no question here, just a story of my weekend project. i have a heavy hardtop on my 20' center console. it's aftermarket, and the guy who installed it used s.s. wood screws to attach to the deck. four stanchions and several connection points to the console. good install, except over the years, and with the abuse i put on the boat, most of the deck screws have come loose and stripped the holes.<br /><br />i first tried to use bigger screws. no luck- the holes were completely stripped. i knew bolting was the answer, but no way to get access. i finally convinced myself the right way to do it was install two 6" access panels, one on each side of the console. i managed to cut two perfect circles with a roto-zip. i was then met with a tremendous amount of foam. couldn't get my hand into the holes at all. i had to spend hours digging through tough foam to build little channels to get my arm under the deck. gave myself just enough room to slide my hand into the space with a large washer and nut. it was then a 20 minute concentration act to not drop the hardware and get it seated on the bolt. my hands got tour up, and my forearms have a thousand fiberglass splinters. but i managed, and 2 days and 12 hrs later (and countless beers), the hardtop is tight and i have two shiny new deck plates that don't match the rest of the old, dirty boat.<br /><br />the joys of boat ownership...
