Best screws for going into jon boat ribs.

Whatever screw you use, MAKE SURE YOU PRE-DRILL THE HOLE, because stainless steel breaks off too.
ALSO, DO NOT USE TREATED WOOD ANYWHERE IN YOUR BOAT, THE CHEMICAL IN THE WOOD WILL REACT WITH THE ALUMINUM.

Do they make stainless self-tapping?

Pre-drill and use and approriate screw size. I think I used 1 & 1/2 inch #10 stainless steel for mine.

Interesting thread, I used stainless also, however, I think that whole screw business is overated, you gonna keep your tin 20+ years? in 1985 i put a floor in my tin ( the one below) two cutting boards screwed on with drywall screws, pulled it off in 2010 2 out of 12 screws where rusty, the rest looked ok. there are millions of tins out there with pressure treated wood and tin screws, all floating pretty good. Self tapping is the way to go. Just my opinion.

When I did my first boat I was so worked up about the incompatible metals issue that I tried aluminum screws. What a waste of time and money. No matter how careful I was to pre-drill the holes the correct size, the screws snapped. Practically any pressure om them will break them. Rivets are a good alternative when they are appropriate. You have to watch what you buy with rivets because the stem of some are steel and others are aluminum. I went with stainless screws where I used screws. I think Froggy's right about too much stressing about the screws. Sure, it's best to do the right thing in the first place but at some point you need to decide what's going to work and what you can afford. Some of the guys here can weld aluminum and that's cool. I wish I could have because the result would have been the best possible. I had to use other means and it was fine. If you're 20 you may want the boat to last until you're 70. I almost 60 and anything I do at this point will outlive me.

BTW, I'm not too familiar with stainless screws as far as self tapping goes but I know from my days building ag buildings that you can get self drilling screws called Tecs. They usually have a 5/16" hex head. Some come with rubber washers, some don't. It may be an alternative to screws in some instances.

Froggy said:

...you gonna keep your tin 20+ years?...

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Gonna try . One of my 5 grandsons might end-up with it, and I don't need them cussing me about rusty screws, because hopefully I'll still be alive to hear them, lol.

Saying that you can just throw any old thing in a boat and it will last 20 years is a bit misleading. Everybody takes care of boats differently. I have one that I baby and I have one that sits out in the weather 24/7/365 completely unprotected and gets beat to a pulp when it is on the water. What lasts in the first one forever sure won't last in the second one.

Also, the pressure treated wood of today is not the same as the pressure treated wood of 20 years ago. It is a completely different animal.

Here is a link to some ss self tapping screws. I think that I've actually seen them locally at Lowe's, also.

https://www.mertons.com/Fastenings/self-tapping.html

Tecs, yes HD has them in stock.

Yes they make Stainless Steel self tapping screws. I get mine at Fastenal, way better quality than what MIGHT find at Lowe's or HD. You can also get them any and type head; hex, flat, pan.

bobberboy said:

When I did my first boat I was so worked up about the incompatible metals issue that I tried aluminum screws. What a waste of time and money. No matter how careful I was to pre-drill the holes the correct size, the screws snapped. Practically any pressure om them will break them.

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You must not be doing them right. With the correct size pilot hole, you can get every last one in without snapping the first, and they will hold like grim death. The first one will do such a fine job cutting the threads that they can then be backed out and reinstalled numerous times, and after the first, they will thread in as smoothly as a machine screw.

Froggy said:

in 1985 i put a floor in my tin ( the one below) two cutting boards screwed on with drywall screws, pulled it off in 2010 2 out of 12 screws where rusty, the rest looked ok. there are millions of tins out there with pressure treated wood and tin screws, all floating pretty good.

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Please don't do this. Or, if you do, make sure that no matter what, the boat will absolutely, positively, never end up in Bassboy's hands. Lets just say that if there were voodoo dolls for previous owners of some of the boats I've owned/worked on (and because I bid by the job, those usually end up costing me), the world would be short a few people. :shock:

As was said, pressure treated wood from back in the day was no issue. Pressure treated wood now is.

What he say? :?

What I did was put the floor (carpeted) in between the benches and secured it with an L-bracket in each corner. One screw (stainless) into the wood floor and one into the side of the bench. This way all I have to do is remove 4 screws and the floor pulls right out. I did coat the L-brackets in steelflex so they wont rust. I also dipped the screws in the steelflex, I had some leftover and thought it might help with the steel/aluminum issue. I held them by the head and brushed it on. The floor does not move and is very secure.

My aluminum one had drywall screws in when I got it. Most were still intact, but many had rusted through. Actually a hard screw will self tap in aluminum as evidence by those drywall screws. I'm doing stainless machine pan head screws into aluminum. two drills, one with the drill bit and one with a tap makes quick work of the drill and tapping and a impact makes even quicker work of the screw install.

Jamie

boater1234 said:

Went out today and got a whole bunch of stuff and those tecs screws are a little extreme for what i'm doing so i just got some reg stainlees steel screws.

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Do run 1 or 2 test screws in a scrap piece of aluminum, as the right size pilot hole is crucial.

I use nails, staples and some duct (I mean Duck) tape :LOL2:

Gonna sell my boat to BassBoy cheap :mrgreen:

So are the self tapper screws used for HVAC ducts or galvanized screws ok for aluminum? I have tool boxes and buckets full of these things.

SmallieBigs said:

So are the self tapper screws used for HVAC ducts or galvanized screws ok for aluminum? I have tool boxes and buckets full of these things.

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Nope. The zinc and aluminum don't co mingle very well. Heck, hardly any metal and aluminum co mingle very well (stainless included). The stainless just has a lesser overall impact, when it is all said and done.

From what I'm reading Aluminium screws would be best but are hard to work with, and stainless screws are the next best thing, correct? All this talk of putting screws in my boat is giving me nightmares. Can anyone show some close up pics of how they actually made their connections to the boat?

Why are rivets not being considered? Depending on how thick your flooring is...... you can find 1" aluminum ones.

perchin said:

Why are rivets not being considered? Depending on how thick your flooring is...... you can find 1" aluminum ones.

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I use them more than anything (to the tune of many thousands a year, for dang near everything), but there are times they aren't practical. 'Course, the way I look at it, if you don't use such an inferior material as wood, and use an all aluminum construction, no screws are needed whatsoever. :lol: But y'all know that about me already.

island fever said:

From what I'm reading Aluminium screws would be best but are hard to work with, and stainless screws are the next best thing, correct?

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Next best practical thing. If you just had gobs of money you could use some less common metals, which would be better, but for practicality's sake, stainless is your best option, short of welding or riveting.