bertram31.com

I was playing around with the anchor rode and found a 1/4-20 nut lying on the bottom of the anchor locker, with a piece of the stud rotted off at the top of the nut. Only one place it could come from, so I looked up and sure enough one of the backing plates for the forward cleats was missing a nut. I grabbed the nut next to the missing one to see if it was loose, and it broke off in my hand. Turns out Bertram used chromed brass screws in the cleats, and an aluminum backing plate that apparently brass did not get along with, because 4 of the 8 screws were degraded so badly at the point they touched that plate that they broke as soon as a wrench touched them. One good upward pull and both cleats probably would have come off.

thanks, I'll take a look at mine.

Last time I looked up at the cleat, I don't remember seeing any backing plate.

Have to take a good look in the spring.

Mine's a 1979 28, and every piece of hardware has an aluminum backing plate. Don't know when Bertram started using them, or on what other models.

Tooez,
There were not any backing plates on the early 31"s Just Chrome bronze screws w2ith washers under t5he deck. Sounds like someone added aluminum backing plates on there own. I did backing plates on my out rigger bases but the were plywood soaked in Epoxy resin. The screws and the aluminum are a real bad combo. There are some 1/4-20 nuts on the aluminum rub rail at the very bow about 5 or 6 thru bolts to keep the rail from popping away from the hull.
Pete Fallon