Hi Matt,
Did you consider riveting it in? They will often fit in screw holes that were
pulled out, are easy to install, and are quite strong. If you get to a larger
rivet size a cheap hydraulic puller from Harbor Freight will get the job done
nicely.
Rivnuts are nice but they are not likely to take the load that is going to be
put on the fitting. They also have a tendency to loosen up over time causing
them to spin in the hole. They have their place, just more suited for things
such as panels and nonstructural items.
Good luck,
CarlC&C34Groton, CT
On Monday, October 31, 2022 at 09:22:57 AM EDT, Matt Wolford via CnC-List
<cnc-list@cnc-list.com> wrote:
Listers:
I'm about to undertake a repair and could use some advice. On an overnight
delivery in August we were on a broad reach in large waves and the main
unexpectedly jibed. We promptly put on a preventer. In the morning I found 8
sheared off cap socket screws from the boom vang lying on the deck.
The vang is secured with a fitting that can be moved fore and aft in a
channel on the underside of the boom. The channel runs the length of the boom.
Whoever installed the fitting originally found a suitable location for the
vang and drilled/tapped holes to securely mount the fitting into a piece of
aluminum that is integral to the channel inside the boom. Inspection of the
holes indicates that several were damaged when the cap socket screws were
sheared. I'm glad no one was near that boom when the main jibed.
My options are: 1) move the vang fitting and drill/tap new holes; 2)
drill/tap the existing holes with larger bolts (which may be too large to fit
in the vang fitting); or 3) install helicoil inserts in the existing holes
(which I've never used before). Thoughts?
Matt
C&C 42 Custom
