Engine Cover Mount

Flyindutchman · **Posted:** Mon Aug 20, 2012 6:23 am

So I think I've read this same problem somewhere else on this forum but I was surprised to see today that the mounting bracket for the engine cover strut had come loose from the glass. Screws had completely stripped whatever they were threaded into as shown. Disappointed but hope someone here might have a solution? Have people used inserts/plugs and re-installed? Created new mounting plates altogether?

Thanks.

Cap'n Morgan · **Posted:** Mon Aug 20, 2012 7:32 am

On a 2012 boat :shock:

Wow ! Should use a backing plate with SS bolts and nylon lock nuts to be secured properly.

Graham R · **Posted:** Mon Aug 20, 2012 7:57 am

I agree, if at all possible use a backing plate and nyloc nuts on bolts. Your problem may be access to behind that panel ( in which case you might need to fit an access hatch with a screw on lid near to it. I had to when I needed to access the loose nuts on the rear cleats on my boat).

It's staggering how many things on these boats are mounted just using screws directly into the fibreglass and when they do use nuts, they don't use nyloc ones so they come loose as well !

ric · **Posted:** Mon Aug 20, 2012 8:01 am

LouC · **Posted:** Mon Aug 20, 2012 8:30 am

They are still doing it that cheap n nasty way? Remove the screws, and then cut out a couple of 4"x4" square pieces of pressure treated 1/2 in plywood. Drill holes in the wood to match the holes in the bracket for the gas assisted cylinder. Get some stainless nuts and bolts with lock washers and bolt the bracket on with the wood backing panel on the inside of the 'glass panel. For like $55k new sticker price they can't do that....that's why I keep my old one... Every thing I fixed, it was done right, no nasty cheap work... Don't want to start all over....

NiagaraChillin · **Posted:** Mon Aug 20, 2012 8:38 am

LouC wrote:

Remove the screws, and then cut out a couple of 4"x4" square pieces of pressure treated 1/2 in plywood. Drill holes in the wood to match the holes in the bracket for the gas assisted cylinder. Get some stainless nuts and bolts with lock washers and bolt the bracket on with the wood backing panel on the inside of the 'glass panel.

+1 to Lou's suggestion, you could even paint the 4"X4" bright white to match the glass (done right, it would probably look like it came that way). The only problem I see you might have is access (like Graham said) to the backside to tighten the nuts.

Cap'n Morgan · **Posted:** Mon Aug 20, 2012 9:02 am

The backing plate should be installed behind the coaming, and not in front in plain sight. That is , to be done properly. Therefore, painting something that can't be seen is just an option. Personally, I would use a SS backing plate, G-10 Fiberglass , Aluminum or even starboard rather than wood.

G-10

SS

Note: above are web images for example only, Nyloc nuts should be used.....

NiagaraChillin · **Posted:** Mon Aug 20, 2012 9:10 am

Cap'n Morgan wrote:

The backing plate should be installed behind the coaming, and not in front in plain sight.

Absolutely...IF you can get access to it, thats the biggie, if ya can't get behind that glass to tighten the nuts, then this is all kinda moot. If ya can, well, its in the engine compartment, so not exactly "plain sight".

Graham R · **Posted:** Mon Aug 20, 2012 9:20 am

Cap'n Morgan wrote:

Personally, I would use a SS backing plate or even starboard rather than wood.

The reverse side of that panel may not be absolutely flat;the glass and resin is laid up from that side ( unless the topsides moulding is a resin injected part). Wood (preferably treated to prevent rot!) has the advantage that it can conform more to the surface imperfections so there's no localised high stress areas, whereas a metal plate wouldn't conform to the same extent. !f a stainless plate is put on with a layer of PU or even high modulus silicone, then that would do the same job. The nuts would need "nipping up" once the PU was cured.

Flyindutchman · **Posted:** Mon Aug 20, 2012 9:26 am

I'm afraid access IS the primary concern here. It's new so I'll first ask the shop what they can do and see where that leads. They've been absolutely excellent to deal with to date and the mech has been around Four Winns exclusively for some years now.

Thanks for all of the suggestions.

LouC · **Posted:** Mon Aug 20, 2012 9:41 am

Yep that's what I meant, the backing panel goes on the inside of that fiberglass panel. The idea is to spread the flexing load of the gas struts and the weight they hold up over a wider area instead of just those two piteful screws in that thin 'glass. My 24 year old one was the same exact way, the holes were cracked a bit and I had to do some 'glass work first, then I fabbed up backing panels out of some left over plywood. You could also bond them to the 'glass with 3M 5200. You can use metal too but PT plywood is plenty strong for that job.

Get an inspection mirror and look up behind that 'glass panel, if there is very little access you can make the backing pieces smaller if need be. See this is why I am always ranting about the terrible engine access on the newer bowriders, it makes every little job a pain for no good reason. Are these designers just plain spiteful??

It took me literally 1/2 hr to do that job.

On the older boats that panel does not go that far down, maybe 8 inches below the gunnels, that's all. You might have to get a skinny guy with long arms to get it up in there....

Flyindutchman · **Posted:** Mon Aug 20, 2012 12:47 pm

Thanks Lou, I knew what you were suggesting and it makes sense to me. If the dealer shop can't fix it for me (for free) then that might be exactly what I do.

Flyindutchman · **Posted:** Tue Aug 21, 2012 10:33 am

Well, I guess I needn't worry. Got an email this morning from my dealer saying they've already been down to the boat and repaired.

Anxious to see what they did! They are pretty awesome...

LouC · **Posted:** Tue Aug 21, 2012 11:02 am

That is nice quick service, hopefully they put in a backing plate to keep that from happening again. Those mounts have to support a lot of weight, when I got my boat the gas struts were long gone and I was lifting that heavy cover up myself (I'd guess about 60 lbs, its a 6'x4' or so piece of 3/4 in plywood as the core for that sun pad). So there could be as much as 20-30 lbs pushing down on those little mounts. Yours might be less if it's composite but still the point is that is a lot of weight.

The other area that they fall down on is the hinges, often they are just screwed into the plywood, and eventually the screw holes get bigger and it gets loose, they need to be bolted. And where the bolts go into the 'glass on the top cap, there should be a wood backing panel to spread that load out.

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Engine Cover Mount

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