Deck Screw Repair

Max Simmons · 05-28-2009, 04:36 PM

I have a few screws that anchor the*steps up to the flybridge that appear to have*come loose and will not tighten down.* I remember reading*an article on how*to do this repair, but can't locate it.* I would think that the screw area should be hogged out a bit and filled with epoxy.* I did not see any evidence of dampness and the boat has been under cover now for over three years, so I am hoping that the problem is localized ( I do however have some deck issues that I hope to address after the boating season)
Can anybody steer me in the right direction*for a fix?* I am actually too busy "working" to spend much time fooling around searching on line*
Thanks!

Keith · 05-28-2009, 05:23 PM

That usually means that:
A. the hole has been stripped out or
B. the deck is rotten underneath.

You can fix by drilling out the hole oversized and glueing a dowell in there with some waterproof glue, then re-driling out for the new screw.

Nomad Willy · 05-28-2009, 05:27 PM

Max,
What kind of screw is it and what does it screw into (Material). Probably a good fix is to drill out the holes for the next size larger screw. If it's wood you'll need three drilling operations. Pilot hole (smaller than the threads), Shank hole ( the size of the shank (tween the head and the threads)), countersink (cone shaped) hole all to the right depth.

Eric Henning

Steve · 05-28-2009, 08:21 PM

I remember reading,
drill the hole out, take an allen wrench, cut the short end to about 1/4" long, put the long end in a drill stick it into the hole and ream out the coring under the top layer of fiberglass, pack it with epoxy, let it dry, re drill to a hole the correct size for the screw you will be using.

Good luck,
Steve

FF · 05-29-2009, 03:23 AM

"pack it with epoxy, let it dry, re drill to a hole the correct size for the screw you will be using."

Any plastic , epoxy, Bondo or GRP mush is very poor at holding screws.

Drill the hole with a Fostner bit and install a wood plug with glue.

The proper bit is only a couple of bucks and leaves a FLAT bottom to the hole.
Jamestown Supply , on line.

Then drill a proper wood screw pilot hole and reinsert the screw.

Max Simmons · 05-29-2009, 03:37 PM

Moisture meter testing did not reveal elevated readings in this area. If it is like the rest of the boat, there is a Balsa core that the wood screws were sunk into and the plate ws bedded in sealant. I'll try to get a picture and poset it this weekend.

FF · 05-30-2009, 03:28 AM

"Find an epoxy that doesnt blush -and - has a resin/hardener ratio of less than 5:1. Mix it with powdered aluminum and dolomite ( West High Density ), and youre good to go. "

Or find a wooden plug , and Titebond II , which method is easier at your location is up to where you IS.

AS always NO prior planning produces poor results.

The biggest hassle is many epoxy hardeners have a shelf life , so too advanced planning is as useless as none at all.

Marin · 05-31-2009, 12:29 AM

Actually Tightbond II is waterproof--- it's the glue recommended by a number of shipwrights I've talked to for gluing in deck screw plugs on teak decks. We have used it for this purpose for ten years and never had a plug glued in with it come out. I would not use it for gluing anything that's going to be underwater however. Haven't tried tightbond III yet simply because we still have a lot of Tightbond II left in the bottle but I assume it will perform equally well.

But Tightbond does not, nor is it intended to, bridge gaps. On the advice of the very experienced shipwright who showed me how to install or reinstall deck screws and plugs and rebuild the windows and wood window frames on our boat, we use Tightbond II (and eventually III) because in the event we have to remove a plug to remove a screw they will come out without tearing up the adjacent wood which is a risk if you use epoxy.

FF · 05-31-2009, 04:02 AM

"Screws driven into the ends of dowels are going into end grain - pretty weak."

And they look like crap , which is why

"Or find a wooden plug , and Titebond II ,"

While Epoxy or PL glue will fill a wood butchers gaps , using a Fostner bit and PLUG will usually require the plug to be hammered in and the thin glue line is hard too notice IF the grain of the plug is set to match the deck grain..

Plugs are plugs , dowels are dowels , not the same , except they are both wood and round.

-- Edited by FF on Sunday 31st of May 2009 05:03:55 AM

Marin · 06-01-2009, 10:49 AM

Quote:

BMR843 wrote:

Back to the subject at hand - modern epoxies are wonderful things - use them to patch holes and be glad you did.

The big problem with epoxies is that most of them are not UV resistant.* If the epoxy is going to be covered with paint or some other UV shield, that's fine.* Or if it's going to be protected from light by a part screwed over it, that's fine.* But I've seen a lot of instances where people used epoxy thinking it was the "strongest thing going" only to have their adhesive fail after a few months of being exposed to UV.

*