This is my first post but have learned alot from the site. Thanks to everybody who participates. I just noticed that the screws attaching the glass in the cabin door on my new 2010 2320 SL are loose and have actually lost 2 of them. From your site I learned a while back that the door is made of starboard. What should I use to help keep them from coming loose so easily. I boat out of Smith Point on The Chesapeake Bay so lots of chopy rides. Thanks. Ben Brown
loose screws in CABIN DOOR
- Thread starter bbrown
- Start date
Help Support Classic Parker Boat Forum:
DaleH
FOUNDER of Classic Parker Forum
Self-tapping screws are TOUGH on any substrate, wood or synthetic, as the teeth that hold, are still cutting anytime the material moves. If you could, it would be best to secure with a through bolt, provided it would work for you and looked OK. You could do every 3rd one or oevery other one, just so the bolts take the force. By the way, this is how wood boats or wooden boats get rot inside, as the teeth finally wear the hole oversize so rainwater gets in ... dries out ... gets in .. .dries out ... and that wet/dry cycle causes rot.
If you had adhesive-lined heatshrink on hand, put a small piece on the screw, or use next size larger screw (say #10 versus #8), but file the teeth to less of an sharp edge and you might need to file the head to fit the recess of finish washer, unless the larger corresponding finish washer works (if used that is). Or, fill the hole with toothpicks (an old time trick!) and maybe a dab of LifeCaulk or 3M 5200,even though this stuff doesn't stick to poly materials well, if at all. I have used the heatshrink and larger FILED screw approach and it removed the problem forever. But, my use of screws is limited, haha!
If you had adhesive-lined heatshrink on hand, put a small piece on the screw, or use next size larger screw (say #10 versus #8), but file the teeth to less of an sharp edge and you might need to file the head to fit the recess of finish washer, unless the larger corresponding finish washer works (if used that is). Or, fill the hole with toothpicks (an old time trick!) and maybe a dab of LifeCaulk or 3M 5200,even though this stuff doesn't stick to poly materials well, if at all. I have used the heatshrink and larger FILED screw approach and it removed the problem forever. But, my use of screws is limited, haha!
Thanks Dale. Robin at Parker gave essentially the same advice.
I had a similar issue with the screws securing the door hinge backing themselves out over time and one screw in the bottom edge trim that notoriously backed itself out every couple of trips.
I removed each screw, one at a time, applied loctite and re-installed. Did this around OCT last year and so far, so good. They all felt pretty snug going back in so I think if you catch the problem early enough, before the screws wear a larger hole, you might be able to get away with using same screws and loctite.
While I was at it, I did the same thing to all the screws holding in the trim around the edge of the door and the trim along the bottom edge of where the pilot house meets the deck.
If the screws don't feel tight and secure going back in, use larger screw or insert some extra material to give the threads something to bite into like Dale said in his post.
Good luck!
I removed each screw, one at a time, applied loctite and re-installed. Did this around OCT last year and so far, so good. They all felt pretty snug going back in so I think if you catch the problem early enough, before the screws wear a larger hole, you might be able to get away with using same screws and loctite.
While I was at it, I did the same thing to all the screws holding in the trim around the edge of the door and the trim along the bottom edge of where the pilot house meets the deck.
If the screws don't feel tight and secure going back in, use larger screw or insert some extra material to give the threads something to bite into like Dale said in his post.
Good luck!
stonebuster
Well-known member
I had a problem with the screws for the hinge on the pilothouse door getting loose and some stripped out. I used Marinetex in the screw holes and drilled small pilot holes in the marinetex before it got rock hard. After Marinetex set up put the screws back in and never had another problem after several years.
