Tips, Tricks, sunpad help!!

[chrisf695]

So Im redoing the sunpad on my powerplay and Im a little confused to what the best way would be to do the hinge area. I threw some pics to give you an idea of what im thinking on this.

So what im thinking is that before i give the sunpad wood to the upholster:

Drill the holes first for the bolts. (Holes a little larger for the t nuts)
Seal and strengthen the holes for the stainless t nuts with PC-11 Epoxy
Seal the entire wood platform with Spar Urethane 4-5 coats.
Then add the t nuts and hammer them into place.

Have the upholster do there thing and wrap it up with new vinyl.

But... this means that i would tear small holes in the vinyl for the hinges and bolts... this right or ok?

So is this a good way of doing this?

 

[16victor]

Re: Tips, Tricks, sunpad help!!

I feel out of place answering given the expertise here, but are those stainless hinges? Also the tee-nuts will pierce the wood and provide a point of entry for rot, IMO. Could you counterbore the back side an use a brass washer and low profile nut, or rout out a rectangle and drill/tap a piece of aluminum plate? Just brainstorming here.

 

[chrisf695]

Re: Tips, Tricks, sunpad help!!

I feel out of place answering given the expertise here, but are those stainless hinges? Also the tee-nuts will pierce the wood and provide a point of entry for rot, IMO. Could you counterbore the back side an use a brass washer and low profile nut, or rout out a rectangle and drill/tap a piece of aluminum plate? Just brainstorming here.

Yes they are stainless hinges, I thought about the wood being peirced also and rotting out the tnuts... so i thought i will pound the tnuts in and then take them out and then seal up the area, then install the tnuts back in.

The real problem is that i cant go back in the swim deck once the guy covers it up... I will need to make small holes so the bolts can go through the vinyl to the nuts and then tighten down the hinges. Then install the hinges to the boat.

How do the newer boats do this? I really dont want to be doing this whole process in 3 years again.

 

[Grandad]

Re: Tips, Tricks, sunpad help!!

The real problem is that i cant go back in the swim deck once the guy covers it up... I will need to make small holes so the bolts can go through the vinyl to the nuts and then tighten down the hinges. Then install the hinges to the boat.

Hi Chris, if I'm understanding this correctly, the holes that you'll pierce for the bolts will be under the hinges. Clamping the hinge with the bolts to the vinyl will ensure that the holes won't tear out, if that's your concern. Oh, BTW, put some lubricant in the threads of the ss tee nuts and run the bolts through to spread the lube before it gets covered in vinyl. I did exactly what you're doing, but without the lube and found out the hard way that the bolt and tee nut (both stainless) when dry can "gall" and freeze the parts together long before they're tight. They won't come apart and they won't tighten either. I spun the tee nut and had to tear apart the upholstery. - Grandad

 

[chrisf695]

Re: Tips, Tricks, sunpad help!!

Hi Chris, if I'm understanding this correctly, the holes that you'll pierce for the bolts will be under the hinges. Clamping the hinge with the bolts to the vinyl will ensure that the holes won't tear out, if that's your concern. Oh, BTW, put some lubricant in the threads of the ss tee nuts and run the bolts through to spread the lube before it gets covered in vinyl. I did exactly what you're doing, but without the lube and found out the hard way that the bolt and tee nut (both stainless) when dry can "gall" and freeze the parts together long before they're tight. They won't come apart and they won't tighten either. I spun the tee nut and had to tear apart the upholstery. - Grandad

Yeah, I think your close to what I'm envisioning... But... Once its all wrapped with new vinyl... I will find my holes that i made and then place the hinge over the vinyl and poke the holes through the hinge hole into and through the vinyl and then just tightened down the bolt to the tnut.

Great point on the lubricant... I may epoxy the tnute into the wood also with some PC-11 epoxy just incase.

 

[Mischief Managed]

Re: Tips, Tricks, sunpad help!!

I was unable to find SS T-nuts when I re-did mine (Regal had the same problem too, the OEM T-nuts were rusted out almost completely), so I routed out an area on the back side of the plywood and made some 1/4" thick aluminum plates that I drilled and tapped for the 1/4-20 SS hinge bolts. My sunpad hinges slide apart so that the sun pad can be removed easily for fishing, so the two halves of each hing have to align perfectly. I purposely left some slop in the plywood bolt holes and the area where the aluminum plate sits so that the hinges could be moved a bit before tightening them down, allowing for precise adjustment.

 

[tazrig]

Re: Tips, Tricks, sunpad help!!

Try using a piano hinge. Lot less likely to pull out.

 

[16victor]

Re: Tips, Tricks, sunpad help!!

Try using a piano hinge. Lot less likely to pull out.

McMaster-Carr

 

[tazrig]

Re: Tips, Tricks, sunpad help!!

McMaster-Carr

Exactly what I'm talking about! Thank you.

 

[tpenfield]

Re: Tips, Tricks, sunpad help!!

OK, my 2 cents . . .piano hinge with screws, as mentioned. You could have the sunpad upholstered first, and the screws would be OK to go thru the vinyl, depending on how the upholstering wrapped around the piece, etc.

Pre-drill the holes and apply epoxy into the holes for some sealing out of moisture.

That looks like PT wood that you are using . . .

 

[chrisf695]

Re: Tips, Tricks, sunpad help!!

I looked at the piano hinges and those would not work for my application... The back of my boat has a pretty strong curve and the screws holes would not line up correctly. I talked to buddy of mine who is a welder and hes going to make a custom tnut like backing... kinda hard to explain... and Ill use the PC-11 for the sealing up the bolt holes. Thanks for all the responses!

 

[chrisf695]

Re: Tips, Tricks, sunpad help!!

Just thought I would update on how the sunpad project is going... The idea I had is looking just how I had pictured in my mind. I have no doubt that it will hold up for many years. The pc-11 is strong as rock... i was pounding it to death putting the stainless nuts into place for fitment and not a scratch on the surface. I popped them back out when I started to seal up the entire sunpad and now its all sealed up Ill just place them back into place and then done! I added more pc-11 around the actual placement of the bolts and tnuts for more strength becuase this stuff is way stronger then the wood itself... but its now ready to be wrapped in new vinyl. I ill be keeping the PC-11 in my stock of goodies, this stuff is amazing!

I do have the correct length bolts too... just fyi

 

[MH Hawker]

Re: Tips, Tricks, sunpad help!!

Lowes also has them.