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I have a Boston whaler Outrage 21 (1982) and it came with a gorgeous t-top tower with radio box, VHF and antenna and a couple of rocket launchers. I was out on georgian bay and the bolts in the deck came loose on one side of the tower which is bolted into the deck, nicely integrated with the helm console. It appears that the tower was only bolted into the floor and the bolts are simply sliding through now. Has anyone experienced this problem before and are there any solutions to this? The tower is a gorgeous addition to this classic vessel and I would hate to have to have it removed....but at the same time, I don't want it to come apart while out in big waves, which the boat is made for.
I have looked at your personal page photos and see why the screws are loose.
The small pad on the feet do not help spread the load of the top.
I don't see any side supprorts connecting the top to the sides of the console.
I would guess the floor screws were not sealed which allowed water in and degraded the wood.
If it were me I would add a larger rectangular pad to the legs and give more area for attachment. I would also add side supports.
If the legs are in wood, I would over drill and fill with epoxy then retap. If they are not into wood, I would do the "hockey puck method" drill out, chuck an Allen wrench in backwards to loosen the foam, vacumn out the bits and fill with epoxy.
Unscrew the top from the deck and the console. Redo the holes in the deck using the hockey puck method that Phil describes and the reinstall the top. Make sure you bed the legs in a good bit of marine caulk, not 5200. There is a lot of stress placed on the top and even with good side attachments they can come loose. The one on my 18 came loose from the floor and cracked the console in some nasty waves.
I raised my CC with a 36 inch long by 6 inch wide Teak plank an inch and a half thick on each side. This spreads the stress of both the console and T pads over a much wider area. Each pad of the T top has 4 1/4 X 20 bolts and T nuts inserted in to the bottom of the Teak. The Teak plank is fastened down to the deck with the "Hockey Puck" and SS toggles in numerous spots. All the screws and bolts are sealed with Boat Life caulk. The T top frame is also securely fastened to the CC on each side and in the front.
