Deck hardware Do's & Don'ts!

[MOP]

I was asked how to properly mount deck hardware on cored areas and figured I would pass on this tip.
When bedding hardware on cored decks use a good sealant up top but never ever use sealer on the under side hardware. If by chance the hardware breaks its seal maybe like a cleat shifting water will start to get through, by not sealing the under hardware it has some place to get out saving the deck from soaking up a larger area. The under side of deck hardware should be visually checked periodically for signs of water staining giving you an opportunity to fix any leakage before real damage is done. If you have small wetted areas by hardware there are simple but substantial fixes.

Phil

[Rootsy]

Phil,

if i may add to this... WHENEVER you cut a hole in a cored deck, etc, before you ever install the hardware or drill the screw holes you should seal the face of the hole with resin. this way the water cannot penetrate the coring. all screws should get a dab of silicone before being driven home and any thru bolted applications where you drill a clearance hole through the deck should get sealed the same way as larger holes... but this is just my opinion... balsa is like a big ole sponge...

but yes i agree also.. no need for sealer on the bottom side of the deck... only between the hardware on the outside and the deck.

also before you drill holes in fiberglass and gelcoat, place some tape over the surface to prevent chipping while drilling, and to prevent spider cracking after fasteners are tightened on thru bolted and screw applications knock a chamfer on the drilled hole.

[Morgan's Cloud]

All very good advice. May I add another one ?
Especially with throughbolted hardware (we'll assume that if it's major stuff , everyone knows about appropriate sized backup plates) DON'T be tempted to overtighten. It's very easy to touque down more than necessary and cause the coring to compress and then end up not only deforming the surrounding area but possibly causing the outer fibreglass skin to crack.

[BERTRAM BOY]

While I agree with you guys mostly, I DO recommend using a bit of sealer (5200 is among my favorite) on the bottom side of the deck. It helps to keep the fasteners from backing out over time due to vibration. Especially in hard to reach places.
For backing plates on the grab rail on Diana's 16 we used 3"X3"X .375 thick 316 SS.
We drilled the holes sealed them with polyester resin, used 5200 top and bottom, and used Nylok nuts and lock washers. It's not coming out.

Of course Scott Pearson needed to leave his autograph......

[Rootsy]

bloody over achiever... guess i am gonna have to buck up for some mega tubes of 5200 for ya huh... the 18 will be oozing that white stuff from one end to the other by the time you are finished eh... :smash: :eek: :boggled:

[Lenny]

Use these Taper Drill bits from Fuller and you will end up with the cleanest, nicest holes in gel/glass that you could ever imagine.

http://www.jamestowndistributors.com/to;ID;,Taper.Point.Bits;eclDrill;1466

[boatnut]

Well to add a few more opinions: I (after some difficult removal jobs) never use 5200 on any hardware installation that may someday need to be removed.
On cored decks, I either drill a larger hole and fill with epoxy and then redrill to proper size, or use penetrating epoxy in the hole which wicks into the balsa and stops any other liquid from doing the same (one penetrating epoxy offering is Smith Bros. Richmond CA.--a great product with many uses). After sealing holes this way regular silicone sealant works well on deck hardware and can easily be removed. Also a neat trick when drilling is to run the drill in reverse until you get through the gelcoat -- it prevents the drill from biting and chipping the gelcoat. Ed