are screws loose?

[dickyboy]

after 1 season with 210, the bolts that hold the hinge on the center console came loose on one side and when i opened up the console to turn off the batteries, the console nearly fell off. i was able to replace the nuts with some difficulty as the inside of the bolts were tough to get to. anyway, with this completed. i decided to tighted the bolts on the other side. they were just a bit loose. i decided to go around the boat. it seems that just about every screw, (bow rails, hatch hinges, etc ) are an eighth of a turn loose. is this done on purpose or should i go around and tighten them.

also, what type of clamp on rod holders do you guys like for extras on the t-top

thanks for the help

rich

[ILLOGICAL GGC]

careful with that screwdriver eugene!!!! one of the big downsides with these boats is the tendency to strip out screws. if it is loose just back it out ,cover it with rule and snug it back down the rule should hold it in place and seal water as well. it you can get the powder these boats are made from ,you can heat uop the screw and dip it in the powder and then scrw it back in the hole and the melted powder will fill the sloppiness in the hole.
GGC

[dickyboy]

the screws are not stripped. they are just loose. my questions really is are they loose to allow for some type of expansion or should i tighten them a bit to snug them up

[Codfish]

I think you should snug them up for sure. If they are bolt/nut fasteners, I would also apply "locktite" to ensure continued security. These boats flex some and the wave pounding will loosen every fastener if you give it a chance. You can over tighten the screws but GGC explained the right way to fix that.

I have even found my floorboard screws loose as well as hatch hinges and the like. In between fish I just look around for screws to tighten.

codfish

[Genelie]

Originally Posted by dickyboy

the screws are not stripped. they are just loose. my questions really is are they loose to allow for some type of expansion or should i tighten them a bit to snug them up

if they keep backing out, as IL-Logic said, dip the scew in rule, that will help keep it from backing out. I do that on a couple of scews myself.