Triton-Cheap A$$ Morons

[Team Bilford]

Guys
We discussed lags vs through bolting earlier. I was leaning towards using SS hex bolts with nylocks, but the treated wood that I am using is still pretty wet. I don't feel comfortable about epoxying over the heads with a damp board that may reject the filler or shrink some. I can counterbore tightly around the hex and not fill, but that's a water trap and I'm not a fan of leaving the head exposed below grade because it might cause some damage to the Glide On's not being fully supported. If I do lags, they will be 1.25 rather than 1.5, but there will be 8 per bunk. They aren't going to fall off. What are your thoughts.....

[K447]

… lags, they will be 1.25 rather than 1.5, but there will be 8 per bunk.
They aren't going to fall off.

What are your thoughts.....

With the 1.5” long lags, after including the thickness of the bunk bracket material, how close to reaching through to the far side of the board will that lag actually be?

If the screw tip is not super close to poking out, you have the option of grinding the lag tip more blunt to shorten it a bit.

And perhaps adding a spacer washer under the lag bolt head to further limit the overall penetration through the bunk.

With lags you have the option of removing the bunks after a year or two and moving all the brackets down the bunk. Triton bunk bracket factory arrangement has the brackets offset towards one end of each bunk. Take them all out and swap the board end for end so the brackets are offset towards the opposite end.

That gives you fresh locations in the existing bunk for all the lag bolts. That should extend the time before rot eating into the lag screw holes becomes a problem, in terms of the bolt grip into the wood.

Eight bolts per bunk means you are doing the double bracket per support, which I think takes away almost all the twisting and loosening stress from the lag screws. So they should stay put until the wood really begins to weaken from time and moisture effects.

My newly installed bunks are using lag bolts.

[steve45]

Team Bilford, I think you're overthinking this. It's just a board bolted to some brackets. They wear out and need to be replaced every few years, just keep an eye on them. If you put through bolts in them, I'd bet that the board will crack before the through bolts give out.

[Team Bilford]

Team Bilford, I think you're overthinking this. It's just a board bolted to some brackets. They wear out and need to be replaced every few years, just keep an eye on them. If you put through bolts in them, I'd bet that the board will crack before the through bolts give out.

Two holes in your hull makes you overthink and ask for other's opinions.

[steve45]

Two holes in your hull makes you overthink and ask for other's opinions.

OK, but if you had countersunk through bolts, you wouldn't have holes in your hull.

[Team Bilford]

OK, but if you had countersunk through bolts, you wouldn't have holes in your hull.

I don't think that it is that simple. If Triton had used the proper length lags, there would not have been an issue.