Hobie 18 Gudgeon Tapped Hole Replacement

I live in a small town. No one carries 2-inch #12x24 machine screws...I was thinking of drilling out and using 1/4-inch with nuts, as easier to locate and cheap.

Anyone done it? Any down side...? Have rear deck inspection port, so install should be a snap. I know there is a metal plate in stern.

Thanks.

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Leave places better for having been there; respect others,
"The one thing that doesn't abide by majority rule is a person's conscience." Harper Lee - Scout, To Kill a Mockingbird.
Congress needs fixing, fix it!
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That would be OK if you thru-bolt the gudgeons with nuts and washers they aren't going to go anywhere. That is actually how the gudgeons are installed on the Hobie 20. You're also less likely to have issues with the screws seizing in the transom over time.

The other option would be to buy the correct #12 machine screws from a place like McMaster Carr online. You can certainly get the correct screws there. The only down side is that you will have to buy a lot more screws than you need but it's still relatively inexpensive.

sm
I've tapped the transom plate to 1/4 inch on a Hobie 16 with stripped holes and no access from the inside.....worked like a charm. You're going to use SS screws, right? On the Hobie 16, the transom plate is Al, so I recommend using some Tefgel, Lanocote, or at least antiseize on the threads.

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Jerome Vaughan
Hobie 16
Clinton, Mississippi
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Thanks. I was going to go for the through bolt and out of stubbornness dug and found more #12 screws and used a tap to clean the holes...voila, all in. Thanks again.

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Leave places better for having been there; respect others,
"The one thing that doesn't abide by majority rule is a person's conscience." Harper Lee - Scout, To Kill a Mockingbird.
Congress needs fixing, fix it!
--
QuoteI live in a small town.

Oh, it's about Cat rudders...for a moment I thought you were waxing Springsteen. icon_biggrin

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Hobie 18 Magnum
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Edchris177
QuoteI live in a small town.

Oh, it's about Cat rudders...for a moment I thought you were waxing Springsteen. icon_biggrin


Mellencamp?

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Jerome Vaughan
Hobie 16
Clinton, Mississippi
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