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I am reinstalling my stuts and the old silicone bronze bolts aren't long enough with the new backer plate. Can I use stainless or is that going to be a problem. We are the benefits one over the other? Thanks Greg

Greg,

One of the best things we did was to extend and glass the plywood backing for the shaft struts all the way down to the main stringers. Not a sound or vibration in reverse, ever and backing down hard 'til you sink was never so easy.

Danny from Hightide has the silicon bronze bolts if Capt Pat doesn't.

Nic

Greg

Stainless underwater mixed with the bronze strut or any other fitting is disaster waiting to happen. If you have time, go over to the bolt bin in the industrial park over in Forked River. He should have the long bolts you need. His entrance is in the back. He is to the left of the Marble and Granite dealer as you drive in the drive way.

Week days are your best bet. I think he makes plenty of money by the hours he keeps. Every time I go over he seems to be closed. I am told first thing in the morning is the best bet.

You can always order them on line through the Bolt Bin.

Hi Tony,

How is everything haven't seen you in a couple of weeks? I was debating whether I need the backer plate even and going with the originals The glass where my strut is 3/4- 1 inch thick (Chris Craft tournament, our Bertram is already redone in CR) and the factory just used fender washers. I was going to ad a 1/2 glass backer and 5200 it in place. But the new bolts are hard to find and the pricing I am finding for silicone bronze carriage bolts is crazy.

Greg

I have been around, I am on hold until John get the exhaust set up. Once that's done I will be running my new bonding strap, painting the bilge and then trying to figure out how I want to rewire the engines.

I was there Saturday morning for about an hour going over a couple of things with John.

For our strut pads, we glassed in a 1/2 in piece of fiberglass plate I ordered from Mcmasters and Carr. Nice material. I now have to get my rudder ports redone. They are to short so it will be off to Riverside Marina to have their machine shop extend then. They are the same people who bored out my sturts.

Hopefully this week the exhaust will go in, then on Saturday I will pull out my deck supports and take them home so I can give them a coating of epoxy. While they are out I will work on the bilge area then hopefully its rewire and start putting it all back together.

If I get a chance I will stop by to see how you are coming along.

I just took all stainless bolts out of the bronze struts to beef up the Tiara. Inspected each and every one and not even one was damaged after 22 years sitting in the water. They were bonded . Went right back with stainless and would do it again with no worries. Prop is bronze shaft is stainless no problems there. The thin basket inside of a Perco sea strainer touches bronze and no problem there. Again on my boat all this was bonded. I think improper bonding or not bonding is the root of degradation.

Greg,

Bronze is considered the prefered material, matching materials of similar alloy, but stainless will work relatively good with bronze struts or other heavy bronze castings. Tony's right about the need to have good bonding.

Br,

Patrick

A lot of the stainless steel you see in hardware stores is the crappy 18-8 alloy which I've used and had it develop rust on my boat. If it isn't stamped "316" on it, I wouldn't use it. Also stainless isn't the best thing for use below the waterline.

The bronze or silicon bronze is of course the best and preferred as the Skip says. Hard to find them local but you can get it from Jamestown Distributors pretty painlessly

Thanks!

Tony, haven't made much head way lately....the inside is all ground down. Just getting everything ready for installing the struts, rudders then the motor beds. I have been down mostly Sun. as of late. The Eng bulkhead should be in this week or next.