Stripped screws on companionway caprail

[Tom Wootton]

The caprail on my companionway cover (the 1" by 2" plastic piece covering the track where the sliding hatch sits in closed position) is held by (3) 1 1/2" screws threaded into the cabintop. All three holes in the cabintop have stripped. I hope to repair this by putting epoxy into the holes, but some problems occur to me. Since there is no access to the underside, I'll have to squeeze the epoxy into the hole from above, and I don't know how to prevent it from running uselessly down below where the screw reaches. I thought about squirting some expanding foam insulation foam into the hole first, to provide a place for the epoxy to "pool". I also thought about coating the screws with oil and inserting them into the epoxy before it cures, hoping the screw will shape the epoxy and hold it in place while the oil allows the screw to be removed after curing. Has anyone done this? Is there a better way to accomplish the same result?Thanks in advance.

 

[Tim Paul]

Same Problem - Here's What I Did

Tom - I had the exact same problem. Over the winter I thought I'd fill the holes with Marine-Tex and drill new ones. I did this and it failed within a few days. The problem is that the whole underneath is a void. The screws are held only by threads in the fiberglass itself...a little chintzy if you ask me. This would be a good spot for the embedded aluminum backing plates since the rails do get stepped on.Anyway, the solution I came up with was to drill slightly larger holes and tap in regular plastic anchors like you use on drywall. I dipped them in sealant first and also applied some marine adhesive to the underside of the caprail. So far the fix has held up (2 months). I only had failure on the starboard side. Whe the other side fails I'll do the same there. Hope this helps.

 

[Tom Wootton]

Thanks Tim, I'll try that (nm)

nm