Bolts for aluminium tinny...

[Cods_hit]

Hi Chaps, first time poster looking for some advice.

Currently in the process of revamping an old tinny, thinking of using either Aluminium Bolts (Not sure if they exist?!) or Nylon Bolts for fastening Navlights etc etc to the boat. Anyone got any experience of either?

It has been suggested to use stainless bolts and Duralac to avoid corrosion trouble, but i'm trying to see if I can avoid the issue altogether.

Cheers,

Gaz.

[Blackened]

G'day

Use 316 stainless hardware, and if the boat is painted, use duralac and/or nylon washers / isolators.

You may be able to use alloy rivets where that's possible.

Dave

[finga]

Even with aluminium bolts you'll still need the duralac because of the differing alloy composition so you might as well go stainless from the word go.

[Cods_hit]

G'day

Use 316 stainless hardware, and if the boat is painted, use duralac and/or nylon washers / isolators.

You may be able to use alloy rivets where that's possible.

Dave

Boat isnt painted, will that make a difference?

[Blackened]

G'day

Yes, a better one. Drill the holes, use stainless and sikaflex where needed. you will only need to separate the metals (duralac, and the like) if it's painted, to reduce and prevent galvanic corrosion.... to stop paint damage and bubbling.

Dave

[TheRealAndy]

Use duralac regardles of the material, painted or not. Its the only way to stop corrosion.

[lethal098]

just gone through this myself and when the boat was with the previous owner and stainless was fitted nothing was used in between and there was a lot of corrosion from this, i have now reinstalled using duralac and all stainless screws and bolts have been used. at least i know i wont suffer again. cheers Lee

[Mrs Ronnie H]

Hi
If you use Duralac or sikaflex don't forget that it needs to be done again in about twelve months time.
Anything we added to our boat was well coated with Duralac-- even ally rivets.

Ronnie

[RTFM1000]

Hi Chaps, first time poster looking for some advice.

Currently in the process of revamping an old tinny, thinking of using either Aluminium Bolts (Not sure if they exist?!) or Nylon Bolts for fastening Navlights etc etc to the boat. Anyone got any experience of either?

It has been suggested to use stainless bolts and Duralac to avoid corrosion trouble, but i'm trying to see if I can avoid the issue altogether.

Cheers,

Gaz.
Hi Codshit,
You can safely use stainless steel fastners on your alloy hull but you need to use a jointing compound. We used to use Duralac which is good but we found that Tef-Gel gives us better results. Its also less messy to use as it is available in a syringe.
http://www.tefgel.com.au/
Regards, RTFM1000

[Cods_hit]

So Stainless fastenings and Duralac/TefGel seams to be the preferred option. Cheers.

[TheRealAndy]

Just to add to the options, I used to use duralac with ice-cream containers on my yacht masts. The Ice cream container plastic is not UV stabilised, but is an insulator. IT all helps.

[seahound]

I refitted my plate alloy runabout with nylon nuts & bolts after a repaint. Used them for just about everything - except the engine...& have also used them on work boats for the same.

No need for duralac or any other sealant / protective barrier + they pretty strong. Great for securing nav lights, seating/padding, electronics (inc tranducer), windscreens, bung holes etc.

I did use a small dollop of sikaflex for water light areas like nav lights and to ensure nuts stayed secure.

I used 5mm for all of the above exempt the seats where I used 10mm.

I would not suggest they be used in applications that demand excessive shear or tensile resistance...for obvious reasons. But for the size nuts/bolts the examples I gave, they great. Can be hard to get hold of small nylon though

[Cods_hit]

I refitted my plate alloy runabout with nylon nuts & bolts after a repaint. Used them for just about everything - except the engine...& have also used them on work boats for the same.

No need for duralac or any other sealant / protective barrier + they pretty strong. Great for securing nav lights, seating/padding, electronics (inc tranducer), windscreens, bung holes etc.

I did use a small dollop of sikaflex for water light areas like nav lights and to ensure nuts stayed secure.

I used 5mm for all of the above exempt the seats where I used 10mm.

I would not suggest they be used in applications that demand excessive shear or tensile resistance...for obvious reasons. But for the size nuts/bolts the examples I gave, they great. Can be hard to get hold of small nylon though

www.bolts.com.au (http://www.bolts.com.au) sell them in 100s, may look into this more. I was worried about their strength but I dont intend to hold the boat together with them, just navi light and tranducer etc as you have.

[Cods_hit]

* correction it's www.bolt.com.au (http://www.bolt.com.au)

[seahound]

I got mine nylon bolts from a mob called Boltmaster in Rockhampton QLD.

They had no minimum purchase number.

If you gonna go this way remember to use washers too...

I was surprised by the strength of the nylon and didnt strip one during fitting - they tighten up very well.

Buy a few and give ém a go. Heaps better that duralacing. Wait til you try & get the duralaced bolts undone...

Some pics attached

[Greg P]

Every panel that needs bolting is all nylon on my Fisher. Anything else is welded or alloy pop riveted (sounder mounts etc) ;);D;D

[seahound]

It was a Fisher boat that I 1st saw with nylon fittings. They know the tricks for longevity and maintenance free tinnies + if they weren't tough enough Fisher... wouldnt use ém

[Cods_hit]

Swaying back to nylon again Chaps, thanks for the input.