On 5/17/2014 9:28 AM, True North wrote:
It isn't just the "mooring" cover that uses the snaps but also the stand up canvas with back and side panels that supposedly allow you to travel at speed in shade or in dry warm comfort in bad weather.

Try plastic snaps.

Wayne, you do have point.
Instead of taking a hit trading in a 2 year old boat, I already have the primer, official can of the factory paint and just picked up the Makita Gold impact bits rated as much stronger than the ordinary bits I broke last fall with my hand rachting screwdriver.
Maybe with my half inch corded drill/driver, I can get most of the snaps off without drilling out the ss screw heads.
Thenthe only worry might be what's going on in the bilge if sal****er gets in there.
I do stick the garden hose in and flush, and crank the tongue jack up to drain off.

On Sat, 17 May 2014 07:16:52 -0700 (PDT), True North
wrote:

Wayne, you do have point.
Instead of taking a hit trading in a 2 year old boat, I already have the primer, official can of the factory paint and just picked up the Makita Gold impact bits rated as much stronger than the ordinary bits I broke last fall with my hand rachting screwdriver.
Maybe with my half inch corded drill/driver, I can get most of the snaps off without drilling out the ss screw heads.
Thenthe only worry might be what's going on in the bilge if sal****er gets in there.
I do stick the garden hose in and flush, and crank the tongue jack up to drain off.

===

The bilge should be OK as long as the builder didn't use any SS
fasteners, and that would be very unusual. If you keep it clean and
dry, and do not let copper of any kind get in the bilge, it should be
fine. The skipper of one of the aluminum boats that I used to race
on was absolutely fanatical about that. He made everyone dump the
change out of their pockets before coming aboard to prevent the chance
of someone accidently dropping a copper penny.

On 5/17/2014 10:16 AM, True North wrote:
Wayne, you do have point.
Instead of taking a hit trading in a 2 year old boat, I already have the primer, official can of the factory paint and just picked up the Makita Gold impact bits rated as much stronger than the ordinary bits I broke last fall with my hand rachting screwdriver.
Maybe with my half inch corded drill/driver, I can get most of the snaps off without drilling out the ss screw heads.
Thenthe only worry might be what's going on in the bilge if sal****er gets in there.
I do stick the garden hose in and flush, and crank the tongue jack up to drain off.

Another tool you might consider is a hand impact tool and/or a set of
small left handed drill bits. Once you booger up the cross point screw
head your only recourse is drilling or grinding the screw flush.
The alternative is to take the Harry route and let the pros do it.

On 5/17/2014 11:14 AM, wrote:
On Sat, 17 May 2014 03:33:32 -0700 (PDT), True North
wrote:

Yesterday I was on the Legend website where they have a chat function.
I asked the rep about the snaps and she confirmed that they were indeed stainless steel.
She then asked if I had any other concerns.
I felt chatty so I informed her about the corrosion problem... not really expecting to much back.
She went right to the warranty manager and quoted him as saying salt water corrosion was an unpredictable process and not really a warranty problem. He also stated they didn't recommend their boats be used in salt water.
First I heard of this and no where have I seen this in writing nor did the dealer mention it.
They did say to forward pictures of the blisters and they would consult with the dealer on what to do.
Looks like I may be looking for a good Jewish lawyer.

Make sure they are really stainless (scratch it and see if there is
brass under the shiny part). Then see what grade they are. Are they
magnetic (more like 304) or non-magnetic (the 316 end)
316 snaps, installed with TefGel will be your best bet.

I have an aluminum boat that has lived it's whole life in salt water.
I can show you pictures of a couple different stainless grades and how
they react with the aluminum.

These are 18-8 bolts
http://gfretwell.com/ftp/SS%20aluminum%20bolts.jpg

That white stuff is what is bonding his screws to the aluminum. #6 or #8
screws are easily broken, especially when bedded in thick aluminum. He's
got a job on his hands.

On 5/17/2014 11:46 AM, wrote:
On Sat, 17 May 2014 11:34:03 -0400, H*a*r*r*o*l*d
wrote:

On 5/17/2014 11:14 AM, wrote:
On Sat, 17 May 2014 03:33:32 -0700 (PDT), True North
wrote:

Yesterday I was on the Legend website where they have a chat function.
I asked the rep about the snaps and she confirmed that they were indeed stainless steel.
She then asked if I had any other concerns.
I felt chatty so I informed her about the corrosion problem... not really expecting to much back.
She went right to the warranty manager and quoted him as saying salt water corrosion was an unpredictable process and not really a warranty problem. He also stated they didn't recommend their boats be used in salt water.
First I heard of this and no where have I seen this in writing nor did the dealer mention it.
They did say to forward pictures of the blisters and they would consult with the dealer on what to do.
Looks like I may be looking for a good Jewish lawyer.

Make sure they are really stainless (scratch it and see if there is
brass under the shiny part). Then see what grade they are. Are they
magnetic (more like 304) or non-magnetic (the 316 end)
316 snaps, installed with TefGel will be your best bet.

I have an aluminum boat that has lived it's whole life in salt water.
I can show you pictures of a couple different stainless grades and how
they react with the aluminum.

These are 18-8 bolts
http://gfretwell.com/ftp/SS%20aluminum%20bolts.jpg

That white stuff is what is bonding his screws to the aluminum. #6 or #8
screws are easily broken, especially when bedded in thick aluminum. He's
got a job on his hands.

PB Blaster will cut through the white stuff.


Donnie needs to know that.

On Sat, 17 May 2014 11:46:09 -0400, wrote:

That white stuff is what is bonding his screws to the aluminum. #6 or #8
screws are easily broken, especially when bedded in thick aluminum. He's
got a job on his hands.

PB Blaster will cut through the white stuff.

===

That and a good sharp rap with a hammer will sometimes break the bond
if it's not too far gone.

wrote:
On Thu, 15 May 2014 05:00:06 -0700 (PDT), True North
wrote:

My new boat started to develop blisters under the gunnel paint where the cover snaps are attached.
After the 2nd season of use, I brought this to the attention of the dealer and Legend boats up in Ontario.
This was last October and the manufacturer still hasn't come up with a plan to remedy the problem.
I did the usual Google research and sent the links to the service manager at my dealer.

Guy at Legend said he didn't want to talk directly with me and problem should be handled through dealer.
They also wanted me to tow the boat back to the dealer ( 180 miles round trip ) so techs could check for stray current, which I did while down anyway for winter servicing. No stray current from my motor.
They also suggested that it could be a stray current problem at the docks I frequent or stray current at local, marinas.
I explained that most of the small boat launches I use have no electrical services and anyway, I'm only there long enough to get my trailer and retrieve the boat.
Anyway I just contacted the General Manager of the dealership (member of family who owns the business) who acted as my salesman two years ago when I showed up while the sales staff were away at a boat show.
He says he will look into problem.

From what I read, we have to remove the snaps that screw directly into the painted aluminum gunnel, sand, prime and paint affected areas.
Then we have to find a suitable gasket or washer to isolate the snap and the aluminum and even coat the shafts of the attaching screw with liquid electrical tape or silicone to isolate them as possible.

My question is, can those self tapping screws be backed out of the aluminum and then be re-installed?
I broke two bits trying with a hand screwdriver last fall, so I google up higher rated impact type bits like the Makita Gold
That should hold up in my corded drill/driver.
Anyone ever attempt this.
Are these stainless or are they chrome over brass?
(scratch one and see)

Brass and aluminum are a battery and they will blow holes in the
aluminum in the presence of an electrolyte like salt water
http://gfretwell.com/ftp/aluminum%20corrosion.jpg
Manufacturers do seem to get away with it on a fresh water only boat.

Stainless is better but still not totally immune.
If you use stainless, put some TefGel between them and use only 316
stainless parts.
Here's one chart. The closer there are, the better they work with each
other:

http://www.corrosionist.com/galvanic...sion_chart.htm

True North wrote:
Yesterday I was on the Legend website where they have a chat function.
I asked the rep about the snaps and she confirmed that they were indeed stainless steel.
She then asked if I had any other concerns.
I felt chatty so I informed her about the corrosion problem... not really expecting to much back.
She went right to the warranty manager and quoted him as saying salt water corrosion was an unpredictable process and not really a warranty problem. He also stated they didn't recommend their boats be used in salt water.
First I heard of this and no where have I seen this in writing nor did the dealer mention it.
They did say to forward pictures of the blisters and they would consult with the dealer on what to do.
Looks like I may be looking for a good Jewish lawyer.

You bought an aluminum boat that wasn't designed for sal****er? Why
bring religion into play? That's a stereotype similar to racism.

True North wrote:
Jimmy boy... over the last two seasons I've used the boat 80 percent of the time in salt or brackish water.
I don't expect that to change much.
I have the wrong boat and have to figure how to get into a similar fiberglass version without draining my somewhat limited resources.
That makes buying a Blackberry Playbook a minor ****up, eh?