Onderwerp: Advice!

Hello fellow sailors,
Sorry my written dutch isn't very good yet!
I have finished painting my boat and am about to attach all the fittings. Just to clear my doubts could you let me know which are the best screws to use and if all screws should be coated with silicone to protect the wood.

Thanks in advance for any tips.

Happy sailing, Zulu. :?

Hai Zulu,

Best to use Inox ('RVS' or 'Roest Vast Staal' in Dutch) screws/bolts/nuts. Corrosion may come in fast when using ordinary screws, which will weaken the fittings - or at least the connection between fitting and deck and thus weakening your rigging.

RVS materials are more expensive, but worth every Euro.

Good luck!

Rinus

edit: ah, I forgot the silicone you mentioned. I never used any silicone on the screws. In order to prevent leaking, I put a little bit of silicone kit on the pre drilled hole, before bolting anything through.
Difference is that this was on a polyester boat, and not on wood, and thus easy to clean off the kit after possible later disasembly of the fittings. I do not know whether the paint on wood is strong enough to withstand any kitcleaners.
If you think of anything to watertighten the fittings in such a way that the wood cannot get wet, I do not think it necessary to further protect the wood from the screw.

Quite good advise from Rinus. You could fill the freshly drilled hole with a tip of silicone or similar product. For the screws, sofar they are used to be fitted into wood you better use silicone-bronze. Is it for steel-to-steel connections use stainless or inox Aisa 316 LL.

If you are going to use RVS us A4 RVS, this is sea water resistant. Do not use A2!

And preferably do not use silicone for sealant.

Use Sikaflex or equivalent that doesn't have silicone as 'ingredient'

With silicone you will always get problems when a new coat of paint is needed.

Best regards,
Globe_Trotti

How is that for wood? I only used it on polyester and by the time the fittings needed to come off, the boat also could use a new painting. You could easily scrape off the kit with a plastic kitremover and some fluid kitremover. Never had trouble of paint not staying put afterwards.

For windowconstruction and sealing other things than fittings, I agree with Trotti, beware of the silicone!