I'm rebeding a hatch, and I don't think the wood-screws would hold what they are biting into. I know I can drill it out, fill with epoxy, but will the screws cut into that when I go to install the hatch??
Rebeding hatch, rot, wood screws
- Thread starter KandD
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Epoxy is very weak for the stresses related to a wood screw. The best method with any kind of FRP is through bolting. Next best is to install an insert for a machine screw so the screw screws into the insert and the insert spreads the load over a larger surface area of the FRP. If you do go with the epoxy mix it with a thickening agent that will give it some strength like microfibers.
Much depends on the thickness of the material that the screws penetrate. If you have less than an inch of thickness and a substantial load to support then you are best to through bolt if you are just fastening a clock face for the hall clock then wood screws a half inch long are fine.
I'm attaching a hatch, so I imagine the screws are supplementary to the 4000 I'll use to bed it. I can't through-bolt, the overhead liner is in the way.
Is there any thing else through bolted where there is headliner? If so how is it done there? Instead of painting my ceiling, I was thinking of installing a headliner. I was kind of concerned about what to do, (or how it's done) where there are through bolts.
I was at the boat for the last 4 or 5 days. I bedded 2 ports and all the hardware in the forward hatch and one stanchion base with butyl tape (that I got from MaineSail). I will seal everything I can with butyl tape from now on.
BTW the hinges on the forward hatch(on the side attached to the boat) were not through bolted. They were wood screws into FRP. I counter sunk the holes a bit and used butyl on those as well. They felt like they had a descent bite to them as I tightened them.
I would stongly suggest butyl rubber. I say this because I replaced a hatch bedded with butly a few weeks ago (broken lense) and it was a 10 minute job. Zero water leakage after 13 years. Easy to pry up, using a kitchen knife and a drywall knife. Easy to prep, easy to re-bed.
No, I don't use butyl for everything, like some fanatic. I use 4200 and 5200 other places. But on large items that are going to have to come off again some day (hatches, winches, cam-cleats, staunchians) it's geat stuff and easy to work with.
FWIW, the hatch was mounted with wood screws. Seemed like enough to me, but it was a deck hatch. I figure the screws were, collectivly, stronger than the latch, so through bolts would add nothing meaningfull.
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