T Top help

[arnaldo]

hi fellow sporters...hope everyone is doing well. I'm thinking of getting a t top for my '79 aquasport 17. Wanted to know if anyone has installed one on their boat and how they went about drilling through the floor. I am worried about hitting something below the floor that i cant see......any help would be appreciated. Thanks! - Arnaldo

[Jon]

Arnaldo, i just spoke with Sanchez brothers out of Ruskin, FL about this not two weeks ago.... http://www.sanchezmarine.com/SanchezBro ... arine.html

He builds and installs them. The gent there was super helpful and approachable. Id recommend just calling him. He told me exactly what screws he uses, unfortunatley I dont remember the details as I have the screws. I know they were two inch stainless steel and if they arent around 5 plus dollars a piece from a marine dealer they might not last. Ive seen blogs of using specific toggle bolts, but this gent uses screws only, and always use 5200. I was a carpenter for years. In woodworking Ill put a rubberband around the bit at the depth of the deck so I can just break through the deck.

[arnaldo]

Hi Jon, thanks for that information...i will give them a call asap. I'm just a little worried about drilling through the deck because i have never done so. I guess if others have done it i will be able to do it too!!  Keep you posted - Arnaldo

[Dirty]

I'd imagine you would have to hit the stringers with the mount even if you had to use brackets

[arnaldo]

thats the thing, i dont know where the stringers are located under the floor....and even if i do locate them, how will i know the feet of the t top will land on the stringers?

[RickK]

You will have to cut some access holes in strategic places to add backer plates anyway, so they'll give you the ability to find the stringers, which are usually around the outside (port & starboard) edges of your console.  Don't go in blind and don't forget the backers.

[John Jones]

I have to go with Rick.  Personally I would not install a t-top or tower with just wood screws and 5200.  I have seen more than a couple that have pulled loose.  Backing plates and bolts are the only way to go.

[arnaldo]

thanks guys for the help...so how do i go about installing backer plates? I assume that i have to install them under the floorboard - Please forgive my ignorance, i have never done any boat work.I am quite handy in wood working and renovations but "marine renovation" is all new to me. what kind of material am i looking at for "backer plates" ? Once again thanks to all that anwser / help me with this.

[gran398]

Go ahead and use a good grade of stainless plate, say 5/16th's to 1/4...you can pick it up at any scrap dealer. They may can cut it to size for you there, too. Then glue it to the underneath with 5200, drill it from the top, bolt it down with stainless, and you're done.

[John Jones]

Stainless or aluminum works fine for a backer, even as thin as 1/8" thick.  Just make them reasonably large to spread out the load, maybe 6 x 6.  As large as you can fit through your access hole.  You are stuck with having to have at least one access hole depending on how long your arms are.  When I did my leaning post I was lucky enough to be able to reach all four legs with one access.  I already had a 6" hole saw.  When I was done I did not even put in a "pie plate" cover. I used a sabre saw and cut a piece of scrap 3/4 plywood into a 10" circle, then cut the circle in half.  I epoxied up two plywood half-circles for water proofing, then epoxied them under the deck for support under the hole.  A couple of temporary screws through the deck held them in place until the epoxy cured. Then I glassed the original plug from the hole saw back in place with thickened resin.  Seal the edge of the hole in the deck and the plug edges with resin before putting the plug back.  A little filling and sanding and it was invisible (depending on the deck finish).  Mine was paint with non-skid grit added so it was easy to hide.

My t-top was already coming loose when I bought the boat.  I was lucky enough to be able to replace the screws with bolts and add backing plates by using the access holes over the fuel tanks.  It already had pie plates at the back of the console and in front of the console where mine had an auxiliary fuel tank.  It was a long reach but I have long skinny arms so that helped.

It's a lot of work but it's not as bad as having to come back in two years and re-attach everything.

[John Jones]

Oh, and for those that worry about corrosion say from putting stainless bolts in aluminum, just bed everything in 5200, or I use 4000UV if it is in a visible location.  (The 4000UV does not turn yellow like 5200.)  I have not had any corrosion issues when doing this.  It's messy but a quart of acetone and a roll of paper towels takes care of that.

Did I mention I hate 5200 or similar?  Or that I hate anti-seize compound?  I can't walk past an open tube without getting some on me somewhere.    

For backing plates, find a metals distributor in your area.  Most all of them have a corner with what they call "drops".  That is the leftovers from doing custom cutting or shearing for another customer.  My local distributor, Alro Metals in Sarasota, sells the drops by the pound at scrap prices instead of at finished product prices.  They let you sort through and pick out what you want.  Much cheaper than asking them to cut a finished sheet to custom sizes because you pay for the full sheet whether you take all of it or not.  If you do have them cut a sheet, ask for the drops.  You have already paid for them.

[gran398]

Great work, great advice JJ. You're right about the 5200. That mess gets EVERYWHERE.

[John Jones]

I buy the boxes of 2-ply latex/nitrile gloves at Harbor Freight.  They help your hands but not your hair, beard, ears, elbows, etc.    Too dang hot here most of the time for coveralls.

[arnaldo]

thanks everyone.....i appreciate the advice / knowledge.

[GoneFission]

Yep JJ, that 5200 is messy, sticky stuff.  But you gotta admit it does the job!  I've seen outboards where the bolts were taken out and a pry-bar had to be used to get the motor loose from the transom.  The 5200 alone would hold a 500 lb. motor tight to the transom.  

OK guys, here's a trick if you get 5200 on your clothes - squirt some Goo-Gone on it and stick it in the washer.  The Goo-Gone will emulsify the 5200 and it will wash out.