Questions about mainsheet traveler bolts on Cal 29 (2-29)

So, I started a project to replace the original ( I believe) traveler on our Cal 2-29 with a new Harken unit about a year ago. I have the Harken and all the parts (except for the bolts to mount the track) already. I purchased the 4" spacing version of the track to match the original hole spacing. I really haven't spent much time on the project except for a few visits to attempt removal of the old track... And that's where I am stuck...

Richard, I replaced the traveler on my 2-29 about 10 years ago. I used a Schaeffer unit, and don't recall if the bolts lined up or not. Since the holes are easy to fill with epoxy spooge and are hidden under the new track it would not have been important to me for them to line up -- backing the bolts with two sizes of fender washers after back- filling with epoxy and re-drilling the holes makes it all pretty indestructable. On my boat, the machine screws that held the track to the seats on each end went through into the foot of the quarterberths and had nuts on them. The nuts were embedded in fiberglass tape (apparently the traveler was installed prior to the foot-of-quarterberth bulkheads) and not readily visible. You are likely to discover the same scenario on your boat. Look for little bulges on the overhead real close to the bulkhead at the foot of your Q-berths. A block of wood with coarse sandpaper on it should find them really quickly (wear goggles.) If for some strange reason your traveler is fastened into the bulkhead (I doubt it since it is 1/2" plywood) at the foot of the quarterberths I strongly suggest that you move it forward an inch or so and use through-bolts as described above. The center portion of the track was fastened to a piece of teak lumber that spanned the seats to support it in the middle. The track was fastened down to them with standard bronze wood screws. They were a bitch to remove as well. I replaced that wooden bridge that spanned the cockpit seats with a new piece of teak and used # 12 or # 14 SS screws about 2" long as memory serves. I used a batten to scribe the very slight crown on the piece of lumber and shaped it with a HD sander. I bonded the ends of the wooden bridge with 5200 into the cockpit and a single SS lag bolt into each end. To install that lag- bolt I had to use a hole saw to make access through the engine room bulkhead near the top back corner so I could run a drill through from the quarterberths, followed by a ratchet and extension. Using hind- sight and personal experience I can say that 5200 is so strong it is likely that you could just bed the wood on each end, let the track screws hold it into position until the 5200 has set and never look back. The track will have to assume a slight bend to match the crown built into the cockpit seats, and so I found it easier to start in the middle and add fasteners outward. I think a helper standing on the end would help and I think I remember using longer bolts to catch the nuts inside the quarterberths and draw the track down tight. Please note that any time that I put a hole anywhere through any part of the deck on my boat I always over-drill the hole, fill it with epoxy putty and re-drill it to size to protect the plywood core from water intrusion. This is considered pretty standard procedure by most "good old boat" maintenance tomes and goes a long way to ensuring longevity of your decks assuming they aren't already full of water and/ or rot from prior owner's un-knowing or un-caring maintenance shortfalls. I would add that a liberal bead of caulk under the traveler rail is a good idea too. I don't recommend 5200, as the fasteners don't need the extra hold and if you ever blow up any of the traveler hardware and have to lift the rail you will be very sorry for the extra adhesive grip. I hope this all is described so as to make sense -- it's late and my earlier attempts to craft this email met with disaster as my battery gave up on my laptop. Maybe others have different experiences to share or tips that make sense. Otherwise, please ask questions as required. Hope this helps. Wilkie On Jun 27, 2010, at 4:40 PM, wirelessmonster wrote: > So, I started a project to replace the original ( I believe) > traveler on our Cal 2-29 with a new Harken unit about a year ago. I > have the Harken and all the parts (except for the bolts to mount the > track) already. I purchased the 4" spacing version of the track to > match the original hole spacing. I really haven't spent much time on > the project except for a few visits to attempt removal of the old > track... And that's where I am stuck... > > From what I can tell, the 6 bolts that fix the track to the cockpit > seats are about 2 inches long and go right into a vertical bulkhead > between the quarterberths and the cockpit area. I could not remove > them with a screwdriver no matter what I did so I decided to drill > them out, which I successfully did today. But now I have 6 bolt > shafts sticking up from the fiberglass and only two came out when I > unscrewed them with a wrench. The other 4 spin but do not unscrew > and pulling them out is either very difficult, or not possible. > > Now to my questions: > Has any one removed and replaced the traveler on a Cal 29? (there > has to be someone). How are the original bolts secured into the > bulkhead? Are they just screwed in and sealed with 5200 or 4200? Or > is there a captive nut somewhere down there? Should I just drill > them all the way out and screw new, larger bolts in? How can I be > sure the new bolts will hold strongly? I'm near positive the new > Harken track will need larger diameter screws so I think that will > help. Does anyone have a recommendation on thread pitch, etc for > screws that will hold well? > > Any advice is appreciated. > > Thanks! > > Richard Anderson > 1975 Cal 2-29 > Everett, WA > > >

Wilkie, The traveler on my 29 was also moved by a PO. I replaced that unit with one from Garhauer. I sent them the old track and they made the new one with the same bolt hole pattern. The bolts on mine were a little difficult to get to but it was doable. I don't remember what I paid for it, but it was cheaper than Harken! Regards, David Dobbs, Cal29 411 --- On Mon, 6/28/10, David Wilkie Owen <dw… [at] cox.net> wrote: From: David Wilkie Owen <dw… [at] cox.net> Subject: Re: [Cal_Boats] Questions about mainsheet traveler bolts on Cal 29 (2-29) To: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com Date: Monday, June 28, 2010, 2:04 AM Richard, I replaced the traveler on my 2-29 about 10 years ago. I used a Schaeffer unit, and don't recall if the bolts lined up or not. Since the holes are easy to fill with epoxy spooge and are hidden under the new track it would not have been important to me for them to line up -- backing the bolts with two sizes of fender washers after back-filling with epoxy and re-drilling the holes makes it all pretty indestructable. On my boat, the machine screws that held the track to the seats on each end went through into the foot of the quarterberths and had nuts on them. The nuts were embedded in fiberglass tape (apparently the traveler was installed prior to the foot-of-quarterbert h bulkheads) and not readily visible. You are likely to discover the same scenario on your boat. Look for little bulges on the overhead real close to the bulkhead at the foot of your Q-berths. A block of wood with coarse sandpaper on it should find them really quickly (wear goggles.) If for some strange reason your traveler is fastened into the bulkhead (I doubt it since it is 1/2" plywood) at the foot of the quarterberths I strongly suggest that you move it forward an inch or so and use through-bolts as described above. The center portion of the track was fastened to a piece of teak lumber that spanned the seats to support it in the middle. The track was fastened down to them with standard bronze wood screws. They were a bitch to remove as well. I replaced that wooden bridge that spanned the cockpit seats with a new piece of teak and used # 12 or # 14 SS screws about 2" long as memory serves. I used a batten to scribe the very slight crown on the piece of lumber and shaped it with a HD sander. I bonded the ends of the wooden bridge with 5200 into the cockpit and a single SS lag bolt into each end. To install that lag-bolt I had to use a hole saw to make access through the engine room bulkhead near the top back corner so I could run a drill through from the quarterberths, followed by a ratchet and extension. Using hind-sight and personal experience I can say that 5200 is so strong it is likely that you could just bed the wood on each end, let the track screws hold it into position until the 5200 has set and never look back. The track will have to assume a slight bend to match the crown built into the cockpit seats, and so I found it easier to start in the middle and add fasteners outward. I think a helper standing on the end would help and I think I remember using longer bolts to catch the nuts inside the quarterberths and draw the track down tight. Please note that any time that I put a hole anywhere through any part of the deck on my boat I always over-drill the hole, fill it with epoxy putty and re-drill it to size to protect the plywood core from water intrusion. This is considered pretty standard procedure by most "good old boat" maintenance tomes and goes a long way to ensuring longevity of your decks assuming they aren't already full of water and/or rot from prior owner's un-knowing or un-caring maintenance shortfalls. I would add that a liberal bead of caulk under the traveler rail is a good idea too. I don't recommend 5200, as the fasteners don't need the extra hold and if you ever blow up any of the traveler hardware and have to lift the rail you will be very sorry for the extra adhesive grip. I hope this all is described so as to make sense -- it's late and my earlier attempts to craft this email met with disaster as my battery gave up on my laptop. Maybe others have different experiences to share or tips that make sense. Otherwise, please ask questions as required. Hope this helps. Wilkie On Jun 27, 2010, at 4:40 PM, wirelessmonster wrote: So, I started a project to replace the original ( I believe) traveler on our Cal 2-29 with a new Harken unit about a year ago. I have the Harken and all the parts (except for the bolts to mount the track) already. I purchased the 4" spacing version of the track to match the original hole spacing. I really haven't spent much time on the project except for a few visits to attempt removal of the old track... And that's where I am stuck...

David & Richard, Certainly can recommend Garhauer and would have used them back then if I had heard of them at the time. They are priced well, built to last and customer service is spectacular. Wilkie On Jun 28, 2010, at 5:28 PM, david dobbs wrote: > > Wilkie, > The traveler on my 29 was also moved by a PO. I replaced that unit > with one from Garhauer. I sent them the old track and they made the > new one with the same bolt hole pattern. The bolts on mine were a > little difficult to get to but it was doable. I don't remember what > I paid for it, but it was cheaper than Harken! > Regards, > David Dobbs, Cal29 411 > > > --- On Mon, 6/28/10, David Wilkie Owen <dw… [at] cox.net> wrote: > > From: David Wilkie Owen <dw… [at] cox.net> > Subject: Re: [Cal_Boats] Questions about mainsheet traveler bolts on > Cal 29 (2-29) > To: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com > Date: Monday, June 28, 2010, 2:04 AM > > > > > Richard, > > I replaced the traveler on my 2-29 about 10 years ago. I used a > Schaeffer unit, and don't recall if the bolts lined up or not. > Since the holes are easy to fill with epoxy spooge and are hidden > under the new track it would not have been important to me for them > to line up -- backing the bolts with two sizes of fender washers > after back-filling with epoxy and re-drilling the holes makes it all > pretty indestructable. > > On my boat, the machine screws that held the track to the seats on > each end went through into the foot of the quarterberths and had > nuts on them. The nuts were embedded in fiberglass tape (apparently > the traveler was installed prior to the foot-of-quarterbert h > bulkheads) and not readily visible. You are likely to discover the > same scenario on your boat. Look for little bulges on the overhead > real close to the bulkhead at the foot of your Q-berths. A block of > wood with coarse sandpaper on it should find them really quickly > (wear goggles.) > > If for some strange reason your traveler is fastened into the > bulkhead (I doubt it since it is 1/2" plywood) at the foot of the > quarterberths I strongly suggest that you move it forward an inch or > so and use through-bolts as described above. > > The center portion of the track was fastened to a piece of teak > lumber that spanned the seats to support it in the middle. The track > was fastened down to them with standard bronze wood screws. They > were a bitch to remove as well. I replaced that wooden bridge that > spanned the cockpit seats with a new piece of teak and used # 12 or > # 14 SS screws about 2" long as memory serves. I used a batten to > scribe the very slight crown on the piece of lumber and shaped it > with a HD sander. I bonded the ends of the wooden bridge with 5200 > into the cockpit and a single SS lag bolt into each end. To install > that lag-bolt I had to use a hole saw to make access through the > engine room bulkhead near the top back corner so I could run a drill > through from the quarterberths, followed by a ratchet and > extension. Using hind-sight and personal experience I can say that > 5200 is so strong it is likely that you could just bed the wood on > each end, let the track screws hold it into position until the 5200 > has set and never look back. > > The track will have to assume a slight bend to match the crown built > into the cockpit seats, and so I found it easier to start in the > middle and add fasteners outward. I think a helper standing on the > end would help and I think I remember using longer bolts to catch > the nuts inside the quarterberths and draw the track down tight. > > Please note that any time that I put a hole anywhere through any > part of the deck on my boat I always over-drill the hole, fill it > with epoxy putty and re-drill it to size to protect the plywood core > from water intrusion. This is considered pretty standard procedure > by most "good old boat" maintenance tomes and goes a long way to > ensuring longevity of your decks assuming they aren't already full > of water and/or rot from prior owner's un-knowing or un-caring > maintenance shortfalls. > > I would add that a liberal bead of caulk under the traveler rail is > a good idea too. I don't recommend 5200, as the fasteners don't > need the extra hold and if you ever blow up any of the traveler > hardware and have to lift the rail you will be very sorry for the > extra adhesive grip. > > I hope this all is described so as to make sense -- it's late and my > earlier attempts to craft this email met with disaster as my battery > gave up on my laptop. Maybe others have different experiences to > share or tips that make sense. Otherwise, please ask questions as > required. Hope this helps. > > Wilkie > > > > > > > > > > On Jun 27, 2010, at 4:40 PM, wirelessmonster wrote: > >> So, I started a project to replace the original ( I believe) >> traveler on our Cal 2-29 with a new Harken unit about a year ago. I >> have the Harken and all the parts (except for the bolts to mount >> the track) already. I purchased the 4" spacing version of the track >> to match the original hole spacing. I really haven't spent much >> time on the project except for a few visits to attempt removal of >> the old track... And that's where I am stuck... >> >> From what I can tell, the 6 bolts that fix the track to the cockpit >> seats are about 2 inches long and go right into a vertical bulkhead >> between the quarterberths and the cockpit area. I could not remove >> them with a screwdriver no matter what I did so I decided to drill >> them out, which I successfully did today. But now I have 6 bolt >> shafts sticking up from the fiberglass and only two came out when I >> unscrewed them with a wrench. The other 4 spin but do not unscrew >> and pulling them out is either very difficult, or not possible. >> >> Now to my questions: >> Has any one removed and replaced the traveler on a Cal 29? (there >> has to be someone). How are the original bolts secured into the >> bulkhead? Are they just screwed in and sealed with 5200 or 4200? Or >> is there a captive nut somewhere down there? Should I just drill >> them all the way out and screw new, larger bolts in? How can I be >> sure the new bolts will hold strongly? I'm near positive the new >> Harken track will need larger diameter screws so I think that will >> help. Does anyone have a recommendation on thread pitch, etc for >> screws that will hold well? >> >> Any advice is appreciated. >> >> Thanks! >> >> Richard Anderson >> 1975 Cal 2-29 >> Everett, WA >> > > > >

My traveler is the stock schaefer unit I believe. It is mounted aft of the Q berths and you access it through the lockers. I added turning blocks and jam cleats to the seat back. Before that the traveler was held in place by a pin Randy Cal 2-29 Out Patient -- Sent from my Palm Pixi On Jun 28, 2010 20:28, david dobbs &lt;tm… [at] yahoo.com&gt; wrote: &nbsp; Wilkie, The traveler on my 29 was also moved by a PO.&nbsp; I replaced that unit with one from Garhauer.&nbsp; I sent them the old track and they made the new one with the same bolt hole pattern.&nbsp; The bolts on mine were a little difficult to get to but it was doable.&nbsp; I don't remember what I paid for it, but it was&nbsp;cheaper than Harken! Regards, David Dobbs, Cal29 411 --- On Mon, 6/28/10, David Wilkie Owen &lt;dw… [at] cox.net&gt; wrote: From: David Wilkie Owen &lt;dw… [at] cox.net&gt; Subject: Re: [Cal_Boats] Questions about mainsheet traveler bolts on Cal 29 (2-29) To: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com Date: Monday, June 28, 2010, 2:04 AM &nbsp; Richard, I replaced the traveler on my 2-29 about 10 years ago. &nbsp;I used a Schaeffer unit, and don't recall if the bolts lined up or not. &nbsp;Since the holes are easy to fill with epoxy spooge and are hidden under the new track it would not have been important to me for them to line up -- backing the bolts with two sizes of fender washers after back-filling with epoxy and re-drilling the holes makes it all pretty indestructable. On my boat, the machine screws that held the track to the seats on each end went through into the foot of the quarterberths and had nuts on them. &nbsp;The nuts were embedded in fiberglass tape (apparently the traveler was installed prior to the foot-of-quarterbert h bulkheads) and not readily visible. &nbsp;You are likely to discover the same scenario on your boat. &nbsp;Look for little bulges on the overhead real close to the bulkhead at the foot of your Q-berths. &nbsp;A block of wood with coarse sandpaper on it should find them really quickly (wear goggles.) If for some strange reason your traveler is fastened into the bulkhead (I doubt it since it is 1/2" plywood) at the foot of the quarterberths I strongly suggest that you move it forward an inch or so and use through-bolts as described above. The center portion of the track was fastened to a piece of teak lumber that spanned the seats to support it in the middle. The track was fastened down to them with standard bronze wood screws. &nbsp;They were a bitch to remove as well. &nbsp;&nbsp;I replaced that wooden bridge that spanned the cockpit seats with a new piece of teak and used # 12 or # 14 SS screws about 2" long as memory serves.&nbsp;&nbsp;I used a batten to scribe the very slight crown on the piece of lumber and shaped it with a HD sander. &nbsp;I bonded the ends of the wooden bridge with 5200 into the cockpit and a single SS lag bolt into each end. &nbsp;To install that lag-bolt I had to use a hole saw to make access through the engine room bulkhead near the top back corner so I could run a drill through from the quarterberths, followed by a ratchet and extension. &nbsp;Using hind-sight and personal experience I can say that 5200 is so strong it is likely that you could just bed the wood on each end, let the track screws hold it into position until the 5200 has set and never look back. The track will have to assume a slight bend to match the crown built into the cockpit seats, and so I found it easier to start in the middle and add fasteners outward. &nbsp;I think a helper standing on the end would help and I think I remember using longer bolts to catch the nuts inside the quarterberths and draw the track down tight. Please note that any time that I put a hole anywhere through any part of the deck on my boat I always over-drill the hole, fill it with epoxy putty and re-drill it to size to protect the plywood core from water intrusion. &nbsp;This is considered pretty standard procedure by most "good old boat" maintenance tomes and goes a long way to ensuring longevity of your decks assuming they aren't already full of water and/or rot from prior owner's un-knowing or un-caring maintenance shortfalls. I would add that a liberal bead of caulk under the traveler rail is a good idea too. &nbsp;I don't recommend 5200, as the fasteners don't need the extra hold and if you ever blow up any of the traveler hardware and have to lift the rail you will be very sorry for the extra adhesive grip. I hope this all is described so as to make sense -- it's late and my earlier attempts to craft this email met with disaster as my battery gave up on my laptop. &nbsp;Maybe others have different experiences to share or tips that make sense. &nbsp;Otherwise, please ask questions as required. &nbsp;Hope this helps. Wilkie On Jun 27, 2010, at 4:40 PM, wirelessmonster wrote: So, I started a project to replace the original ( I believe) traveler on our Cal 2-29 with a new Harken unit about a year ago. I have the Harken and all the parts (except for the bolts to mount the track) already. I purchased the 4" spacing version of the track to match the original hole spacing. I really haven't spent much time on the project except for a few visits to attempt removal of the old track... And that's where I am stuck...

Thanks Wilkie, I got the old bolts out by sanding down the paint, etc from the underside to expose the nuts. Turns out that the old traveler was only secured with #10 screws and a nut, no washers, etc. I used new 1/4" nuts with 1.25 and 1.0 inch fender washers on the new traveler. Seems like the new one will be stronger than the original. Now if only my Farymann hadn't croaked this weekend, I might be on the water testing out the Harken Windward Sheeting system. Richard --- In Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com, "Randall Alcorn" <saylorran@...> wrote: > > My traveler is the stock schaefer unit I believe. It is mounted aft of the Q berths and you access it through the lockers. I added turning blocks and jam cleats to the seat back. Before that the traveler was held in place by a pin > > Randy > Cal 2-29 > Out Patient > > > > -- Sent from my Palm Pixi > On Jun 28, 2010 20:28, david dobbs tmft567@... wrote: > > > &nbsp; > > > > > > > > > > > Wilkie, > The traveler on my 29 was also moved by a PO.&nbsp; I replaced that unit with one from Garhauer.&nbsp; I sent them the old track and they made the new one with the same bolt hole pattern.&nbsp; The bolts on mine were a little difficult to get to but it was doable.&nbsp; I don't remember what I paid for it, but it was&nbsp;cheaper than Harken! > Regards, > David Dobbs, Cal29 411 > > > --- On Mon, 6/28/10, David Wilkie Owen dwowen@... wrote: > > > From: David Wilkie Owen dwowen@... > Subject: Re: [Cal_Boats] Questions about mainsheet traveler bolts on Cal 29 (2-29) > To: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com > Date: Monday, June 28, 2010, 2:04 AM > > > &nbsp; > > > > > > Richard, > > > I replaced the traveler on my 2-29 about 10 years ago. &nbsp;I used a Schaeffer unit, and don't recall if the bolts lined up or not. &nbsp;Since the holes are easy to fill with epoxy spooge and are hidden under the new track it would not have been important to me for them to line up -- backing the bolts with two sizes of fender washers after back-filling with epoxy and re-drilling the holes makes it all pretty indestructable. > > > On my boat, the machine screws that held the track to the seats on each end went through into the foot of the quarterberths and had nuts on them. &nbsp;The nuts were embedded in fiberglass tape (apparently the traveler was installed prior to the foot-of-quarterbert h bulkheads) and not readily visible. &nbsp;You are likely to discover the same scenario on your boat. &nbsp;Look for little bulges on the overhead real close to the bulkhead at the foot of your Q-berths. &nbsp;A block of wood with coarse sandpaper on it should find them really quickly (wear goggles.) > > > If for some strange reason your traveler is fastened into the bulkhead (I doubt it since it is 1/2" plywood) at the foot of the quarterberths I strongly suggest that you move it forward an inch or so and use through-bolts as described above. > > > The center portion of the track was fastened to a piece of teak lumber that spanned the seats to support it in the middle. The track was fastened down to them with standard bronze wood screws. &nbsp;They were a bitch to remove as well. &nbsp;&nbsp;I replaced that wooden bridge that spanned the cockpit seats with a new piece of teak and used # 12 or # 14 SS screws about 2" long as memory serves.&nbsp;&nbsp;I used a batten to scribe the very slight crown on the piece of lumber and shaped it with a HD sander. &nbsp;I bonded the ends of the wooden bridge with 5200 into the cockpit and a single SS lag bolt into each end. &nbsp;To install that lag-bolt I had to use a hole saw to make access through the engine room bulkhead near the top back corner so I could run a drill through from the quarterberths, followed by a ratchet and extension. &nbsp;Using hind-sight and personal experience I can say that 5200 is so strong it is likely that you could just bed > the wood on each end, let the track screws hold it into position until the 5200 has set and never look back. > > > The track will have to assume a slight bend to match the crown built into the cockpit seats, and so I found it easier to start in the middle and add fasteners outward. &nbsp;I think a helper standing on the end would help and I think I remember using longer bolts to catch the nuts inside the quarterberths and draw the track down tight. > > > Please note that any time that I put a hole anywhere through any part of the deck on my boat I always over-drill the hole, fill it with epoxy putty and re-drill it to size to protect the plywood core from water intrusion. &nbsp;This is considered pretty standard procedure by most "good old boat" maintenance tomes and goes a long way to ensuring longevity of your decks assuming they aren't already full of water and/or rot from prior owner's un-knowing or un-caring maintenance shortfalls. > > > I would add that a liberal bead of caulk under the traveler rail is a good idea too. &nbsp;I don't recommend 5200, as the fasteners don't need the extra hold and if you ever blow up any of the traveler hardware and have to lift the rail you will be very sorry for the extra adhesive grip. > > > I hope this all is described so as to make sense -- it's late and my earlier attempts to craft this email met with disaster as my battery gave up on my laptop. &nbsp;Maybe others have different experiences to share or tips that make sense. &nbsp;Otherwise, please ask questions as required. &nbsp;Hope this helps. > > > Wilkie > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > On Jun 27, 2010, at 4:40 PM, wirelessmonster wrote: > > > > > > So, I started a project to replace the original ( I believe) traveler on our Cal 2-29 with a new Harken unit about a year ago. I have the Harken and all the parts (except for the bolts to mount the track) already. I purchased the 4" spacing version of the track to match the original hole spacing. I really haven't spent much time on the project except for a few visits to attempt removal of the old track... And that's where I am stuck... > > From what I can tell, the 6 bolts that fix the track to the cockpit seats are about 2 inches long and go right into a vertical bulkhead between the quarterberths and the cockpit area. I could not remove them with a screwdriver no matter what I did so I decided to drill them out, which I successfully did today. But now I have 6 bolt shafts sticking up from the fiberglass and only two came out when I unscrewed them with a wrench. The other 4 spin but do not unscrew and pulling them out is either very difficult, > or not possible. > > Now to my questions: > Has any one removed and replaced the traveler on a Cal 29? (there has to be someone). How are the original bolts secured into the bulkhead? Are they just screwed in and sealed with 5200 or 4200? Or is there a captive nut somewhere down there? Should I just drill them all the way out and screw new, larger bolts in? How can I be sure the new bolts will hold strongly? I'm near positive the new Harken track will need larger diameter screws so I think that will help. Does anyone have a recommendation on thread pitch, etc for screws that will hold well? > > Any advice is appreciated. > > Thanks! > > Richard Anderson > 1975 Cal 2-29 > Everett, WA >