Wooden Boat Restoration Repair - WEST SYSTEM Epoxy

6 Installing Hardware
6.1 Fastener bonding
Now that the deck is upgraded, the hardware should receive the same thorough
attention. To overcome problems associated with hardware installation on wooden
boats, Gougeon Brothers, Inc. has developed an approach called hardware bonding. As
the name implies, hardware items are bonded (glued) to wood with the goal of
distributing high, single-point loads over as large an area of wood fiber as possible,
while allowing the epoxy to seal and protect the wood end grain exposed by the
fastener hole. Note: the term “hardware bonding” as used in this manual does not refer
to the electrical bonding of hardware to eliminate stray current corrosion.
There are two ways to do this. The first is to bond all fasteners (screws, bolts or
threaded rod) directly to the surrounding wood fiber. The second is to bond both the
fasteners and the hardware itself to the immediate wood fiber on which it rests. Using
proper hardware bonding installation techniques, you can dramatically improve the
load-carrying capacity of your hardware over that possible with standard hardware
installation methods.
In saltwater applications, our experience has been that bonded hardware and fasteners
show excellent resistance to corrosion attack. Where fasteners are vulnerable to
flexure and saltwater attack (e.g., hollow or bridged traveler tracks, bonded U-bolts or
solitary eyebolts) a small silicone sealant fillet covering the joint between the cured
epoxy and the fastener will protect against moisture and salt intrusion. Of course, any
exposed metal surface will be subject to the effects of saltwater corrosion; therefore
proper maintenance and cleaning procedures must be practiced.
The fastener-to-wood bond can be done in several ways. The easiest and most common
method is simply to wet out a standard-size pilot hole for a given fastener with
resin/hardener. Make easy fastener bonds as follows:
1. Use a pipe cleaner or syringe to work the mixture well into the hole.
2. Insert the fastener in the hole and allow the epoxy to cure.
This forms a wood/epoxy matrix around the fastener that is much stronger than the
wood by itself, and distributes the fastener load over more of the wood fiber area.
6.2 Hardware bonding
Installing Hardware 43
You can further improve the load-carrying capability of the hardware by increasing the
amount of epoxy that surrounds the fastener (taking advantage of the fact that WEST
SYSTEM ® epoxy has much higher density and strength than the wood fiber itself) and
bonding the hardware base directly to the surface. Bond for increased load transfer as
follows:
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