Hobo Posted September 5, 2023 Report Share Posted September 5, 2023 I need some help my friends... I am just about through tweaking my "new-to-me" 2007 17' Maverick Master Angler getting it closer and closer to exactly how I want it... My son and I took it out today for a trial run just to check everything out... We both feel the need to add springline cleats about amidship in each gunnel... I will be using two of the 6" Accon pull-up cleats to match both the existing bow and stern cleats... These cleats will be mounted to the gunnel decking between the inner and outer sides of the boat... Because of this location's blind access only they will be mounted by drilling and tapping using four !/4'-20 SS oval head machine screws.... My question and concern is how thick is this gunnel decking at this location... it will need to be at least 1/4" thick to be able to safely drill & tap to use the 1/4-20 screws... Can anyone with first hand knowledge share this information with me please? Thanks!! The "X" marks the approximate location where the springline cleats will be added... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redzone1 Posted September 5, 2023 Report Share Posted September 5, 2023 Take one of the screws out the push pole holder closest to your desired location and see how long it is. I had an 18’ and 17’ Master Angler, but I don’t recall the thickness. My guess is it at least 1/2” thick. When you say “drill and tap”, I assume you mean you aren’t going to use a large washer and locknut to thru bolt. If so, why not use a large washer and nut to spread the the pressure point? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Seither Posted September 5, 2023 Report Share Posted September 5, 2023 Put a backing plate under the spring cleats. 1/4 -20 Stainless steel and nylocks. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chief5130 Posted September 5, 2023 Report Share Posted September 5, 2023 I believe it is cored in that area if so you will have over an inch of depth to get all the way through. You can get a backing plate in there but it is a trick to do it. Requires some epoxy to hold the nuts on the backing plate and string to hold the plate in place while you bolt the cleat to it. Hobo (if you know who that is) would install them by drilling and taping and say you could not pull them out. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishmanjj Posted September 5, 2023 Report Share Posted September 5, 2023 Whatever route you decide on the installation, there is no doubt it will be a professional job once complete. If at all possible I would try to put a backing plate under the gunnel. Let’s go fishing… you can work on that boat in January . JJ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fin-addict Posted September 5, 2023 Report Share Posted September 5, 2023 Agree with all above suggestions spring line cleats are a must for me. So many uses. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Seither Posted September 5, 2023 Report Share Posted September 5, 2023 Yep, Fish first spring cleats later! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bamaskeet Posted September 6, 2023 Report Share Posted September 6, 2023 MBG changed the construction of the gunnels sometime after 2007. I suspect your gunnel consists of a 1/4” thick fiberglass, 1/2 foam and 1/8” fiberglass. I’ve had some success using stainless Tee nuts. Drill your holes, then thru one of the larger holes use offset surgical clamps to snake the Tee nuts in the right position. Screw a long bolt thru the gunnels into the Tee nut. Grab the bolt with a vise grip while using a block of wood for leverage and pull the Tee nut into the fiberglass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smilemaker Posted September 7, 2023 Report Share Posted September 7, 2023 I would put a push pole in place and make sure the location does not fall underneath the pole as it bends Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hobo Posted September 7, 2023 Author Report Share Posted September 7, 2023 SMILEMAKER. Point well taken,,, and absolutely correct however being I'm almost 79 years old I seriously doubt if this old codger will be using very many push-poles,,,,,, or poling platforms either for that matter although the platform is mighty nice to lean against... I received an email from OpenTip this morning that the 6" Accon SS Cleats had been shipped... It's hard to believe that I'm paying $85.56 for the same cleat that I paid $34.99 just a few years ago... CHIEF5130 Thank you for jogging my memory of "how I used to do it"... I can remember making batches of the SS backing plates (that came included with the Accon cleats) with the 1/4-20 SS nuts affixed over the screw holes,,, although instead of using epoxy I would tack-weld the nuts in position... This method, although highly effective was a very time consuming, PITA process... One day in my shop I decided to try simply drilling and tapping the fiberglass... I had an old hatch cover made from approximately 1/4" thick solid fiberglass that I used for my test project... I mounted a similar cleat to this hatch cover using four 1/4-20 oval head SS machine screws... I then C-clamped this panel to the trailer tongue of my 24' Pathfinder and pulled the boat & trailer with my golf cart using a dock line looped around the cleat... For all my boat projects I've been drilling and tapping fiberglass instead of the destructive self-tapping screws ever since... I use the same process when using StarBoard for my boat projects... As a general rule-of-thumb and self imposed restriction (with no scientific data to back it up other than my one cleat & hatch panel test described above) I will not use the drilling & tapping fiberglass (or StarBoard) method for material with a thickness less that the diameter of the machine screws being used as fasteners... I also always use the UNC ( Unified National course) machine screws instead of the UNF (Unified National Fine) screws... A special "Thanks" to you other guys for your contributions... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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