Grab bar hardware question

[Pub911]

I'm replacing the teak grab bars on my cabin top with new ones. The old ones were installed with a thru-bolt that went all the way through the grab rail, with the head of the bolt on the outside, sunk into the grab bar and a nut and washer on the inside. The grab-bar was then bunged closed.

Do I have to do it this way? I've seen hardware studs that would just screw into the grab bar from underneith - into the base of the bar. Any issues with this approach to avoid bunging?

[Barquito]

Mine are just screwed in from the bottom. Probably stronger through bolted.

[PaulinVictoria]

Would there be any issues with the metal or wood expanding/contracting which would quickly either split the grain or make the stud drop out? I would think a hole with a through-bolt would get around that (and is probably why it is done like that in the first place).

[Pub911]

PaulinVictoria: I hadn't considered that...you are probably correct, that a throughbolt provides additional strength given the head of the bolt provides additional resistance to a stud that's just threaded into the teak - especially true over time if the bedding around the base of the grab-bar were to fail and compromise the material around the threaded stud. Even if this were to happen around the throughbolt, it would be far less likely that it would pull the head of the bolt throught the material vs the likelihood of the same occuring in my proposed hw solution.
Thank you!

[PaulinVictoria]

I'd certainly rather have a grab bar that I knew stood a good chance of being grabbed and not dumping me straight over the side