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I have been removing the hardware from my Menemsha to facilitate sanding, and at the bow there were 2 broken bolts that had attached the bollard. I had to chisel them off below deck level. When I investigated the underside inside the cuddy I found what appears to be a steel plate (That I don't think is stainless though I didn't put a magnet to it) that the stainless bolt had corroded\fused to. I don't think the backing plate is original. My hope is that it is not and was just drilled and tapped and slid into place and the bollard bolts mounted to it.
So my question is does anyone know what the original backing plate was made from and how it is installed? I would hate to try to remove this plate if it is original and mounted to the hull in ways I can't see.
Additionally I have purchased a replacement bollard with the correct base size, but it's bolt holes will probably not line up exactly, and drilling new holes with the broken bolts in the way will be a pain.
The backing plate is original. The plate was fastened to the gunwale (just above the mounting location where the norman pin was located on other 16 footer models; but not on the Menemsha) before the cuddy was installed. It can only be removed if you
remove the cuddy (not recommended.) The plate was anodized aluminium. It was fastened to the gunwale at the factory with dissimilar metal bronze or stainless regular head screws. The bollard was fastened through the cuddy exterior surface into the plate using a tap for the 4 regular stainless screws. The original stainless screw threads should be visible on the bottom of the plate inside the cuddy above the norman pin mount (also called the "Generd" by Dick Fisher.) My recommendation is to drill out the old screw residue in the plate and through bolt with stainless nut/bolt/washer. Use a little Boatlife Life-CALK sealant to fill any potential void in your new clean plate holes.
* Boatlife Life Calk, as spelled on the tube, not spelled caulk,
