Need a floor fastener for fiberglass, screws all stripped

[dddy1st]

My 25yr old 18ft CC has access panels in the floor for the wiring and fuel tank, my bench seats are also mounted to these panels. All held in by SS screws, all stripped out and all removed for various reasons throughout the fishing year. I'm searching for an alternative fastener that would allow occassional removal, without the issues screws have with fiberglass. Epoxying the holes is a last resort. Anyone find something suitable?? thanks!

 

[Scott Danforth]

you can epoxy fill the holes

or you can embed aluminum backing plates in the floor and drill and tap

 

[FunInDuhSun]

Anyone find something suitable?? thanks!

Search “Toggler”. I use these regularly and are exactly what you need. If you run in salt water you can get them in stainless steel. They ain’t cheap but they do work well. I recommend you get a few more than you’ll need because its pretty easy to break the plastic slide until you figure them out.

 

[dingbat]

Same thing here...half of the screws holding the access cover over the fuel tanks had stripped and started to leak.
This procedure works well

Product: White or Gray Marine-Tex Epoxy Putty

-Materials: 80-100 grit sandpaper, a drill-bit slightly larger than the original fastener hole, WD-40 or other silicone lubricant, wrench or screwdriver for removal after cure

-Conditions: Minimum 60˚F temperature, 48 hours to fully cure at 60˚F, 24 hours to fully cure at 70˚F

Drill a slightly oversized hole, slightly shorter than the new fastener, to remove any soft or deteriorated material. Clean debris from the hole. Apply a little penetrating oil or a silicone spray (like WD-40) to the new fastener to act as a release agent; wipe off excess film.

Mix Marine-Tex White or Gray and fill the hole 3/4ths deep. Apply a small amount of Marine Tex to the fastener, being sure to fill in around the threads. With a slight twisting motion, insert the fastener in to the hole and allow the epoxy to cure for the full 24 hours. Marine-Tex will have the threads cast into it, and the fastener can be backed out if necessary. A wrench or a screwdriver with a little extra elbow grease may be needed the very first time the re-inserted fastener is removed since it will stick the first time it is backed out.

 

[tpenfield]

Are we talking stripped out of a solid fiberglass floor/deck or a fiberglass/wood core floor/deck?

It might make a difference if there is wood core and it has become wet/rotted.

 

[gm280]

Without pictures, my suggestion is to buy some quality threaded inserts for those screw holes. You dill out the holes, install the threaded insert via a large screwdriver and then you will always have metal to metal threaded holes from now on. And you can easily epoxy the threaded inserts in place as well. JMHO. Search on "threaded inserts and then have a look at the image section. Too many to post here...

 

[Scott Danforth]

the problem with threaded inserts is they are the same material as the screws..... which means they gall. BTDT own a pile of galled hardware just from the Salt Shaker restoration.

 

[dingbat]

the problem with threaded inserts is they are the same material as the screws..... which means they gall.

Good point.....

Inserts tend to “strip” from their anchor points with use and abuse. Especially in high vibration, high usage scenarios.

It’s much easier to fill the stripped hole of a self tapping screw than to deal with an insert that has stripped from its anchor point and spinning with the screw.

You could use timmerman clips (speed nuts) if the base material is thin enough to accommodate them.

 

[Scott Danforth]

I did riv-nuts and had to cut 8 of the 15 out when i was simply test-fitting the bolsters.

 

[gm280]

Not here to argue folks, just offered my opinion...

 

[todhunter]

I did riv-nuts and had to cut 8 of the 15 out when i was simply test-fitting the bolsters.

Good to know. I was thinking riv-nuts may be a good solution, but it sounds like that's not the case.