Hi all So I have a fitting on my O'Day 34's mast that has come loose. The precise term for the fitting eludes me - it's the attachment point for the whisker pole when the pole is in use (it's not a storage bracket). It's mounted on the front of the mast, about five feet up. Anyway, it seems that whoever mounted it last used large stainless flat head lag screws. They've come loose and stripped out the holes. This seems to be the kind of item that should've been riveted to the mast, but the holes for it do have beveled edges that mate with the beveled head of the current screws. The local West Marine didn't have rivets that big anyway. They did have machine screws (1/4" I think), but they wouldn't work because the holes are stripped so bad. The guy at West Marine suggested filing the holes with Marine Tex and then drilling and screwing into the Marine Tex. Sounded kindof iffy to me, but I don't know if there's a better option. I thought about moving the fitting up a bit and drilling new holes for either machine screws or rivets, but I'm concerned about compromising the structural integrity of the mast if I put too many holes too close together. Any suggestions? Thanks in advance for any assistance. Mike P. Tampa, FL
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stripped mast fitting
Mike, I would get stainless steel helicoil thread inserts available at auto parts stores. These inserts are installed by drilling with a special drill bit and tapping with a special size tap. Then you simply screw them in. This gives the original size threads ready to take the original screws. Probably would work better that marine tex. GT
Mike, I would get stainless steel helicoil thread inserts available at auto parts stores. These inserts are installed by drilling with a special drill bit and tapping with a special size tap. Then you simply screw them in. This gives the original size threads ready to take the original screws. Probably would work better that marine tex. GT
Worked perfect! Thanks!
GT, Thanks for the advice. I did the fix today using helicoil, plus some blue loc-tite for insurance and it worked perfectly! Thanks again! Mike
GT, Thanks for the advice. I did the fix today using helicoil, plus some blue loc-tite for insurance and it worked perfectly! Thanks again! Mike
helicoil
I too have a hole in my mast (O'Day 31) that is stripped. I thought of a helicoil but thought the wall thickness of the mast wouldn't be enough to support the helicoil. Also, how do you keep the helicoil from just screwing all the way through the hole and falling into the mast?
I too have a hole in my mast (O'Day 31) that is stripped. I thought of a helicoil but thought the wall thickness of the mast wouldn't be enough to support the helicoil. Also, how do you keep the helicoil from just screwing all the way through the hole and falling into the mast?
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