[OMC-Boats] Fasteners for Trim Tabs?

Hello!

for those who don't want to read the whole sob story, the question is - what is the proper fastner, or method for reattaching the factory trim tabs at the bottom of the stern on these late 60's EJO boats?

The sob story starts here...

I brought my boat back out this spring, took it into the shop to be serviced. When I brought it home and parked it in the driveway I noticed a drip from one of the screws holding the factory trim tabs on at the bottom of the transom. A quick peak inside the boat confirmed no water above the deck ... and no visible penetrations above the deck for the trim tab fasteners.

Thinking that water dripping from the tabs (boat's been out of the water for months) can't possibly be a good thing I decided to bite the bullet and remove them. They seem to have been attached with some form of hollow wall anchor - a nylon plastic bit which will be compressed by a screw and presumably mushrooms out on the inside of the hull.... much to my chagrin, there seems to have been no sealant at all applied to these. Further, behind one of them I found a 3rd hole, which also had not been sealed. Good Grief!

So, now I'm wondering about the proper way, and/or the need of reattaching these trim tabs to the boat. How were they attached originally? And since I can't through-bolt them now, should I repeat the hollow wall trick?

Thanks,

Kenneth
Received on Saturday, 21 June 2008