I am mounting new cleats to the boat. The mounting screws are 1/4". I would like to fill the holes with epoxy and then drill through them. What size drill bit should I use? I was thinking about 5/16". Is this the correct size or do I need to go larger? I want to do this right, and only one time. ( I hope) Thanks Dale
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Dale
I recently mounted 3 horn cleats on my boat did just as you propose doing: drilling the holes out with a 5/16th inch drilling, taping the hole from the bottom side, filling with epoxy, and then redrilling the holes with a 1/4 in drill. Seemed to work fine for me. But a word of caution. One of the cleats I was mounting was on the cabin top right above the head and I had to drill thru the hull liner. As with the other holes I drilled, I taped the underside to contain the epoxy I poured in. But...there was a space between the hull liner and hull and some of the epoxy managed to run down inside it, and out the bottom of a port light frame. Would have been a nightmare had I not noticed it before it cured. If I were to do it over again, I'd thicken the epoxy to a paste for spots like that. We all keep learning...
I recently mounted 3 horn cleats on my boat did just as you propose doing: drilling the holes out with a 5/16th inch drilling, taping the hole from the bottom side, filling with epoxy, and then redrilling the holes with a 1/4 in drill. Seemed to work fine for me. But a word of caution. One of the cleats I was mounting was on the cabin top right above the head and I had to drill thru the hull liner. As with the other holes I drilled, I taped the underside to contain the epoxy I poured in. But...there was a space between the hull liner and hull and some of the epoxy managed to run down inside it, and out the bottom of a port light frame. Would have been a nightmare had I not noticed it before it cured. If I were to do it over again, I'd thicken the epoxy to a paste for spots like that. We all keep learning...
Cut the core material back.
Cut the core back at least 1/4" deeper than the hole you drill. This will key the repair to the hull and provide a larger margin for redrilling your hole when cured. If the core is wood or foam, a small allen wrench keyed in a drill works nicely.
Cut the core back at least 1/4" deeper than the hole you drill. This will key the repair to the hull and provide a larger margin for redrilling your hole when cured. If the core is wood or foam, a small allen wrench keyed in a drill works nicely.
Now I get it
You want to know what oversize bit to use for the initial hole before filling. Keep it 1/4 inch and through bolt the cleat with a backing plate. That is how it should have been done in the first place. What brand of boat is this? Tim R.
You want to know what oversize bit to use for the initial hole before filling. Keep it 1/4 inch and through bolt the cleat with a backing plate. That is how it should have been done in the first place. What brand of boat is this? Tim R.
Drill Bit Size
You didn't state it, but I am assuming from the nature of your post that we are talking about a cored deck here. As some of you know, I am very prone to overkill on things. If I were doing this, I would drill a 1/2" hole, and I would go through the core to the inner glass. ( Not through the inner glass ) Then fill the hole with an epoxy, thickened up quite a bit. Then thru bolt it and use a backing plate. You certainly don't want a cleat working loose, as Murphy's law plainly states, it will come loose at the absolute worst time.
You didn't state it, but I am assuming from the nature of your post that we are talking about a cored deck here. As some of you know, I am very prone to overkill on things. If I were doing this, I would drill a 1/2" hole, and I would go through the core to the inner glass. ( Not through the inner glass ) Then fill the hole with an epoxy, thickened up quite a bit. Then thru bolt it and use a backing plate. You certainly don't want a cleat working loose, as Murphy's law plainly states, it will come loose at the absolute worst time.
Thanks
Thanks to everyone who answered my question. I know what I have to do now, and all it has to do is warm up so I can start. Tnanks again, and this is sure a great site for solving problems. Dale
Thanks to everyone who answered my question. I know what I have to do now, and all it has to do is warm up so I can start. Tnanks again, and this is sure a great site for solving problems. Dale
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