How to screw down ice box seats ?

[rumy1]

I am buying ice box seats and want to know the best way to screw them to the floor of my boat ? I have a new Haines Signature 5.42F . I am abit worried about screwing straight into the floor, is there anything that I have to be carefull of ? I will not be near the fuel tank. Should I pre-drill smaller holes then use self tappers to secure the boxes ? Should I look at try to seal the holes with sikaflex or similar as I screw in the screws ? I looked at a picture from the box seat web site and they have 20 screws to hold down their box so I will probably aim for the same amount. The base size is 980 long x 480 wide.

Thanks for any usefull comments !!!

[PADDLES]

i've only screwed down seat pedestals mate, but i used a screw similar to a timber tek screw (for roofing tin onto timber battens). pre drill a hole making very sure that the floor isn't close to the outside skin of the hull and the drill bit won't go through the outside hull. i then put a squirt of sikaflex in each hole to help keep the water out when the screw is in and screwed the pedestal base down. remember to make sure that the screws you use are of the right length so they don't hit the outer hull too. good luck with it mate.

[paul251]

Got this post off Fishnet as it may be helpful, you can see that they have a pretty wide lip, so if yours are the same Sikaflex could well be the go.The post is under storage idea's in the Boat-Oz Scene on Fishnet if you want to read te whole thread.




I found that underseat storage was the way to go.

Drivers side seat box contains a built in 3 draw tacklebox and has enough spare room below for hand lines, safety gear etc.

The front section of passenger side seat box provides a heap of storage space, the back half is a plumbed 45 litre live bait tank.

Both seatboxes were sourced from Marine Enhancements in Hoppers Crossing Victoria. RAM Fibreglass in Braeside Victoria also produce their own as does Boat Box in NSW.

Hope that helps.

Regards,
Spiro

http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z14/HH565L/100_0870.jpg


Bought them around three years ago and my memory ain't all that great, but here goes anyway.

Passenger side:
Box only $430
Access door $60
Cushion $80

Helm side:
Box only $330
Access door $60
Tackle box $130

They are secured to the floor with Sikaflex only. No screws means no rot!

Regards,
Spiro

[timddo]

For eskies, Just use Velco on the four corners

[wadeo]

Yep i agree if ya screw straight to floor without properly nowing what to do your asking for trouble (rot). I have these seat box's in my cat and got my boat builder to fit them. He measured and marked out all the holes required and pre drilled them bigger than the size of the Stainless screws he was using. He then core filled the holes to seal them again (protect floor from rot). when the holes had dried and strengthened about a day i think. He remarked his holes and sank the correct drill size Which was smaller for screws into prepared holes.He then used a small amount of sika on each thread and screwed down the seat box's firmly. Every hole at least in your floor should be the same. also i have a glassed timber floor not sure if ya need to do this in foam sanwich floor that most the new boats have. Anyhow hope this helps

Wadeo

[FNQCairns]

Yep i agree if ya screw straight to floor without properly nowing what to do your asking for trouble (rot). I have these seat box's in my cat and got my boat builder to fit them. He measured and marked out all the holes required and pre drilled them bigger than the size of the Stainless screws he was using. He then core filled the holes to seal them again (protect floor from rot). when the holes had dried and strengthened about a day i think. He remarked his holes and sank the correct drill size Which was smaller for screws into prepared holes.He then used a small amount of sika on each thread and screwed down the seat box's firmly. Every hole at least in your floor should be the same. also i have a glassed timber floor not sure if ya need to do this in foam sanwich floor that most the new boats have. Anyhow hope this helps

Wadeo

That's a good builder you have there, hard to find work of that quality around these days most are just rough but with a smile as compensation. Your method is also without doubt the best method for fitting outboards and any accessory who's screws/bolts will see lots of water esp if below waterline.

Along the lines of Pauls glueing down, with enough contact surface area there is no reason it wouldn't work IMO, use 5200 3M polyurethane, get it right first time though cause this stuff will take the gelcoat with it, prep with an acetone rub on both surfaces, you could try the 4200 but it is less of a glue and closer to the marine sika - better suited to basic marine sealing jobs but miles above any silicone sealant.

cheers fnq

[wadeo]

Gday fnq,
He did a great job of rebuiling the whole boat from ground up core filling every hole in the fit out (floor, transom). Its amazing how fast rot can take hold of a couple of screw holes left un sealed in a floor or transom especially if there exposed to fresh water particulary. the normal fisho gets home cranks out the gerny blasts everything clean and the water settles in these holes and starts to rot taking sometimes years off the life span of the floor not to mention if the screws went all the way through the floor and allowed water to get into all the expensive under floor bulkheads and stringers. All those fisho's that have screwed transducer brackets hard into there timber transoms without core filling holes first have also put a couple of nails into the coffin of their beloved toy. floors and transoms are not cheap to replace. I hope this helps anyone who is about to screw fit anything into their floors or transoms in the near future.

Regards Wadeo

[rumy1]

OK ... call me stupid but what is core drilling and how is this done ?

[ellste]

Just drill the holes in your esky bigger than the gauge of the screw, use a self tapping screw just long enough to go into the floor, probably about 1 1/2" long. Plenty of silicone around the holes and all is done, same as any boat builder would, who would not rip you off!!

[FNQCairns]

Rumy there are a few variations but basicly it is drilling an oversized hole, filling that hole fully with a polyester resin mix or epoxy mix (better) then drilling into this and then fitting as if done rough by just screwing/bolting down through floor.

If this method was a care practiced in boatbuilding it would near see the end of spongy floors etc or anywhere freshwater can get at, if the builder cared enough to do it I would assume they would also take other simple steps to rot proof as well.

Rot doesn't just happen, builders and fitters make it happen with a so so attitude.

cheers fnq

[gavsgonefishing]

FNQ has the right idea, adding to that when you find the spot for the boxes to go mark around the boxes then protect the area that you are not going to touch (ie inbetween the boxes) with tape, black plastic or whatever to protect those areas from resin or glue. This includes the sides odf the boat where you are hoping in and out. I would roughen the area that is inside the box shape up a bit so the brew willl really stick

Dont screw, its easy in the short term but it will eventually screw you

Gav

[rumy1]

My boat has carpet in it so glueing down the boxes is out of the question. It appears that the carpet is glued down ?

[Blackened]

G'day

Rumy, If your carpet is glued down, can you place the boxes where you will like them, then cut the carpet around the outside edge of there the boxes sit with a stanley blade, then the inside edge. You should then have a "frame" of carpet to remove, giving you some decent floor to work with.

Dave

[death_ship]

sikaflex will hold them to the floor, i sikaflexed my pedestals down, then had to take one out, after removing the screws there was no way it was evr gonna move without cutting the sikaflex.

[hunge]

i just put one in mine got a guy to glass it in saves screwing to the floor