I have found both bow cleats loose on a 1989 Catalina 30. I have received all kinds of advise on how to tighten. Some have told me to completly remove and replace, tapping new screw holes. Why not just take a screwdriver and tighten? Is this even possible? Is there any access to the bolts underneath the cleats? It is a Tall Rig with factory installed windless. I am about to take ownership and have not started to tear things apart yet. I am trying to figure out what work needs to be done, and who should do it; me or the marina.
- Status
Bow cleats
Warren The bow cleats are not tapped into any material, but the bolts are run through drilled holes with washers and nuts below the deck. The access to the nuts is through the opening plate that should be inside your anchor locker. You can't simply turn the screws (bolt heads) because the nuts will turn with them. You'll need to get in up underneath the bolts, grab the nuts and then tighten the bolts. A deep socket ratchet with an extender will most likely be needed, unless you can get to the nuts with your fingers. If you can grab the nuts, then slowly tightening the bolts should bring the nut up to the lockwashers. In some cases you may need to install another opening deck plate to gain access to the other cleat depending on where your plate is currently located. Stu
Warren The bow cleats are not tapped into any material, but the bolts are run through drilled holes with washers and nuts below the deck. The access to the nuts is through the opening plate that should be inside your anchor locker. You can't simply turn the screws (bolt heads) because the nuts will turn with them. You'll need to get in up underneath the bolts, grab the nuts and then tighten the bolts. A deep socket ratchet with an extender will most likely be needed, unless you can get to the nuts with your fingers. If you can grab the nuts, then slowly tightening the bolts should bring the nut up to the lockwashers. In some cases you may need to install another opening deck plate to gain access to the other cleat depending on where your plate is currently located. Stu
Bow cleats
Because the movement of the cleats may have caused any sealant/bedding compound to lose its sealing capability, you may want to rebed the cleats and bolts with bedding compound (polysulfide /aka BoatLife Caulk/ for example). Thus, you would remove the cleat and bolts first before reattaching using caulk on the bolts. But then again, you may want to go a step further to insure that you never have a core problem (due to water intrusion) if the sealant fails in the future. You could put a piece of tape over the side of the hole in the anchor locker, then inject penetrating epoxy into the holes (to penetrate the core surrounding the hole), wait for that to cure, and then rebed the cleats. Or drill oversize holes for your bolts, fill the oversized holes with epoxy mixed with filler, wait for that to cure, and then redrill properly sized holes and bed the cleats. Either way, there is more involved than just tightening the nuts on the bolts. That is because there is a core material (wood is subject to rot if left wet for long periods), and water may have entered your core already; so you have to check the core by removing the bolts to see. Lastly, because you now have the bolts out, you might as well go an extra step to prevent a potential problem in the future.
Because the movement of the cleats may have caused any sealant/bedding compound to lose its sealing capability, you may want to rebed the cleats and bolts with bedding compound (polysulfide /aka BoatLife Caulk/ for example). Thus, you would remove the cleat and bolts first before reattaching using caulk on the bolts. But then again, you may want to go a step further to insure that you never have a core problem (due to water intrusion) if the sealant fails in the future. You could put a piece of tape over the side of the hole in the anchor locker, then inject penetrating epoxy into the holes (to penetrate the core surrounding the hole), wait for that to cure, and then rebed the cleats. Or drill oversize holes for your bolts, fill the oversized holes with epoxy mixed with filler, wait for that to cure, and then redrill properly sized holes and bed the cleats. Either way, there is more involved than just tightening the nuts on the bolts. That is because there is a core material (wood is subject to rot if left wet for long periods), and water may have entered your core already; so you have to check the core by removing the bolts to see. Lastly, because you now have the bolts out, you might as well go an extra step to prevent a potential problem in the future.
my old c22...74
use to have wood on the underside. something i guess for the bolts to bite into rather than the fiberglass. i replace all the wood with some aluminum spacers. but of course this was done on an older model...i do hope catalina changed that somewhere along the line...
use to have wood on the underside. something i guess for the bolts to bite into rather than the fiberglass. i replace all the wood with some aluminum spacers. but of course this was done on an older model...i do hope catalina changed that somewhere along the line...
- Status