hardware attachment

I have had some seating hinges pull out from the fiberglass.There is no wood backing in place,and I have no access to add any.Any suggestions to an epoxy,or how would you solve this issue.Thanks in advance.

It would be easier with a photo. Does the hinge bear the weight of someone sitting in the seat or is it the lid type seat? If it's just the hinge screws that are pulling out and they bear no weight other than the lid, get some hardwood toothpicks and some 3M 4200, fill the screw holes with caulk, tap one or more toothpicks into the holes to resistance and break off the remainder and reinstall the screws.

unfortunately,i have tried that.Yes,the seat bears weight of people.It is on hinges because it needs to be locked(by a spring)in the upright position for the engine cover to clear when opened.The fiberglass that the hinges attach to is pretty thin,with a ceiling below that is non removable.I considered small toggles,but there is not enough clearance below.That is why I was wondering if I could bed the hinges in an epoxy,just not sure what type to use. thanks

Possibilities,

Attach an aluminum plate like a piece of flat bar prior to attaching the hinge flange to the plate.

One could use a piece of teak and screw the teak to the boat. Use sheet metal screws to attach the teak. Quite a few if need be. One could attach the hinge to the backside of the wood w small bolts after routing out a slot.

Waterproof pop rivets?

Greetings,
Would something like this work?


or this....

manyboats said:

Possibilities,

Attach an aluminum plate like a piece of flat bar prior to attaching the hinge flange to the plate.

One could use a piece of teak and screw the teak to the boat. Use sheet metal screws to attach the teak. Quite a few if need be. One could attach the hinge to the backside of the wood w small bolts after routing out a slot.

Click to expand...

Good ideas, if the fiberglass is strong. If it isn't you might end up just pulling it away again. Is it possible make the bar or piece of teak wider to spread the force? Could you put some type of fold-down strut under the seat when it is in the folded position?You might also consider laminating it onto the fiberglass

hard help without a picture

If you can access the back the fiberglass perhaps small bolts with washers. If you can't access the back rivets are a possibility. If use epoxy its a done deal as far as replacing the hinge in the future and there will be gel coat damage.

Pop rivets with 4200 or 5200 sparingly applied.

Before the 5200 haters jump on...the metal hinge can always be heated lightly or 5200 loosener used...this is a good application of an adhesive.

Poach writes;
" Is it possible make the bar or piece of teak wider to spread the force? "

That's what I had in mind w the flat bar like piece of aluminum or wood. One can pre-drill larger holes in the wood or metal and then use the W or M as a template and drill the small holes in the FG that are perfectly matched to the screw threads for best holding. And of course being of far greater area many screws could be used whereas only several were used originally.

In the original install it's possible or even likely the installer used the wrong sized drill for the fastener. One could (in that case) move the assembly over 1/4" and drill mounting holes properly if the 1/4" offset is acceptable.

One could drill out the holes in the hinge AND the FG of the boat and install the next size larger (or more) screws. And then sheet metal screws should be considered as they are designed to hold to thin material and they have threads all the way up to the head of the screw.

Thanks for the many suggestions.The builder should have backed the fiberglass with wood,but did not.While the screw inserts are an excellent suggestion,there is not enough meat in the fiberglass to use these.I am not concerned as to the visual appearance to the install,as the seat is over the hinges all the time.While I intend to redo the screws with hardwood shims,and 5200,that in itself is not sufficient.Hence I would like to epoxy the hinge in total.The question I need answered is a recommendation for a two part epoxy that would adhere metal to fiberglass

not sure why you would think a 2 part epoxy would be that much better adhesive than 5200 for metal to glass...the 5200 would certainly be strong enough if spread over the entire hinge...

if you must...just about any decent 2 part would be OK, West System being the most notable it seems.

now if you want to build the area up using epoxy and glass, different story.

West System G-Flex seems to work well w/metal. Hinge could also be removed at a future date by applying heat.

Do a search for toggle or toggler bolts add "marine" will get them in SS.
If there is room for the toggle on the "far Side" of the hole.

Lots of good suggestions here.
A Wellnut is my go to fastener in a situation like this.
It works very well on thin fiberglass as it expands on the other side.
WellNut - STANLEY® Engineered Fastening

Have you thought about removing the hinges entirely and using a latch of some type on each corner? I'm not sure if the real estate allows without a picture. Just a blind thought

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Have a look at the bonded fasteners from Electricalhub.

They are epoxied onto most surfaces - can replace weldings or drilling through decks, can be used as deck tie-dows on deck, engine room, walls, bulkheads.

Bonded Fasteners | Categories

HopCar said:

Lots of good suggestions here. A Wellnut is my go to fastener in a situation like this. It works very well on thin fiberglass as it expands on the other side. WellNut - STANLEY® Engineered Fastening

Click to expand...

Theses are excellent, we drilled holes in truck doors and used them to mount brackets for west coast style mirrors.