Slow going. I couldn’t drill out the heads. The cockpit coaming overhangs the bolt head just enough that I couldn’t get the bit in straight. So I resorted to the Dremel. It took about 35 mins for the first bolt, going slowly things still got hot.
What I couldn’t see until it was done is the second washer fused to the nut. Five more to go!
The difference between a Dremel and a 4” angle grinder is about 34minutes 30 seconds.
10 seconds
That’s funny about the angle grinder. It took me bit, but I worked out a routine of cutting part of one, and moving to another to let the first one cool down.
For some reason I have two Dremel, a corded model and a battery equipped one. Corded model wins hands down for this sort of work. I hope to never have to do this again.
Should I put a touch of grease on the threads when I re-assemble? If so, what type?
There are two types of Dremel cutting discs. The smaller (~1") abrasive discs are fragile, cut slowly, and wear down fast. Their larger reinforced discs cut a lot faster and are way more durable.
As for lubrication on the threads, if you’re using stainless hardware, it’s not going to matter and I don’t think I’ve ever bothered to do it. Use Nyloc nuts so they won’t come undone.
No grease. Nylock nuts are great, but will not spin on. getting the right length bolts is a plus and also much safer. I often see these really long bolts used like they just stock one length and then you end up with a inch or more sticking out. Too easy to get snagged on.
Most of the heat in grinding goes off with the sparks and the bolts get hot some. I don’t really see enough getting to the boat to melt it. spraying some water from a super-soaker by a second party would be more than enough.
Another approach would be to grind a slot out of the center of the bolt head to detach it from the shaft. Not sure I’d bother with lock nuts, but SS prices being what they are you might want to go with Loctite Red.
Cost of 4 nylock nuts vs. small tube of Locktite probably a toss up.
Loctite red (271, high-strength) is designed to be permanent and if you need to break the bond, it requires enough heat to be damaging to a kayak. Loctite 242 (blue, medium strength) is sufficient for most fasteners and is designed to allow disassembly when necessary. I use Loctite products for a lot of applications, but still prefer Nyloc nuts for kayak use.