I've been replacing a few snaps on my mooring cover canvas. It's pretty easy with the right tool and snaps that go through the canvas. Hoever, I have one broken stud that comes out of the fiberglass along the motor well. It's glassed in at the back. How the heck can I get the old one out and replaced with out drilling a big hole? Thanks.
Canvas snap repair
- Thread starter dotnmarty
- Start date
I have used a Dremel tool to cut out a small amount of the glass around the stud--then cut the end of the stud square and used a small pair of Vise Grips to get a good hold of the stud and back it out. Then either put in gel coat or marine tex and put a new snap/stud in place. The brass rim will cover the area you repaired.
Marty,
On most boats those snaps are usually pop-riveted into the fiberglass. I have replaced several by carefully drilling out the center with a drill bit of exactly the right size. A set of numbered (size) bits will give you a better choice of sizes. Sometimes the snap part will want to spin as you drill. It helps to hold it stationary with needlenose pliers while you slowly drill out the center. If the hole wears out too large to hold another pop-rivet you can then fill with marine-tex and redrill. Usually I can reuse the hole. Good luck.
On most boats those snaps are usually pop-riveted into the fiberglass. I have replaced several by carefully drilling out the center with a drill bit of exactly the right size. A set of numbered (size) bits will give you a better choice of sizes. Sometimes the snap part will want to spin as you drill. It helps to hold it stationary with needlenose pliers while you slowly drill out the center. If the hole wears out too large to hold another pop-rivet you can then fill with marine-tex and redrill. Usually I can reuse the hole. Good luck.
Great ideas here from Bob and Ken!
The real complicating factor on re-installation is the lack of access to the back side of the fiberglass panel, which is why pop rivets are sometimes used over screw threads in the first place.
I've got two of these on my Sea Ray, and wonder if I can get enough epoxy through the existing hole that it will hold sufficiently when drilled out and re-riveted.
I'm wondering if some type of threaded insert or jack nut would have a larger backing/expanding section that would bite better than a pop-rivet or a threaded screw? (I know I'd have to enlarge the hole slightly.)
Discussion HERE.
Joe.
The real complicating factor on re-installation is the lack of access to the back side of the fiberglass panel, which is why pop rivets are sometimes used over screw threads in the first place.
I've got two of these on my Sea Ray, and wonder if I can get enough epoxy through the existing hole that it will hold sufficiently when drilled out and re-riveted.
I'm wondering if some type of threaded insert or jack nut would have a larger backing/expanding section that would bite better than a pop-rivet or a threaded screw? (I know I'd have to enlarge the hole slightly.)
Discussion HERE.
Joe.
CAVU":2u8ylmys said:
Ken-
Going up one size would be the easiest, as long as it's big enough to fill the hole!
The hole in the fiberglass is already close to 3/16, or maybe bigger.
The next problem would be tht the head of the snap fitting is smaller than the head of the pop rivet, so that the larger pop rivet head would stop the canvas snap from contacting the recieving head.
In such cases, one can sometimes grind down the pop rivet head's diameter before setting it, making it small enough to be out of the way, unless the remaining height of the rivet head is too tall to allow the snap to fit down over it. Maybe the height can be ground down, too?
If not, maybe the rivet can be set in the hole alone first, then drilled out down the center to remove the mandrel, then threaded with a machine screw tap and then a machine screw used to attach the snap fitting.
As always, nothing with a boat is as simple as it first appears!
Cheers!
Joe.
While not as elegant as the aforementioned options, one way that I usually fall back upon in such situations is to remove the snap, screw, rivet or fitting, then fill the hole with epoxy or 5200 and broken toothpicks and then screw a new fitting into the hole and wait for it to set before use. I usually even hammer the toothpicks in to get a more dense filling.
That's the way I've fixed the screen door since I was a kid - just different glue!
John
That's the way I've fixed the screen door since I was a kid - just different glue!
John
The problem with pop rivets in fiberglass, is that the pop rivet tends to fracture the glass, both initially and with time as it wears. There is no backing washer. When possiable, pop rivets should be used with a properly sized washer on the back side. This tends to spread out the load, and make fracture of the glass less likely.
thataway":lnq7663w said:
That, of course, was always the problem on dinghy sailboats, finding a way to get a washer or backing plate behind a pop rivet or machine screw.
We did develop one way, however.
In order.....
Stick a wire through the opening from the outside and snake it down or around until you can get it to come out somewhere accessible.
Put the washer over the wire, then bend the wire back and forth and flat to keep the washer from falling off. Leave a long tail behind this to pull the wire back out later.
Coat the surface of the washer to fit up to the fiberglass with epoxy or some other adhesive of your choice.
Pull the washer back to the surface to be backed up and let the adhesive cure.
Pull the wire out backwards, leaving the washer to serve as a backing plate in place.
Go ahead and pop rivet the fitting in place normally, with the washer behind it. Use more adhesive to help waterproof and strengthen the attachment.
Interestingly, I've found a number of difficult to get to places on my Sea Ray.
Turns out that a lot of hardware is bolted to the deck before the deck is bonded to the hull, leaving little or no accessibility once the hull and deck are joined.
I had a stanshion that had the bolts loosened, and could no-way reach up to get a wrench on the nuts, and could not lift on them and get the nuts to bind up and allow the bolts to tighten.
I finally would up flooding the area under the stanchion plate with JB Weld and then inserting, under tight pressure, washers between the fiberglass deck and stanchion plate. Then I filled the rest of the area around the washers with more JB Weld, dressed up the edges, and allowed it to harden. Hard and firm as a rock 24 hrs later.
Would have required a trained ferret to get to the nuts!
Joe.
Captains Cat
New member
Ann, if it is Ann, you have posted on an old thread about canvas snaps. Recommend posting on a new thread and entitle it "looking for dingy" or find one about dingys...
Good luck.
Charlie
Good luck.
Charlie