Loose stern cleat

[hectoretc]

Greetings all, I recently discovered a loose screw on my stemhead (scary) which prompted me to walk around the boat tightening all of the screws just to be sure. When I got to the portside stern cleat, I found the two screws very easily turned in their holes without any effort what-so-ever. I was hoping I could unscrew them and either fill /reuse the holes or replace the screws with an oversized replacement, but unfortuately they just turn equally easily in the counterclockwise direction as well (even with some up pressure applied) which tells me there is probably a nut on the other end of the screw (rather than it being my hopeful wood screw) and so I'm somehow going to have to cut a hole, dig through a couple feet of foam, and find a way to snake my arm and wrench up to either tighten or remove the offending nut if it was somehow striped.
Hopefully someone will tell me it ain't so, that there is a real simple fix, but then again I still believe in Santa Claus when it suits me (needing that extra special Christmas present).
I also find myself wondering why two self respecting screws, probably with lock nuts, would decide to loosen themselves to that extent... I can't think of a reason... but I'm sure it's not a good sign...

[algonquin]

No easy solution because of access issues. There should be a nut on the inside. Most of the hardware on these boats is through bolted. If the cleat itself isn’t loose in the horizontal or in the vertical if you pull up on it you could get away with it as is. Brad

[talbot]

On my '73 DS II, the stern cleats are through-bolted, and the nuts are not locking. I've never actually been able to reach them. I could only go so far back with a 4" inspection port until I ran out of seat back, and I was still more than an arm's length away. But I stuck a camera in there and confirmed that the backing was in OK shape. Maybe this winter I'll come up with a clever way to get in and replace the nut.

[hectoretc]

Circling back to this discussion for a quick second...
This weekend after I'd cut the holes in the stern section of the seat to remove the soggy flotation, I was bending to pick up a tool off the floor, and quite accidentally placed my hand on this loose cleat for balance and it moved a little (as it does). My brain did one of those light bulb things you see in cartoons. I stood up, looked at the cleat, and then at the hole in the seat front, and back at the cleat.

I climbed in the boat, and shoved my arm in and up through my new access port, and bingo.. there was the bottom of the cleat screws (missing one nut and washer). Two minutes later the cleat is reattached...This time with locking nuts.
Talbot had mentioned not being able to reach the cleat through a 4" access port, but a 6" will do it, at least if it's placed directly under the cleat.

[talbot]

I see what you mean. My access port is actually into the seat back and forward of your port. If I run into the soggy foam problem, I'll know what to do (and how to fix my cleats while I'm at it.).

[hectoretc]

Greetings all, I recently discovered a loose screw on my stemhead (scary) which prompted me to walk around the boat tightening all of the screws just to be sure.

Is it bad etiquette to quote myself? Does it help if I’m schizophrenic?

(this picture is from the "first day home" collection)
Regarding my opening comment for this thread that spoke to a loose stemhead screw, now that I have easy access to my bow section via access port, I’m looking up at the stemhead screws, and don’t see any backing plate showing underneath. Also no nuts for the screws, so since I was able to tighten the loose screw, I am drawn to conclude there is a stemhead backing plate built into the fiberglass on the bow of the DSII?

Can anyone confirm or deny that? Should I (out of good practice) pull the stemhead, redrill and reinsert with a larger backing place, washers and locking nuts? And finally, if I am in that area, and plan at some point to probably play with one or more jib furlers over the course of the next year(s), is it better practice to have a separate stemhead installed for a furler or replace the existing stemhead with a longer single stemhead that covers both, and all points between for anything else I decide to try?

Thanks,

[talbot]

The stemhead should be fastnened to an inverted metal (brass?) "L" whose legs run up the stem and under the stemhead. The metal is tapped, and the threaded bolts for the stemhead screw right into it. On mine, there is a gap between the upper leg of the "L" and the underside of the foredeck. That gap is filled with some big Delrin spacers that apparently are supposed to provide a little "give" between the horizontal let of the "L" and the foredeck.

Last spring, there was a discussion about how this entire piece of metal can break free from the stem under tension from the forestay. Apparently it's quite spectacular, and results in the entire foredeck peeling away from the boat. I've never seen it, but the descriptions were compelling enough that I have since put two #10 304 SS bolts through the upper part of my stem, through the vertical leg of the "L", and into the forepeak where I could reach in and fasten them down with NyLok nuts.