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During the installation I'm finally thru-bolting the traveler track. I purchased the longer bolts (screws) and they measure about 10 1/2 inches. I was planning on putting them thru the most outboard holes at both ends in the traveler track. Has anyone drilled thru that hole and thru bolted? I'm a little concerned the bolts may not be long enough. How thick is the deck generally in that area? I realize every layup may be a little different. I'll be checking location using a trick a boat tech taught me of using two rare earth magnets on either side of the deck. They will center up on each other even thru 3/4 to 1" thickness.
Thanks for the input on the hole location. BTW, I'm not trying to save the threads in the embedded plate. The threads on the bolts I got don't run the entire length so there is no need to save the threads on the insert.
John
John,
In the first two links of mine in reply #1 on this thread, on page one, I wrote:
"My answer is to ADD the new bolts, and NOT use them to replace the old ones. "Michael, yes I did that mod, but we used the existing Garhauer track. My records show that I used the same "1/4-20 X 9 inch long flat head SS screw" from Catalina. I did not have to remove the track, since I was using the existing one, so I was able to leave the existing two original screws (tapped into the molded in plate, most likely) in place. I just drilled the two new holes with a very long drill bit I picked up at Ace Hardware through another bolt hole in the existing track inboard of the existing two screws.I'm sure you've read those links, they have a lot of details of what I did.
That means they got installed (by me) on one of the more inside of the holes. That seems it was because the outer two holes were the ones into the embedded track. I do NOT know this for sure, only going with what I wrote over the years since I did the work in 1999!!!
In looking at some pictures of when I rebedded the track in 2018, it appears I used two different holes, one three holes in, one four holes in, from the edge. Those are the long bolts standing up in the pictures. One shows the shorter screw laying on the flat.
I did that long-bolt work pre-digital cameras, so don't have jpegs of that original work.
In one of my writeups of the work, in one of those two links I included earlier here on page one, I noted where they came out on the port side, close by the bulkhead to the head.
My bolts were nine or nine and a half inches. I don't know if a 10 1/2" bolt would work on the outermost hole.
What I would do is find out which of the holes actually have the embedded plate and do them inboard of that. Instructions may also be in Jim Moe's original article, although IIRC his writeup was for a C30 but written for C34s also (he owned both boats or was in a club with both).
Good luck. That's a neat trick you described.
I also encourage the use of butyl tape under the track.
