I own a Rumba model Escape sailboat. The four of the six screws that hold the metal plate on which the mast and boom pins sit on have come loose and the nuts that are embedded in the hull are stripped. I appreciate any ideas!
Escape sailboat repair
- Thread starter jeffvennell
- Start date
Just thinking & typing here...... Is the hull of the Escape a Rotomold type hull that is reasonably thin? Perhaps a "butterfly" type wall anchor could be used if the original nuts' threads are stripped or if the nuts themselves spin in the plastic of the hull. To use the wall anchors (the metal ones, not the nylon ones) you would need to drill out the old nuts and use an enlarged hole to insert the wall anchors. If there is any storage area within the hull maybe you could find a way to reach into the hull through an access opening cut into the side or bottom of the storage area. That could be closed again with an access panel of some appropriate size. Round and perhaps 4 to 6 inches in diameter. Come to think of it you might be able to cut such an access panel into the deck of your hull and reach under the mast step to use a plate and/or large wachers as backers for new thru bolts. Again, that fix would require removing the old, stripped nuts, I believe. Best Wishes, and keep us informed of your progress. "Inquiring minds want to know" and we can learn from your project.
Another thing you could try is to pull out the nuts, clean off excess plastic, and then try to reseat them with a very hot glue gun.
I just happen to have a snow ski base repair gun with p-tex stick (Don't ask why. I collect things "just in case.") I keep it around in case I need to fix the rotomolded polyethylene kayak.
The way to repair rotomolded PE boats with with "welding rod." It's basically a thin stick of the PE material, looks like shoestring licorice. You put a thin nozzle on a heat gun, and kinda melt the boat, and melt the PE welding rod in.
My thoughts on molded in nuts like that, is that you'll need to make a jig with long bolts or all-thread, just to hold all the nuts in proper alignment as you try to melt them back into the substrate.
I'd rather try and find proper marine SS blind fittings like 31seahorse says. There's an article on these fasteners by Cap'n Pauley in the current Good Old Boat magazine. Or is that Small Craft Advisor? I can't remember which, I think Cap'n Pauley is GOB...
I just happen to have a snow ski base repair gun with p-tex stick (Don't ask why. I collect things "just in case.") I keep it around in case I need to fix the rotomolded polyethylene kayak.
The way to repair rotomolded PE boats with with "welding rod." It's basically a thin stick of the PE material, looks like shoestring licorice. You put a thin nozzle on a heat gun, and kinda melt the boat, and melt the PE welding rod in.
My thoughts on molded in nuts like that, is that you'll need to make a jig with long bolts or all-thread, just to hold all the nuts in proper alignment as you try to melt them back into the substrate.
I'd rather try and find proper marine SS blind fittings like 31seahorse says. There's an article on these fasteners by Cap'n Pauley in the current Good Old Boat magazine. Or is that Small Craft Advisor? I can't remember which, I think Cap'n Pauley is GOB...
How about wellnuts?
Here is an article about them
http://www.kayakfishingstuff.com/drupal/content/how-install-wellnut
Here is an article about them
http://www.kayakfishingstuff.com/drupal/content/how-install-wellnut