Here's a weird one

[Honeyman]

So I have 2 small "holes" where stanchion leg screws have lifted the glass and gelcoat due to the stanchion being overstressed the wrong way. Want to fill these "holes" with MarineTex epoxy, but want to preserve the threaded "holes" inside the broken out areas of glass and gelcoat. What would one wrap around the screws that go into the plate in the deck that wouldn't stick to the MarineTex? I want to grind out the area, put the threaded stanchion support screws back into the deck, then fill in around them with epoxy and still be able to back the screws out and then replace them. Anyone following this so far? How about teflon tape or regular "blue painter's tape"? I'm wide open to suggestions.

 

[Dan]

Spray Graphite lube

Test it on something else first. Why not through bolted? Why do boat builders do that!If my stancion comes loose, I want it to be because it ripped a giant hole in the deck and the deck is still bolted tight to the stancion. Good LuckDanhttp://www.athea.com/label_PDFs/336label.pdf

 

[Ross]

Do you mean that the stanchion

is fastened to the deck with screws? Not through bolted to a big backing plate inside the boat? Do you sail with people that you don't like? With the stanchions fastened with screws, someday you could come home without some of the crew you went out with. There are lots of things that will keep epoxy from sticking to the screws but don't even think about using them.

 

[Honeyman]

Yes,to backing plate Ross!

If you had read the post, you'd see in the middle of it that I said these threaded screws were fastened into a backing plate! It is a small area around 2 of these screws that has "lifted" and pulled up some deck glass and gelcoat due to being pulled outboard of their normal plane of orientation. I'm thinking I could grind out a small amt. of material over the plate, tap it down some, reinstall some screws with something that would prevent the epoxy from sticking to them, fill with epoxy and let dry, back out screws, fair to deck and reintstall stanchion. The stanchions are through bolted to the aluminum toe rail, but the "support legs" of the stanchions are enough inboard that they cannot be through bolted. Any other ideas?

 

[Morrie]

mold release would work

Go somewhere where they sell epoxy and ask for mold release. It's a waxy kind of stuff. Hope this helps.

 

[Jim Booth]

cooking spray

Cooking spray(like 'Pam') works. I suppose your teflon tape would work too. You realize MarineTex has very little stregnth other than filling a void.

 

[Ross]

Retro, You have conducted a proceedure

that is called destructive testing on this stanchion. It failed the test! The base support is inadequate and must be reinforced. The repair you are proposing will not be as strong as the original installation. I presume that the interior liner prevents access to the underside of the area of the stanchion base. If you can cut a neat, narrow kerf access hole where this stanchion base enters the deck then you can save the cutout, sand the edges smooth, and reattach it with a couple of small bronze plates. It will allow you to do a proper job of replacing the stanchion base and allow future accsee if it is needed.If the stanchion failed because of loading in an unusual direction andyou plan to reinstall it in the original manner then you should place a warning label that says, " if you happen to be falling overboard, please don't pull on this stanchion." Affixing such a label on the other stanchions might also be in order.

 

[Bill Roosa]

Just totaly repair

the area. Then drill out the holes just like you would when new. The threads don't hold anything they are just there because the hole the original installer drilled was a tad too small. The backing plate does all the holding.

 

[Rick Sylvester]

I understand that the leg fasteners

thread into an embedded backing plate. My concern would be that since an outboard deflection of the stanchion should've resulted in a largely vertical movement of the fasteners (enough to crack the glass/gelcoat above.) My biggest concern would be the integrity of the backing plate threads. If the fasteners moved enough to cause damage to the surface how can you be sure that the plate threads weren't compromised?My recommendation would be to retap the plate to the next larger size and then refinish the surface as some of the others posters have said.

 

[NYSail]

?/

I dont fully understand...If your stantions are through bolted and they got pulled up, they would pull the entire deck inclusive of the underside and create a big hole to the inside of the cabin. Thats the way mine would fail at least......

 

[Bill Roosa]

Embeded backing plate

Totally repair the area around the backing plate. That is, take the FG down to the backing plate and check out any damage done to the FG below. If it is OK below, then rebuild the deck surface with longer screws bolted into the backing plate. The longer screws will stick up above the surface while you lay the FG and establish the correct location for the holes. Then just take out the long screws and re-bed the stanchion. Trying to drill something like that would be REAL hard.