I have an Isonic with stripped out thread for the footstrap. Tried a wall plug with no success so now I'm thinking fill the hole with plastibond or 2 part epoxy and redrill a screw hole.
Right approach??, and which product would you recommend? (.........Mark )

You must have stripped the bejeezus out of it if you can fit a plastic plug in there now - or did you drill it out so as to fit a plug in?

if you have not drilled it out, as Barn says - bigger screw. Any marine or fixings shop will have stainless screws (like Blackwoods / Searle Fasteners etc). $2.

If you want to fill it and redrill it is do-able but it is real hard to fill a 6-8mm hole with anything as it does not want to dribble down - sits on top with the air pressure below holding it up. You can jiggle a bit of wire in it and eventually work all the resin down but it is 20mins to fill a damn hole.

If you have to fill I think the best option is carbon fibre or fibreglass rod (hobby shops stock it) that is just loose in the hole and epoxy it in, then redrill next to it..... but then you may as well use the next hole in the same insert as you'll only be, what, 15mm off maybe?

EDIT - don't use Plastibond!!!! it is a styrene based resin (like "fibreglass resin") and it melts boards. I am 99.999% sure it would not get thru the footstrap insert but I still would not chance it. If the hole is big enough to get Plastibond in (it is like putty) you'd be able to get JB Weld in, which is a far better product anyway

I'm guessing an increase in diameter will solves the problem, Starboard use pretty skinny screws that also snap easily.. When I have a starboard I use thick screws anyway, so thats the 1st thing I'd try..

When they snap off I just use the next hole like Mark said, even though its not rocket science to pull the old screws out I can never be bothered..

Special said...

There is also a broken screw in another hole which I think will be near impossible to extract.....
Cheers
Rob

It's not impossible, If you can find a Dremel with a small grinding wheel or something similar, you can use it to grind the top of the snapped screw flat, Use a centre punch and then use the skills of a dentist to drill a hole down the center of the screw and reverse tap it out..

I should ad, (for the red thumbers) I don't not do this because I'm to to cool for school, but normally because the screw snaps mid session and to get back on the water I use the next hole.. And fixing it simply slips my mind.. Noobs.

Geez those dremels must have tiny weeny grinding blades!

"Use a centre punch and then use the skills of a dentist to drill a hole down the center of the screw and reverse tap it out.."

All of the footstrap screws I have seen over the years have been made from stainless steel, which is as hard as the hobs of hell. Without special equipment, you've simply got no hope of drilling it.

Nebbian's idea of slotting the broken screw is pretty good. Dremel's have a range of cutters that will do the job.

Hope this helps.

barn said...

most people have and a drill and a working eye/arm/hand/finger combination..

Dunno about that, sometimes people can miss

I have had some "happy endings"[}:)] with easyouts but more dismal failures. Stainless is a very difficult metal to work and given the small diameter of the screw I would say you have a better chance of winning lotto than drilling any hole in the screw.
I would get a 6.5 or 8 mm diamond tile hole drill and drill down far enough to expose the broken tip. Grip the tip of the screw with a small pointy nose vice grip (Ground down if necessary) and back the screw out.
You can fill the enlarged section of the hole so the new screw wont flex and break,possibley with a cut down plug.
ALWAYS put soap or vaseline on the screw thread before insertion so the screw will re seat with less friction.

Signed, The Voice of Bitter Experience