Securing winch bases

Figment · Post by **Figment** » Wed May 16, 2007 8:19 pm

I have these wacky winch bases on my coamings. I've talked about eliminating them dozens of times in favor of simple bronze brackets, but I just can't let go of the convenience of having the cleat at the top of the coaming.

In addition to the four screws (#10x2-1/2", I think) into the top plank, the mass of the winch base is secured through the deck with a 5/16" bolt.
This seems adequate, I think.

And yet, I have about a dozen extra screws left over from the previous installation.

I must say, I'm not so eager to go poking a lot of holes in these shiny new coamings. Does anyone think I should?
(how nutty am I?)

Post by **dasein668** » Wed May 16, 2007 9:53 pm

You're very nutty, Mike, but that has little bearing on the question at hand. I think you're all set with the screws/bolts you have currently.

As you were.

Post by **Tim** » Thu May 17, 2007 6:34 am

Figment wrote:I'm not so eager to go poking a lot of holes in these shiny new coamings.

Too late! There are already a lot of holes there!

Figment wrote:In addition to the four screws (#10x2-1/2", I think) into the top plank, the mass of the winch base is secured through the deck with a 5/16" bolt.
This seems adequate, I think.

Certainly the bolted winch stand itself is fine. And I frankly doubt that more screws into the horizontal pad would help; if it's going to break or come loose, I feel it will do so with or without extra screws. Actually, more screws might even weaken the cleat board.

More likely, if it breaks it will be nearer the cleat, and not where it attaches to the coaming anyway.

But this is a pre-existing setup, and it seemed to work just fine during its previous incarnation. Where were all those extra screws before?

Figment · Post by **Figment** » Thu May 17, 2007 8:55 am

I'd have to check the old coamings to be sure, but I think there were 5 screws along the top where I now have four, and then four or six others into the mass of the primary base.

Does anyone know what the original installation might have been?
This may be a case in which the four or six into the mass of the primary base were an original-ish condition augmented by the later addition of that top board.