I removed the remaining inner machine screws and unthreaded the stubs of the broken screws in a couple of minutes. I got the replacement extra wide truss head screws from McMaster Carr.
Chandleries will not likely have these screws but I would not be tempted to replace the truss head screws with more common pan head screws which have a thicker head. Having the head break under excessive load is preferable to having the threaded portion break or the threads in the embedded aluminum plate pull out.
94792A736 316 Stainless Steel Extra-Wide Truss Head Phillips Screws, 1/4"-20 Thread, 1-1/2" Long, Packs of 25
Good luck -- Ian
Chandleries will not likely have these screws but I would not be tempted to replace the truss head screws with more common pan head screws which have a thicker head. Having the head break under excessive load is preferable to having the threaded portion break or the threads in the embedded aluminum plate pull out.
94792A736 316 Stainless Steel Extra-Wide Truss Head Phillips Screws, 1/4"-20 Thread, 1-1/2" Long, Packs of 25
Good luck -- Ian
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Yes. A very bad wind storm put enough pressure on my winter cover to break off a bolt head.
The fix was more straight forward than I was expecting. I removed the stanchion and bent the feet to straighten them. Once the stanchion was removed, there was enough of the screw exposed above deck to get some vice grips on it and back it out of the aluminum backing plates they are screwed into. I was able to find a matching bolt from a local hardware store to replace the broken one. I reinstalled the stanchion by first cleaning up the joint surfaces underneath the stanchion post and feet. Then, I used an abrasive cone in a drill bit to put a small chamfer around the shoulders of the screw hole openings (not 100% necessary but this step just encourages a better seal around the stanchion hardware). I then finished up by sealing the fasteners with butyl tape and reinstalling them.
The fix was more straight forward than I was expecting. I removed the stanchion and bent the feet to straighten them. Once the stanchion was removed, there was enough of the screw exposed above deck to get some vice grips on it and back it out of the aluminum backing plates they are screwed into. I was able to find a matching bolt from a local hardware store to replace the broken one. I reinstalled the stanchion by first cleaning up the joint surfaces underneath the stanchion post and feet. Then, I used an abrasive cone in a drill bit to put a small chamfer around the shoulders of the screw hole openings (not 100% necessary but this step just encourages a better seal around the stanchion hardware). I then finished up by sealing the fasteners with butyl tape and reinstalling them.
jssailem
SBO Weather and Forecasting Forum Jim & John
- Oct 22, 2014
- 24,589
Vice grips often work great.
An imaginative electrician made a suggestion when I was working on a stubborn headless screw. He grabbed my drill. Removed the bit and tightened the drill head around the screw and backed it out in a second.
