[mightyhorton]

Several of my lifeline stanchion bases are cracked towards the bow end of the boat. The big screws holding the stanchion bases to the boat have slot type heads, which are easy to strip. The screws are oriented horizontally and the cabin wall is fairly close to the screw heads. Access is difficult. I would like to pull the cracked bases and have new bases fabricated, but am nervous about stripping the heads of the screws. It would be hard to get an impact driver to work in the confined space. Any ideas on methodology? If they strip, I can pull the bases off over the stripped end of the screw and try to turn the screw out with vice grips.....

Ian
S/V Freyja
Passport 40
Hull #49

 

[TSOJOURNER]

Can you get a 90° impact driver socket on it? If you use a screwdriver, be sure to use a perfectly fitting slot head. Perhaps vice grips for torque. With a short enough screwdriver, you might get a hammer, too. It might be a two-person operation. While protecting that beautiful teak, some liquid wrench product might help, too.

If/when you get it done, let us know.

 

[Freesail99]

Chances are very likely that those screws are really bolts with machine heads. Check under the deck for the nuts. On my boat it was a two person job.

 

[mightyhorton]

aksail, what the heck is a 90 degree impact driver? does home depot sell 'em? I was going to try the perfectly fitting slot head with vice grip trick but thought I'd ask the forum first to see if there were any magic tricks.....

and freesail99 these bolts penetrate horizontally into, and terminate in, a little solid fiberglass wall that comes up from the deck and on which the cap rail sits, not vertically through the deck, which unfortunately means no luck on finding some nuts nicely exposed under the deck.

thanks to both of you.

 

[telekitr]

The builders of our boat(I have#66) have sunk 1/4" steel or iron plates behind all of the bolts for not only your stanchions but anything that appears to be thru bolted. These plates are drilled and tapped to accomodate the bolts. I used heat, manual impact driver with a perfect fitting slotted bit, penetrating oil and a ton of patience. It is a challenge to get these out. When I go to replace the bolts, I will likely move the bases forward by 1/2 -3/4" and just redrill and tap into clean steel......I don't think that moving everything forward by this amound will make any difference in the big picture. I have basically removed everything from the decks for repainting. Teak decks are gone too!!!

 

[Capnblu]

Have a helper hold onto the large screwdriver on deck with a vicegrip, loosen the not from below slowly so your helper can maintain his grip. Dont try to turn out the screw from above as you will be trying to turn the bedding compound, lockwasher, rust, garbage, etc. Once you have removed the the nuts from below, use an extension from your socket set, and place the female end onto the protruding screw/bolt, and tap it up until you can grab ahold with a plyer ot vicegrip. Then get yourself a guitar string and fabricate two handles and use it to cut the bedding from under the stansion base.

 

[TSOJOURNER]

I had to remove same bolts in a recent refit. yes there are plates behind that the bolts screw into. we had a targa made and fitted. trades guys had a spray can of a fluid that froze the bolt shrinking it and removed 12 bolts with out stripping one. cannotremember the name, find a good fitting shop and hey may be able to help
regards
Daryl
SV Freycinet P40

 

[TSOJOURNER]

Stanchions

I believe your idea of stripping off the heads and then going after the screw with vice grips is your only option. That's what I ended up doing on one of my stanchions.

No other creative ideas.

Good luck.

 

[mightyhorton]

Interesting to know about the steel plates. The freezing trick sounds really neat, will check around to see if anybody knows what it is, or maybe will post into the general forum, as other owners of other types of boats have probably had the same issue, eh?

 

[fredplux]

my irwin 35's stanchion bolts are not accessible from inside the boat because the stanchions were installed before the deck was mounted to the hull. What is the best way to remove the stanchion.