Installing Hardware..

[harv418]

Anytime you are drilling holes in your boat, you might be a little nervous. I have used the following philosophy with success on 5 different boats, so I'll share...

First is to locate the holes. Use a template or the actual base of the hardware your installing. Mark them with a sharpie marker.

determine if you can get to the back of the location (inside the Boat), if so, you can use a washer. If not, we need to think of another method.

If I can get to the back of the screw, I will drill the hole slight undersized, and force the bolt to thread through the plastic as well. A little lubricant also helps, but instead of using lube, I use silicon caulk. Now once the the bolt is through, and the washer and nut put on, the silicon drys in the threads you cut into the plastic, making it water proof, and it dries in the threads of the nut, helping to keep it from backing off.

If I cannot get to the inside of the boat where I am going to put my hardware, there are multiple options (none of them good, but a couple are servicable.) First is pop rivits. These work, but make sure you get good aircraft grade (for corrosion resistance, not strength). And make sure you get a good rivit gun.

The next option is a Well Nut. This is an expanding holder that has a rubber gasket around it. These work, but I would not use these for rod holders, or any thing that is going to be under pressure.

The third option, and one I Frequently use is self tapping screws. For simple items, not under pressure, I use a 2 inch long stainless self tapping screw with some Lexan caulk under the hardware. Again, coat the screw, and force it through the plastic. The goal here being to use a screw long enough that even if it pulls out some, there is enough lateral leverage to keep the hardware on the boat. This is not hte best, but it works.

Ideally, you will be able to put some sort of backer onto the inside of the boat to help hold your hardware on.

Hope this helps...

[JimD]

http://www.sit-on-topkayaking.com/Artic ... Index.html

Good article on the basics of pad eyes, well nuts, and pop rivets using and removing.

As Harv says Look a few times and be REAL sure before drilling on your kayak.

I have velcroed things in place to see if it works on the water as well as sitting on your garage floor.

I learned to weld plastic but it is not real pretty but works. OK has a good set of information or welding and repair but they have made it hard to find on the site.

A simple way to fix a hole above the water line is to use a hot glue gun and if you can reach in from the inside you can spread the hot glue out. Then as with regular welding you can take a sharp rasor blade and smooth off the wad after the glue has cooled to make it look better.

Others have taken a well nut when they can reach the back and placed it in the hole.

[Crank-B8]

If I can get to the back of the screw, I will drill the hole slight undersized, and force the bolt to thread through the plastic as well. A little lubricant also helps, but instead of using lube, I use silicon caulk.

The third option, and one I Frequently use is self tapping screws.

Ditto on both accounts. I use the exact same methods and have had great results, no problems so far. For what it's worth, FTU rigs hundreds of kayaks a year and they also use self-tapping screws for the hard-to-reach installs. The self-tapping screws plus something like silicone caulk or loctite really hold well. That's how I mounted my scotty light near the rear of my T160i. It's still holding strong.

And one other tip to add to Harv's list -- save the plastic from your installs. Even if it's just a small tab or shaving, put it in a plastic baggy and save it for later. This can come in handy if you ever want to remove old hardware or need to repair a leak or hole in your hull.

[Salty Bum]

harv418

instead of silicone could you use 30 or 5 minute epoxy - i would think once the epoxy dries it would seal and hold better - just wondering if it is ok to use on plastic????

HOOK 'EM HORNS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Lance
<*)))))))><

[CypressAg83]

For placing machine-thread nuts in hard-to-access areas, I have often duct-taped a washer and nut to an extension bar, ruler or wrench and then used the extension to align the washer & nut with the protruding screw-thread until it "grabs". The sticky duct-tape then helps to keep the nut from spinning while the screw is tightened.