Screw specs

[Paul Bartelt]

Greetings,

I did some over winter cleaning on my boat and took the cover off the centerboard trunk to access all things under there.  And... I lost the screws and countersunk washers in the shuffle.

It's a haul to the nearest marine supply store to find appropriate hardware and I am hoping somebody can tell me what size and length these things are.  I'm thinking #10 and maybe 2 to 2.5 inches from memory.

[Rick Paullin]

I was really surprised when I removed my centerboard cover years ago and found bolts instead of screws attaching it to the deck.  JBW must have placed threaded inserts in the mold during layup.

I don't remember the exact sizes of the bolts, but #10 sounds about right (maybe fine thread).  You can try threading a couple bolt sizes in to see what fits.  I think their length was a lot less than 2 inches (maybe 1 inch).  Finding the countersunk washers was a real pain because they were plastic rather than metal.  Several of the bolt holes were very close to the sloped part of the centerboard cover, so the plastic washers needed to have some material removed from the lower edge in order to fit correctly (JBW did this to the originals also).  My boat also had small plastic covers over many of the bolt heads (made from white plastic with a hinged tab retaining the cover, which clicked into the base).  I think the covers looked better (and also kept skin from getting pinched under the bolt heads).

If you decide to try the covers, I'd recommend ordering them online, because these specialty items can be difficult to find in-stock at local marine stores.  Here's a link to the plastic covers:

Zoro Plastic Fastener Covers

Good luck tracking them down!

  - Rick