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HELP: Cam-cleat screws stuck in front crossbar http://www.hobie.com/au/en/forums/viewtopic.php?f=71&t=62788	Page 1 of 1

Author:	mingle [ Thu May 24, 2018 12:51 am ]
Post subject:	HELP: Cam-cleat screws stuck in front crossbar
Hi Guys, I recently picked up a 2008 AI, as a project boat - it needs a bit of TLC to bring it back to life... One hitch I've run into is that the screws holding the furling-line cleat have partially stripped heads and the ones on the mainsheet cleat are pretty much rock-solid - I tried to put maximum force with the screw-driver, but didn't want to break the screws or strip the heads. (see pic, below) I know you can get special drill-bits to help out with stripped heads, but the screws seem pretty solid, so I don't think they'd be of any use. I've sprayed them with a fair bit of RP-7, but that didn't make much difference. I was thinking about a bit of heat (boiling water from the kettle) to try and break the lock - I suspect there's a bit of corrosion in there. A worse-case scenario would be to cut away the plastic of the fairleads and cleats, leaving the screws exposed, which would be easier to work on, but that might be a bit extreme? Can anyone suggest what I can try next? Cheers,

Author:	Defy [ Thu May 24, 2018 3:04 am ]
Post subject:	Re: HELP: Cam-cleat screws stuck in front crossbar
Have you tried putting the screw driver on the screw head and giving it a few raps with a hammer? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Author:	budgates [ Thu May 24, 2018 5:09 am ]
Post subject:	Re: HELP: Cam-cleat screws stuck in front crossbar
If you drill through the heads of the screws you will be able to remove the cleat. Once the cleat is off you should be able to get a pair of vice-grips on the shank to remove the rest of the screw.

Author:	plfinch [ Thu May 24, 2018 5:13 am ]
Post subject:	Re: HELP: Cam-cleat screws stuck in front crossbar
No toolbox is complete without one of these... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impact_driver Peter

Author:	pro10is [ Thu May 24, 2018 5:41 am ]
Post subject:	Re: HELP: Cam-cleat screws stuck in front crossbar
Corrosion shouldn't be an issue since the screws are stainless steel and the bars are aluminum, however, the previous owner may have used Loctite. If this were mine I would start by trying to ease the screws out with a tiny chisel and tapping them counterclockwise. If that didn't work I would first use a Dremel to round out what remains of the screwheads so I could then accurately begin drilling a hole into the center of the screws. Since this is stainless a good set of cobalt drills should be used as stainless is very hard and ordinary drills would struggle. Once a hole was drilled, I would use the appropriate size easy-out extractor. Or, as an alternative, you can simply drill successively larger holes until the screw head fell off.

Author:	mingle [ Fri May 25, 2018 2:30 am ]
Post subject:	Re: HELP: Cam-cleat screws stuck in front crossbar
Thanks for the replies chaps... I tried all sorts of things, including boiling water, lashings of RP-7 and judicious whacks with a hammer/screwdriver combo. I managed to get 3 out of the four screws out with a lot of effort - including a fair bit or cursing. But one wouldn't play-ball (the one 2nd from the left in the above photo), so I ended up using a hacksaw to cut through the cam cleat (I managed to save the fairlead and wedge) and a pair of pliers to twist the screw out once it was exposed. The threads in the crossbar are all good and nicely cleaned-up, all ready for the replacement parts! Cheers, Mike.

Author:	Domitan1980 [ Fri May 25, 2018 4:36 am ]
Post subject:	Re: HELP: Cam-cleat screws stuck in front crossbar
Why are you trying to remove the cams? Are they seized? If they work, leave them. If not, cut them away and use vise grips too remove the screws. Last suggestion is if you REALLY need to remove the cams from the crossbar be the cams are not seized and still work, you can drill the screws and use a thread tap to clean out the remaining pieces of screw. It's precision work and there's a chance of damaging the holes in the plastic if you don't get it exactly right. Start with the smallest drill size you feel comfortable with, exactly in the middle of the screw head and go only as deep as the crossbar. Then increase the drill bit size until the cam comes free. Go slow, take your time. A hardware store should have the right size thread tap for the screw you're replacing. Sent from my XT1635-01 using Tapatalk

Author:	fusioneng [ Fri May 25, 2018 6:54 am ]
Post subject:	Re: HELP: Cam-cleat screws stuck in front crossbar
Actually stainless screws in aluminum is a major issue in salt water due to galvanic corrosion, (never an issue in fresh water). Same applies with any stainless rivets in aluminum. The only thing you can do at this point is drill the heads off the screws, remove the cleat, then try to soak the threads with penetrating oil, (applying heat to the screw, (not the aluminum) from a blow torch usually helps, then grip with vise grips and slowly wiggle the screw out. Chances are the threads in the aluminum are destroyed anyway, (corroded away), so you will likely need to re-tap to 10-32. Next time grease the screw before putting it in so salt water can’t possibly wick into the threads over time, (too late now, everything is destroyed). Pretty much the same exact situation all the guys are running into with the free aka clip upgrade. If the boat has seen salt water, chances are slim to nill you will get those screws out without destroying everything, ( just sayin). Same pretty much applies to aka rivets. Hope this helps FE

Author:	Johan !! [ Fri May 25, 2018 9:35 am ]
Post subject:	Re: HELP: Cam-cleat screws stuck in front crossbar
You can also try to fasten the screw a litle bit You can aply more pressure and the phillips screw is not worn out , if it moves then try to unscrew it ,fasten unscrew and .........

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