A Look at Safety in Manufacturing

When on the water, a boat is constantly in motion with often unpredictable movements, and that means anything in the boat needs to be fastened securely against all forces. There are many types of marine fasteners on the market, from metal to adhesive to wood. How do you even begin to consider which is the best for your needs? Here are some essential considerations when choosing the right type of marine fastener for your specific project.

Metal Fasteners

Despite the wide range of new and innovative synthetic adhesive materials on the market, metal fasteners are still by far the strongest option when it comes to tightening things down on your boat. Metal has an edge over even the strongest adhesive or wood product. Why? The key to a great metal marine fastener is the threading. Machined threads inside a metal nut have a tensile strength and durability that other materials just can't compete with and they always perform well against a shear or sideways force. Just remember when choosing your metal options that you need access to both sides of the material when using a bolt and nut to fasten. Also, machine screws are threaded into a tapped hole and rivets, though easy to install, are the weakest option because they have no threading, just a head on either side. The key to successfully installing a metal fastener is not to overtighten. It's the number one mistake people make and doing so is sure to break a fastener or strip threads. Metal fasteners are already tough. You don't have to torque them to death to get them to work.

Wood Fasteners

The only time to use a wood screw is on wood, period. Never make the mistake of using a wood screw on fiberglass, even if there's a wood core at the heart of the fiberglass. The most common type of wood screw for marine applications is the countersunk slotted head wood screw. Other wood screws that you might have a use for are slotted round head, for attaching thin metal fitting to wood, and slotted oval screws, countersunk with a slight oval head, also typical for attaching metal fitting to wood. Two types of wood screws that never belong on a wooden boat are those with double threads and those with threads all the way to the head. Additionally, don't forget that wood screws always require drilling a pilot hole first.