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Montauk Bow Eye Issues
viggom
#1 Print Post
Posted on 10/30/14 - 10:08 AM
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I have a 1990 Montauk. I purchased as the third owner. The boat has fiberglass damage around the Bow Eye. I have removed the threaded rod that was bent and replaced it with a new one. I made an effort to fill the voids created in the internal flotation foam around the loose rod and i have repaired the fiberglass on the hull side where it was cracked. What I would like to do is glass a a piece of stainless steel on the hull and drill it so the threaded rod passes through the stainless steel giving the hull perforation additional strength and preventing similar damage in the future. My question is this, does anyone make a stainless steel plate for this purpose? It seems like a common problem in the Montauk? If not, has anyone had any experience with this type of repair who might offer some suggestions. Thank you so much for any help. I have not had any success going to available marine retail outlets like West Marine, so it is looking like a custom piece of metal work.

 
docsoma
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Posted on 10/30/14 - 11:43 AM
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I should probably let the experts...there are quite a few...chime in first.

My guess is that a large ( 1.5 inch) stainless fender washer on the inside and a similar washer on the outside bent to a V will probably be all the reinforcement the repair needs to last many years.

My thought also is that the stresses on the bow eye can be minimized somewhat by backing the trailer an extra foot during recovery so that the winch has to tug just a tad less; and once home to release the winch so that the boat rests without tension on the bow eye for the time between trips.

 
aeriksen
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Posted on 10/30/14 - 5:30 PM
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I agree with the "Doc" the reason its cracked I believe is due to the stress applied while winching boat on trailer. I would go with the repairs you made and figure a way out to make the boat come on the trailer easier. That might be looking for new bunk material that slides easier than what you have now, lowering the bunks on your trailer so the boat enters and retrieves from the water with less weight on the bunks. Or sink the trailer deeper into the water when retrieving your boat. I had the same repair to accomplish and now sink my trailer deeper. I saw a set of bunk cover that are made of a certain plastic that will let the boat slide off right from the trailer even if not submerged, like backing down the ramp. The "King" trailer use that material but when I priced it from a dealer it was 6.50 a foot. Real pricey.

 
viggom
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Posted on 10/31/14 - 1:15 PM
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Thank you gentleman, since i purchased the boat I have loaded it very carefully much as has been suggested here. The damage was done by the former owner. I like the idea of a large fender washer….that I should be able to find. Appreciate the suggestions.

 
blacksmithdog
#5 Print Post
Posted on 11/01/14 - 3:53 AM
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viggom wrote:
Thank you gentleman, since i purchased the boat I have loaded it very carefully much as has been suggested here. The damage was done by the former owner. I like the idea of a large fender washer….that I should be able to find. Appreciate the suggestions.


You might even want to go to a welding and fabrication shop and get some stainless a bit thicker than a standard fender washer, say 3/16ths or so.

One thing I don't like about the bow eyes on the previous generations of Montauks and other models is that they were just too small. I've gotten new winch straps with hooks, that the hook wouldn't even fit in the bow eye.

 
Whalerbob
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Posted on 11/01/14 - 7:36 AM
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I repaired the eye on my 1989 Montauk earlier this year and determined that rod was bent intentionally at the factory when it was first installed. They did it so the eye on the inside of the boat will lay flush with the deck, without that angle it probably won't. See how it fits but using the straight rod may cause you more issues.

Almost all the wear on mine was on the outside so adding fender washers wouldn't have helped anything on mine. After I did the lay up with west marine epoxy and ground the exterior to the approximate shape. I re-drilled the hole and dry fit the bolt. Then I covered the exterior of the hole with MarineTex and covered the nubs on the bow eye with Vaseline and as the MarineTex was setting, when it got to a putty like state I then re installed the bolt and it molded perfectly to the bolt and nubs.

I'll try to find some photos but it came out perfect and I figure it should be good for another 25 years.


Edited by Whalerbob on 11/01/14 - 7:46 AM
 
Phil T
#7 Print Post
Posted on 11/01/14 - 7:51 AM
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Viggom -

In addition to the advice above, it is possible the question or problem at hand has been asked and discussed before.

In this case, the subject of the bow eye needing repair is a frequent question and a member wrote a repair article for it.

http://www.whalercentral.com/articles...p?cat_id=5

Another method for quickly locating information is using the sites search feature, it is very accurate.

Both "Articles" and "Site Search" are under the MAIN drop down menu.

 
Weatherly
#8 Print Post
Posted on 11/10/14 - 3:47 AM
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One of the most common causes of bow eye threaded stud bending is from keeping the winch strap too tight during winter storage.

 
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