I would like to add a rope clutch on the cabin top by the rest of them on my H34. Is that area cored that I could just use screws or does it need to be thru bolted? Thanks!
Adding rope clutches H34
- Thread starter a65sailor
- Start date
You can see the outline of the 1/4" aluminum plate that is glassed into the cabin top. I added one clutch next to the two existing ones and drilled and tapped the screws into it. But, I can't remember as it was so long ago if I went through and backed it up with washers and nuts up inside the headliner. You should be able to take out some of those screws and peek inside to see how the others are attached. Through bolting is best and not too difficult on our model boat.
It needs to be through bolted. I have installed two clutches. The original were all through bolted and the ones I did are through bolted too.
As Allan says, the 34 has a large thick aluminum plate embedded into the deck. The original and still strongly functional mount for the rope clutches is to have them tapped into the thick embedded aluminum backing plate. You can through bolt them, but there is a slight empty space between the cabin liner and the underside of the deck. This space would have to be backed to enable a through bolt to bear on the deck bottom instead of the the liner. As Allan says, best to drill and tap machine screws into the stout backing plate that was designed in for that purpose.