Wallowed out screws

rnbenton

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In working on my boat, 1987 Voyager 28, I have found a number of screws that have, over the years, wallowed out the holes in the fiberglass and no longer hold. Is there a material I can fill these holes with and redrill for the appropriate size screw? If possible I would rather do this than keep putting ever larger screws. Thanks.
 
Marintex worked great for me. Filled the old holes and re-drilled.
 
Ditto Greg. Fill the hole, let dry until hard, then redrill the holes.
If possible, use bolts and nuts with a good backing washer or backing plate and use a good silicone to seal the hole.
You won't have a problem with screws again.
 
Thanks for the information, both of you. Really a big help.

quote:

Originally posted by rduhon

Ditto Greg. Fill the hole, let dry until hard, then redrill the holes.
If possible, use bolts and nuts with a good backing washer or backing plate and use a good silicone to seal the hole.
You won't have a problem with screws again.




 
You're welcome. Marinetex, never leave the dock without it!
 
MarineTex has a syringe type container that mixes the 2 parts perfectly.
Now if I can figure out how to get it off my knees. It has been on my
left knee for a week. Once it drys, it is hell to get off.
 
I had several stripped screw holes from canvas snaps.Rather than filling them I used wood tooth picks in the holes & then returned existing screws.That would hold for about one season.I questioned a canvas installer at the marina&was advised to try dry wall plastic anchors.I tried them & had success using them.The secret to using them is you have to trim them down to make them fit.My first season using them.Hope this helps.
 
That'll work too, but a whole lot more work than just filling the holes with Marinetex and doing it right.
 
quote:

Originally posted by kole

I had several stripped screw holes from canvas snaps.Rather than filling them I used wood tooth picks in the holes & then returned existing screws.That would hold for about one season.I questioned a canvas installer at the marina&was advised to try dry wall plastic anchors.I tried them & had success using them.The secret to using them is you have to trim them down to make them fit.My first season using them.Hope this helps.






Could water still get in and cause damage below the fiberglass? It's not just about the screws holding.
 
The one comment I would make is that if you have any coring beneath the fiberglass, such as plywood below the fiberglass deck, you must make sure the holes are absolutely sealed tight. Otherwise you'll suffer major lamination of the deck after water rots the wood.

Water is a tough thing to keep out of a boat sometimes.

MarineTex is a favorite repair, and it is simply an epoxy, so it will seal the holes good enough if it is properly applied. The only problem with using it for high-stress screw repair is there is not much bite in epoxy, and the screws might strip out again.

A good alternative in this situation is to embed some loose strands of fiberglass in the hole, then use a non-paste epoxy, such as West System to fill the holes. The fiberglass in this regard will provide some bite to the screw threads.

But with either repair, the best practice is to "bed" the hardware with a high-performance adhesive, such as 3M101, 4200, or Boatlife Caulk to ensure water does not get into the decking.

So its a two step process - 1. seal the hole with epoxy, and 2 - bed the fitting with a sealant. If you do this, you won't have a lot of screws backing out.

I would not use Silicone, such as RTV (the stuff that smells a bit like vinegar), to bed the screws, it doesn't have good enough sealing properties. Silicone requires constant compression to maintain a seal, while 4200/5200 is a high performance polyurethane, and 101 is a polysulfide, both of which make a "hard seal", are normally preferred for bedding applications.

One caution on 3M 5200, if you use it, the screw might be permanent. While this is normally the intended purpose, if you ever need to remove the thing you screwed in - it might be next to impossible. For that reason, 3M makes 4200, which has the same sealant properties, but half the adhesive strength of 5200.

But I had a Windlass I caulked on the deck with 4200, and had a very hard time taking it off, even with 4200. There is an aftermarket product, called JW Antibond 2015 that you can get at West Marine. It pulverizes 4200/5200 and most other sealants, and it will allow you to remove the screw if you need to later.
 
If I recall, one of the BoatLife products is a combination polyurethane and polysulfide. One is Boat Caulk, and the other is Boat Sealant, and I cannot remember which for which.

But either product has good sealing properties, and can be used if you cannot find any of the 3M stuff. 3M 101 is especially hard to find.
 
I think you're referring to Life Calk, which is my favorite marine sealer...

Its the goopier stuff...
 
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