Screw sizes

Charlie, I don't think I used any Si Bronze in my BB3. Any screws I used were SS from the hardward store and those were pretty few and far between. Haven't noticed and problems the last four years.
 
Charlie,

There is a great debate between silicon bronze and stainless on this page. I used bronze on the shear/deck, and stainless to hold aluminum strips on the keelsons, but either should serve well. Check Jameston or Hamilton Marine supply stores on line. You can probably get a much better price buying by the hundred box. Truth be told, I have a few hardware store procured brass screws holding deck on the boat (or at least they held the wood in place til the epoxy cured) because 100 did not cover everything. Stay away from nails, particularly on the shear clamp installation. I had a friend who had the shear clamp on his BB2 whip loose as he pounded one of the last ones. He had a great story about epoxy flying and having to do it over again w/screws.
Also,

Both Jamestown and Hamilton have good prices on oarlocks, cleats, and other hardware, so you may want to look at that stuff there, too.
 
The rule of thumb is "go into as much as you go through" so if you are fastening 3/8 ply, you want to at least go 3/8 into what you are fastening it to. I used #8 stainless square drive screws where I needed to screw something together. The only place I can think of is screwing the decks to the shears and the shears to the gunnels.
 
Hard for me to remember all of them but I know I used a bunch of #8 and #10 from 3/4" to 1 1/4". It depended on the application. For example, to screw the doubled transome together while the epoxy cured I used the longer #10's. All I know is that I was at the hardware store quite a bit for bits, screws, C-sinks, etc. I was fortunate that the hardware store was 1 mile from my house at the time. I think Lee is onto something with the square drive screws. I had a heck of a time stripping phillips heads or just twisting the screw heads right off - Stainless Steel screws aren't known for their strength. Much of the hardware is "get it as needed" because none of it is spelled out on the plans. Many times I just used screws as temporary fastners while the epoxy cured.
 
Charlie,

Is the screw length not listed, or at least measurable on the 3rd page of the plans? I used #8 x 1" flat head fearson drive silicon bronze on the shear clamps, deck, and under the deck up into the combing (believe you need ~ 150 at 6" spacing, but you could easily verify by adding up the total edge lengths to be screwed down and diving by desired screw spacing- it’s been over 5 years since I built my BB2, and my memory is fading). Adding a 10% waste factor when estimating is good, too. For fastening combing down into the boat I used a bigger SS pan head (perhaps #8 or #10 by 1-1/2 or 1-3/4, enough to extend through a countersunk hole in the combing and still bite through the deck and into the doug fir backing I put under the sponson deck where the combing mounts). I'm guessing 25 - enough for the forward combing and some for the part over the sponson. For keelson armor I went w/#6 ss 1/2" flat head Phillips – needed over 50, and got a box of 100. Hardware descriptions typically tell you what size screw you need to mount (handles, cleats, oar locks, ets….)

One advantage of ss is they are typically Phillips, where the bronze is typically fearson head, which takes a different bit.

Like Eric said, fasteners are relatively cheap, and you hate to be slowed down because you need to run to the store to get a couple more.

Hope this helps.

-Bill


 
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Tip:

When screwing into pure epoxy... such as screwing your keelsons onto the center of the boat, which ostensibly has deep epoxy in the center... make sure you have drilled the entire length of the screw... epoxy does NOT give or make way like wood does. You will break the screw.

Tip #2:

Countersink all... then epoxy over the screw head. You can get away with galvanized if you wish... if you're like me, you trailer your boat and if you sink your screws you won't have any problem.

I used ss and silicon $$$ and they were very expensive.

Good luck
 
I have run into a few different sizes:

slightly screwed
srewed
and totaly screwed

Any one of which can be ran into while boat building.
 
Charlie, Figure on 6" spacing for what ever you are going to screw. You may space them farther apart but that spacing for estimating should give you enough. Silicon Bronze and or SS will do for the most part but stay away from Silicon Bronze to hold your aluminum runners on your keels. SS would be a better choice there as you might be using it in the salt. Both #8 and #10 square head will use a #2 Robertson bit (red handled screw driver) to drive them. Use steel deck screws with the same square drive (If available in the US) for anything temporary as they are easier to remove (stronger) and are more cost effective.

Sizing I can't help you with as I haven't seen the scantlings for the BB boats but Lee covered it pretty well.

Hope this helps.

Eric
 
Tip #2:

Countersink all... then epoxy over the screw head. You can get away with galvanized if you wish... if you're like me, you trailer your boat and if you sink your screws you won't have any problem.
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minor issues. SS screws need oxygen to not have crevice corrosion and when you seal them in or have them below a waterline on a boat you can and will get into problems down the road.

that said, small boat, trailered, just during duck season, no issues for YEARS, but I just felt the need to mention it.

Silicon is the way to go, however, the cost for a duck boat is pretty tough to stomach.

Seen guys use drywall screws, let the epoxy cure, then remove the screws and finish epoxing.
 
Eric, as you pointed out... given that these are trailerable boats it's not a problem...

But more on this point:

The vast majority of non-ply/epoxy boats fit in another category where boats NEED moisture in order to float. "Real" wooden boats are manufactured with gaps and those gaps are filled with cotton and the boats leak like crazy when first floated...until the wood and cotton swell against each other.

Those boats are meant to stay moist and in the water at all times. The hardware on those boats, especially below the waterline suffers greatly over time.

I am not proposing rustable drywall screws, but at the end of the day, when the screw is bedded in epoxy and the boat is trailered... it doesn't really and truly matter.

I used the finest grade of marine screws because my family is going to bury me in my boat when I go the great marsh in the sky.
 
Andrew, that is a noble thought...and you hang onto it. In reality, your family will have you cremated, flush you down the crapper and sell all your stuff to the highest bidder. ;)
 
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Andrew, that is a noble thought...and you hang onto it. In reality, your family will have you cremated, flush you down the crapper and sell all your stuff to the highest bidder. ;)
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or worse, viking funeral, burn him and the boat....

LOL
 
Charlie,

I gooded. I was rechecking my math- you may want 200 or more #8. At 6" O.C., 16 feet or so of sheer (rough esteimate of the curve on a 14 ft boat) will need 32 or so per side per joint, so you need 64 just to fasten 2 shear clams to the side, and another 64 to do the top deck to the shear for 128. Throw in under deck to combing and other top deck requirements, and that easily approaches 200. I think I made the same math error before, which is why there are some brass screws in my deck : ) Again, this is a ROUGH estimate as I have no plans or records to refer to.

-bill
 
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