Screw hole in fiberglass stripped out.

[i386]

A buddy has a CC boat with a T-Top. The T-Top is held in with a lot of SS Screws. Some of those screws have stripped the fiberglass they're screwed into and won't stay screwed in anymore.

Initially I suggested he fill the holes with 5200, let it cure, re-drill, and put the screws back in. He hasn't purchased any materials for the repairs yet so I thought I'd run it by you guys.

How do you fix this problem?

[saildan]

A buddy has a CC boat with a T-Top. The T-Top is held in with a lot of SS Screws. Some of those screws have stripped the fiberglass they're screwed into and won't stay screwed in anymore.

Initially I suggested he fill the holes with 5200, let it cure, re-drill, and put the screws back in. He hasn't purchased any materials for the repairs yet so I thought I'd run it by you guys.

How do you fix this problem?

Though 5200 is strong for a caulk sealer it's still a sealer not a hard strong resin. He could use polyester resin - it's what the boat is made of. Typically epoxy is the hole filler of choice these days because it adheres to fiberglass more tightly than fiberglass (polyester) resin.

Tape the backside if they are through holes and fill with epoxy. Once the epoxy has fully set (see package for "full cure" time), drill to the correct size for the screws and reattach the T-top.

[jonesg]

Theres no place for screws in glasswork, it needs to be thru-bolted with backing plate and washer.
http://www.yachtsurvey.com/hardware_attachments.htm

[Bob_VT]

Theres no place for screws in glasswork, it needs to be thru-bolted with backing plate and washer.
http://www.yachtsurvey.com/hardware_attachments.htm

I agree but those screws may have been in a backing plate below the decking.


I would use the marine bondo stick, drill the holes out just a bit and refill with the epoxy......... then re-drill/mount.

If he wants a PERMANENT attachment...... re-install the screws into the marine bondo epoxy before it dries but there is the chance he may have to do damage to remove them in the future.

[i386]

Ok thanks. He's never worked with epoxy before. Maybe I can pump some of mine into those plastic squeeze bottles and give to him so he won't have to buy any.

I agree that bolts should be the way to go. In fact, I think the main attachment points might be bolts. The screws that have worked loose are countersunk around the perimeter of some flanges welded to the ends of the tube.

[Bob_VT]

That Bondo marine epoxy is a stick that you cut off and knead a piece and push it in.

Another school of thought is to use epoxy and install studs with cap nuts on top if that spot does not pose a tripping hazard.

[i386]

I hear ya...

It's fine where it's attached to the deck. It's shaken loose at some horizontal attachment points.

[jspano]

marine-tex comes in gray and white kind of like marine jb weld

[Av8nBill]

I haven't done it myself, but when the ski shop repaired some bindings that pulled out of my skis they filled the holes with an epoxy/steel wool mixture and then re-tapped 'em. I never had another problem and I was a mogul monster in my youth.

[saildan]

Ok thanks. He's never worked with epoxy before. Maybe I can pump some of mine into those plastic squeeze bottles and give to him so he won't have to buy any.

I agree that bolts should be the way to go. In fact, I think the main attachment points might be bolts. The screws that have worked loose are countersunk around the perimeter of some flanges welded to the ends of the tube.

In this case laminating epoxy isn't necessary, the A/B stuff in tubes works fine. It's really all the same stuff formulated for different applications.

The sticks and puttys have an extra load of filler to thicken them up, JB adds metal powder for a filler, cheap ones use wheat flour or wood flour - which is desirable for some applications. Steel wool or chopped glass fibers add a re-bar style flexible thickener while colloidal silica creates a hard concrete aggregate-like mix. Glass or plastic beads are fluffers for mixing in air to create fairing compounds, but the base resin, give or take some viscosity of the chemistry, is pretty much the same epoxy.

For hole filling, I prefer something on the runny, slow setting side. I stir it in each hole with a wire to get air bubbles out and let it ooze into all the contours for a strong grip. Pressing in putty won't get the same contact a runny mix will establish.

If the holes go all the way through, try this method -

[Tail_Gunner]

Been here before...The only way i could get a permenate fix was to use thickened epoxy...Took a syringe..filled the hole from the bottom up

[jonesg]

I hear ya...

It's fine where it's attached to the deck. It's shaken loose at some horizontal attachment points.

horizontal attachment points in the console?
same thing, nuts and bolts with backing .
The strain its putting on the console is tremendous.