swim platform loose

[alecams]

swim platform on my 85' MC has come loose where the bolts appear to have backed out by +1". Tried tightening but nothing. How are these things held onto the boat? I chekec behind the gas tank and cannot get that low on the sterm. I thought i would find a backer plate & bolts, but only found i couldn't get to them.

help!!

aa

[peason]

You may have to remove the gas tank. I am sure some one else on this board has more experience with your year of boat. Good luck.

[gordy]

I believe those bolts you are referring to thread into a hard composite block which may be external or inaccessible from inside (I am not sure) you could pull the floorboard which exposes the rudder and take a peak if you have not done that yet.I dont know if that setup can be retapped or filled and retapped someone else on this board would surely know, some of these guys have a lot of experience repairing these boats and are very helpfull , hang tight someone will give you more help than I can.

[mbeach]

swim platform on my 85' MC has come loose where the bolts appear to have backed out by +1". Tried tightening but nothing. How are these things held onto the boat? I chekec behind the gas tank and cannot get that low on the sterm. I thought i would find a backer plate & bolts, but only found i couldn't get to them.

help!!

aa
ss bolts bolt into a tapped housing. when i replaced my platform several years ago, one of bolts was stripped. had to retap to next largest size and and replace with appropriate bolt size. works fine now. be sure to use stainless steel (ss) bolts.

[alecams]

No way to get at bolts from inside, so being tapped bolts is it safe to remove the platform and use the boat until its fixed or would water leak into the boat and/or ruin the holes/blocks that are exposed?

[Brn85ss]

You have 2 options,Pull the stainless lag bolts and fill the holes in the transom with epoxy drill pilot holes in the epoxy and put the lag bolts back in.Or you can cut the floor up under the gas tank make some backing plates and put through bolts in.You can't get under the floor without cutting it out.You must fix it before you take it out again,it will take on water under the floor.

[alecams]

So Brn which you suggest? cutting holes in floors sounds scary, how big a hole? i might think the hole should parhaps be held off the sterm a few inches or more, any worries to structural integrity? Has anyone ever done this sort of thing?

[Brn85ss]

Well I am not sure what would be the best for you.If the holes are not to bad I would just epoxy the holes and reinstall the lag bolts you might get 10 more years that way,or maybe not.I'm going to put new brackets on mine so I think I will probably cut the floor next year and run bolts with stainless backing plates.I would like to come up with some type of access plates so in the future you could remove the brackets without cutting the floor up again.Maybe a bilge access plate with cover.You can use a router with a template and make a perfect hole for the covers.Not sure if the plates would fit, kind of tight in that spot. Good luck!

[privatelakerelic]

I have a 83 powerslot and about 10 years ago I had the same problem with a fiberglass platform. I took a slightly different approch which has worked ever since. I drilled out the holes so I could place lag shield which will expand and hold once you tighten the lag bolt. Use lots of silicone sealer and you have a quick and inexpensive fix that will last a while. Of course use stainless lags.

[iokua]

I just repaired my platform on my '85 this year; the previous owner had backed the boat into something on the trailer and it looked like the top 2 lag screws on each outer bracket pulled out of the transom. He drilled a new hole, centered on the bracket, just above the two upper holes (one new hole in each bracket) and through bolted with just a large washer on the back. By raising the hole just a bit and drilling at a slight angle, the bolt ended up just above the floor on the inside. However, he never sealed the old holes, so every time the boat was in the water, water seeped into the hull.

I was hoping to fill the holes, retap and use the original factory layout, but because of the rotten wood in the transom (from years of water seeping in), I removed some of the fiberglass floor (only a couple square inches) on each side and found some metal inserts in the transom that must have been installed at the factory for the lag screws to screw into. now that these were removed, I didn't see any way lag screws would hold. So I filled all the upper holes and redrilled a single new hole for the top of each bracket, angled slightly (just like the previous owner did), but made larger backing plates. The platform is much sturdier now and I have no problem standing on it.

Let me know if I've completely lost you............I may even have some pictures but will have to look on my other computer. I could take some pics of the finished product from the outside if that would help.

[alecams]

My fix was to cut the floor and the again into the stringers. I coated the bottom holes with epoxy to seal them, the top holes i filled with an expoy filler and redrilled as they were to big to reuse. Yes the previous owner had already put inserts in. Anywho, redrilled top holes, used lots of 5200, rebeded the brackets, put the floor cutouts backin and sealed again with 5200. Through bolted 3 of the 4 bolts on each bracket so hopefully its good for life.

[Cloaked]

My fix was to cut the floor and the again into the stringers. I coated the bottom holes with epoxy to seal them, the top holes i filled with an expoy filler and redrilled as they were to big to reuse. Yes the previous owner had already put inserts in. Anywho, redrilled top holes, used lots of 5200, rebeded the brackets, put the floor cutouts backin and sealed again with 5200. Through bolted 3 of the 4 bolts on each bracket so hopefully its good for life.Using hind sight here, could you have filled and drilled from the outside without cutting into the floor for access?

I face the same issue on my boat. I really am too lazy to go into surgery on the floor if I don't have to.

Thanks

[seaforth]

I have the same ailment. Must have been an added feature of our vintage.

As the movement I have is not too bad I have chosen to simply silicone the area until I can do the repair, and with 2 wks at the cottage coming up, now is not the time. Or actually now is the time to prevent the boat from going to the bottom, but I do think I'll take my chances.

Sporty, are you going to fill with epoxy and drill, or are you going the floor board route? Are there any other good ways of repairing, or do I need to get a new boat.

Brad

[Cloaked]

I have the same ailment. Must have been an added feature of our vintage.

As the movement I have is not too bad I have chosen to simply silicone the area until I can do the repair, and with 2 wks at the cottage coming up, now is not the time. Or actually now is the time to prevent the boat from going to the bottom, but I do think I'll take my chances.

Sporty, are you going to fill with epoxy and drill, or are you going the floor board route? Are there any other good ways of repairing, or do I need to get a new boat.

BradWell I was awaiting a response from alecams but he/she may never come back....

Secondly, I think you need a new boat, once you sell me yours.....

Thirdly, I am going to find an epoxy to fill and drill. If that holds, all the better. If not, I'll cut, drill, back plate, and run a thru-bolt. Then patch the cut in the floor. I have my fuel cell out now and any cuts in the floor will not show. I just hate getting into a multi-step process it a fill and drill technique will be sufficient.

I'm going epoxy!! Now sell me yEr boat... :uglyhamme

[seaforth]

Well I was awaiting a response from alecams but he/she may never come back....

Secondly, I think you need a new boat, once you sell me yours.....

Thirdly, I am going to find an epoxy to fill and drill. If that holds, all the better. If not, I'll cut, drill, back plate, and run a thru-bolt. Then patch the cut in the floor. I have my fuel cell out now and any cuts in the floor will not show. I just hate getting into a multi-step process it a fill and drill technique will be sufficient.

I'm going epoxy!! Now sell me yEr boat... :uglyhamme

Im with you, I am going to go the epoxy route first, nothing ventured...if that doesn't work I will just remove the swim grid and bolt some old trailer tires to the transom to get that true work boat look and I figure they will also be good for climbing up onto when exiting the water don't know why MC didn't think of that...

If that doesn't work, well then it might be the backing plate route.

It will have to wait though. If the boat sinks i'll let you know, and i'll send a few images, it will look like a dock with no boats tied to it.

[alecams]

Been on vaca, sorry for taking so long. I am glad i took the extra time to thru bolt. Yup, cutting in the floor hurt at first but when i saw that water had already seeped thru i was glad i did it. The previous owner had already tried to use bigger bolts and then again epoxy and redrilled. I am very surprised that 2" lag bolts are all that hold that thing on. I also used 4 tuves of 5200 rather than normal silicone in the new holes and rebedded the brackets on the transome. I think my boat will fall apart long before the platform comes loose again. Definetly worth my time & effort and i could probably do it again in 2 days rather than 2 weeks but i kept the floor & stringers open to dry the water out as best as possible.

[Brn85ss]

My fix was to cut the floor and the again into the stringers. I coated the bottom holes with epoxy to seal them, the top holes i filled with an expoy filler and redrilled as they were to big to reuse. Yes the previous owner had already put inserts in. Anywho, redrilled top holes, used lots of 5200, rebeded the brackets, put the floor cutouts backin and sealed again with 5200. Through bolted 3 of the 4 bolts on each bracket so hopefully its good for life.
Did you glass the floor back in? Or did you 5200 the floor back down.I think i'm going to make 2 plates and weld bolts on them,so if you ever take the platform off the bolts will be in a fixed position and you won't have to take the floor up to put a wrench on the bolt heads.

[alecams]

the pieces i took out i kept and put back in place and plastered 5200 all over, otherwise water can get in the floor & stringer area and that would be bad......

[Cloaked]

Been on vaca, sorry for taking so long. I am glad i took the extra time to thru bolt. Yup, cutting in the floor hurt at first but when i saw that water had already seeped thru i was glad i did it. The previous owner had already tried to use bigger bolts and then again epoxy and redrilled. I am very surprised that 2" lag bolts are all that hold that thing on. I also used 4 tuves of 5200 rather than normal silicone in the new holes and rebedded the brackets on the transome. I think my boat will fall apart long before the platform comes loose again. Definetly worth my time & effort and i could probably do it again in 2 days rather than 2 weeks but i kept the floor & stringers open to dry the water out as best as possible.Thank you Sir. That is what I was wanting to know. So with that being said, I'll be doing floor surgery....And I may very well look at placing a hand hole access as was suggested here a bit earlier. Just depends on the time / availability of the hand port. Just an easy way out to close the opening.

[alecams]

Keep the floor cutouts and put them back to seal the floor & stringers otherwise water will get in and not go away. You must seal the floor back up and it is easier to use the cut outs with 5200.

[Cloaked]

Did you glass the floor back in? Or did you 5200 the floor back down.I think i'm going to make 2 plates and weld bolts on them,so if you ever take the platform off the bolts will be in a fixed position and you won't have to take the floor up to put a wrench on the bolt heads.Thanks for the tip. Now I wonder if the plate needs a small thru-bolt to secure it to the transom along with this idea? Or maybe just the 5200 will hold it in place upon any future necessary removal of the bolts.

[Cloaked]

Keep the floor cutouts and put them back to seal the floor & stringers otherwise water will get in and not go away. You must seal the floor back up and it is easier to use the cut outs with 5200.Again thank you as this sure takes out a lot of guess work and speculation....