Screw loose

-- Last Updated: Jun-11-07 2:14 PM EST --

I know, I have been accused of having more than a few screws loose. But that is another topic.

I had to be at work Saturday morning from 5:00 to 11:00 so I decided to spend some shop time with the Magic (modification to my custom yoke which did not live up to expectations in the BWCA and to repair stress cracks in the tumblehome). While I had the boat in the stands I checked the tightness of a couple of the gunwale (ash) screws. Loose....not overly, but I had previously tightened every last one of them.

Hmmm.

And then it dawned on me. Once, while cruising down the interstate I thought it would be interesting to open the moonroof and grab the boat to see if it was moving in the slipstream. Moving, no, but the hull was vibrating noticeably. And I believe that is what is causing tHE screws to loosten.

When I have time I will back out the screws and drip boiled linseed oil into the holes. Besides protecting the wood it should gum up the wood/screw interface and retard the loostening.

That's my hypothesis and I'm sticking to it.

Jim

BTW: Sat was my first experience with West System epoxy. I used the pre-measured packets, and the repairs came out fine. Very easy and convenient. The "fast" hardener set up the resin so that I was able to remove the Saran Wrap after abiut 4 hours.

I’d love to see some pics of the repairs
I’ve got the same thing going on with my Malecite and will have to do something about it.

Nothing special
The stress cracks were in the single layer of kevlar covering the foam rib adjacent to the seat. My weight bearing down on the seat caused flexing of the sharp shoulder of the tumblehome. Since it was just a crack I opted to just add three layers of e-glass over the kevlar, with my hope being that the rigidity of the glass transfering the stress elsewhere. With the seat reinstalled a picture would not show much.



One mod I have yet to do is add a piece of gunwale stock under the inwale spanning abouat three or four feet. Screwed & glued to the inwale I hope it will reduce flexing and distribute the seat stress across more hull.



Jim


As Dr. Hfuhruhhurr would say…
“Tighten your cranial screw-top”!



You might need to rent Steve Martin’s “Man with Two Brains” to understand, but I find that expression appropriate for most situations in life. Of course, most people have no idea what I’m talking about, just disagree, or both. Good luck with the gum-it-up treatment.



Chip Walsh, Gambrills, MD

Allow me to pre-empt CWDH:
“Dad gummit!”



“I’m from the Gummit and I’m here to help.”



Jim

Will boiled linseed really help???
I’ve got a few screws loose, or it this just a canoe remedy.

What about using
a little LocTite?

Hummm … Loc Tite is designed to be
applied to non-porus surfaces. Wonder how it would work soaking into a porus one such as wood? Anyone have experiance?



Mick

Loc-Tite
Wonderful stuff. Use it often.



But I do not want to use it on wood gunwales. I believe it will stain the wood. I have experienced the gumming of threads on machine screws splashed with linseed oil, and I am hoping it will provide just the right amount of friction. And I was planning on coating the holes anyway with Watco, but I think the linseed oil will be gummier.



Jim

Lock-tite like some glues
will stain or harden the contact area and vibration will break the seal and slowly keep loosening. The gummier boiled linseed oil will work. On the other hand if you mix the boiled linseed oil(3X) with marine spar varnish(1X) you may solve your problems forever and ever and ever.

Screws Loose on Swift Osprey
I’ve had an Osprey for about 3 or 4 years now and have had to tighten all of the gunwale screws and thwart screws every year. This last spring, I was car-topping the boat in high winds and the metal bracket that held the seat to the seat rail came loose and fell off. Swift replaced it at cost and recommended I add some glue to the screw holes to prevent loosening in the future. The thing is that these were never tightened by me because getting to the heads requires removing the seat rail with seat attached. Kind of a pain. I guess I need to disassemble and determine the type of glue or use the oil or spar varnish idea.

Leave loctite for the aircraft industry
it costs a fortune and good old marine goop works just fine.

Get that cat out of here!!!
I’m with you, Chip.



-Rob

I use it
on the nuts and bolts of my hockey gear, usually with a leather washer on leather/foam goalie pads. Lots of water there, and I’ve never had any problems with it.

Or -anywhere you need
Locktite ( but not on wood)Get in touch with your feminine side and when wifey isnt looking use some of her nail polish.

Dan’l

You mean that
Red Loc-Tite is just red nail polish???



Jim

If you want them to never come loose,
dip them in liquid epoxy and screw them back in. Never is a long time, but so is hardened epoxy.

"Retard"
loostening is the key word here, String!



Jim

I suspected that.
And I may be a retard.

I could have crafted that phrase better!
But I suspect you knew I was referring to retarding the loostening of screws, and not any particular boater.



Jim

“Eats shoots, and leaves.”