A:
Q:
WETEST
STUFF32 | BOATINGMAG.COM | JUNE 2018
BOAT DOCTOR ///Q&ABill, you will need
a special cleaner,
such as Star brite
Nonskid Deck Cleaner. Or try
a household cleaner with grit
in it, such as Soft Scrub.RUNG OUT!
Q: Hi Boat Doctor. We
left our swim ladder
down after taking a dip
at a local beach. When
we took off, we heard a
bang and looked back to
see our ladder hang-
ing on by one bracket.
Several screws pulled
out of the fiberglass
swim platform. There
is no way to get inside
the swim platform, so
through-bolting is out.
A friend recommended
inserting dowels into
the holes in order for the
screws to bite. Would you
agree with this?
Kate and Bobby Winslow
Islamorada, FloridaA: I’ve never been a fan
of the dowel method. It’s
quick, cheap and effec-
tive in the short term. It’s
a good field repair. But
dowels are all end grain
and don’t last long once
they get wet.
Instead, I’ll suggest a
product and a technique.
The product is called
Toggler by Garelick/
EEz-In (garelick.com),
and they are special
bolts for blind fastening.
Intended for securing
seats onto cockpit soles,
they are very secure
and work well. I would
recommend these for
your ladder repair. These
are sized for ¼-20-size
bolts, so you may have
to drill out the holes on
your ladder bracket. A
half-inch hole must be
drilled to use them.
Alternatively, drill the
holes out to four times
their diameter. Fill the
holes with thickened ep-
oxy resin or a pre-made
epoxy patch such as the
Pettit EZ Tex reviewed
on this page. Once cured,
drill a hole and tap
threads for the appropri-
ate-size machine screw.TOUGH
JOB
Hi Boat Doc. I
own a 26-foot
Mako boat. The
nonskid decks
possess a very aggressive grit. It
is very safe because it prevents
even wet feet from sliding. But
it is a bear to clean. There are
many stains that just won’t
come out using soap and a
scrub brush. This is my first
boat. What do you recommend?
Bill Kavanaugh
Laurel Hollow, New YorkPETTIT
EZ TEX
I used Pettit EZ
Tex Marine Epoxy
Repair Compound
to fill screw holes in
the transom of a boat
to which a new transducer
was being installed. I needed
a tough, watertight fix.
My methodology for ef-
fecting such a repair includes
drilling the existing hole out
to four times the diameter
needed. After the epoxy
cures, I drill for the new fas-
tener and reinstall whatever
it is that needs fastening. In
this case, I drilled out the two
No. 10 screw holes using a
half-inch bit and filled them
using Pettit EZ Tex. EZ Texis a two-part product
that is easy to mix
because it blends at a
1-to-1 ratio of epoxy
to hardener. Other
products mix at 3-to-1
or 5-to-1, and so are tough
to mix accurately by theeyeball method in the field
and may fail as a result.
EZ Tex also cures without
shrinking, meaning I only
had to fill the holes once and
scrape off the excess before
cure, as opposed to multi-
ple fillings and time spent
f lattening an overfilled repair
prior to refastening. EZ Tex
is white and paintable, and
can be used with fiberglass,
metal or wood. It cures in
24 hours at 50 degrees and is
said to cure in five hours at
70 degrees and 3.5 hours at
90 degrees.
The owner reports no leaks
from the transducer that he
and I installed. $26.99
(4 ounces); westmarine.com
—Kevin Falvey PHOTOS: (FROM TOP) COURTESY STAR BRITE, COURTESY PETTIT MARINE PAINT