53 MY Swim Platform Bracket Bolts

[holtcl]

I've got the boat out of the water having some work done.

After reading on the forum about swim platform brackets and fastening systems, seems like they are all just a little different w/regard to structure and accessibility.

My platform is held in place by 5 stainless rods, each with an upper and a lower bracket, which are thru-bolted and have plywood backing plates.

The 5 lower brackets are set in a "v" formation, following the line of the transom. This means that I can only "see" (access) the outer two brackets. This is very important (see below).

The boat is a 1971 and after time, some of the plywood backing plates, particularly the lower set, are moist and are crumbling.

I've had a little salt water intrusion at the back of the boat, not sure if it's from the rudder posts or from these brackets leaking (or something else); rudder posts are being re-packed at the yard.

I'm getting a quote for a guy to come in and re-fasten, re-bed, and re-back all of the brackets but the quote is "out of this world."

Question- ideas on a "band-aid" fix that will get me down a ways until I can come up with a long-term solution?

I do plan to re-fasten and re-bed the 2 outer brackets that I can see.

I think I just might roll the dice with the inner 3, which are just totally inaccessible.

Thoughts? I'd especially like to hear from folks with other early 53's that might have been built like mine with this accessibility issue.

Cheryl
Cinderella
1971 53 MY

 

[bigbill]

cheryl, get a stud finder that picks up metal studs. hatteras molded aluminum in the transom of their boats so you can drill and tap them. no need for thru bolting.
my swim platform was added after the boat was sold. the installer used lag bolts into the fiberglass. this started coming loose so when i had the boat out for a paint job, i used a stud finder and found the aluminum backing plates in the transom, drilled, tapped and bolted the brackets with 1/4-20 silicon bronze bolts. i had 4 people and 2 dogs on it this past summer and it was rock solid.
the stud finder i bought from lowes is about catapillar yellow and cost about 40 dollars. i dont remember the name or model number right off. if i remember i will try to get the model number next time i am by the boat

 

[SeaEric]

Cheryl, I have a stud finder at home if you want to borrow it. Let me know and I will bring it to the office.

 

[holtcl]

Thanks Eric-

I'll be at the yard tomorrow working on this.

What I can't figure out is why there would be a backing of metal when the brackets are clearly already thru-bolted with wood backing plates- wouldn't that be redundant?

Again like I said earlier- the construction on these things seems to vary- could my early vintage boat possibly not have the metal plate?

Certainly worth poking around with the stud finder to see if there's anything in there...

Cheryl

 

[bigbill]

cheryl, my boat is a 1972 and it had the plates...maybe the installer of the platform didn't know about the plates? maybe the threads were stripped so they thru bolted? the 58yf has a water tank across the transom so there is no way to put nuts on the inside.

i dont remember who i talked to, (a former employee of hatteras) he warned me that there was only 1 inch between the transom and the water tank. he said be careful or you will have a bigger problem on your hands if you drill thru the tank. it's amazing what these guys remember.

make sure you use a stud finder with metal stud capabilities, my regular stud finder was all over the place with readings of studs, the metal finder was spot on. i tried it about 10 time before i drilled any holes

 

[SKYCHENEY]

I always have trouble using those stud finders. Whenever I get near one it just goes crazy

 

[jim rosenthal]

Sky, do not quit your day job. No matter what your friends say.

Cheryl, what about replacing the backing plates you CAN see with stainless steel plates? Might help.

 

[holtcl]

Well I ended up running short on time yesterday and didn't get to see Eric about the stud finder (sorry!) but what I did was, as Jim suggested, ended up working with the outer two bracket sets (upper and lower) which were the ones I could access.

Removed old hardware and replaced with new, removed old wood backing plates and replaced with starboard, plus a stainless fender washer, and bedded all with the black 5200.

For the brackets I could not get to, we just ran a bead of the 5200 around the outside and she goes back in the water on Tuesday. That will have to do until next haul out. It's better than it was.


Cheryl
Cinderella
1971 53 MY