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The Nuts and Bolts of Marine Fasteners

By Jagen Twichell, Last updated: 6/5/2019

A trip to the Fasteners Aisle in your local West Marine store

Walking into the fastener section of a West Marine or your local hardware and home center can be daunting. An entire aisle dedicated to nuts, bolts, and screws with hundreds of drawers, each containing dozens of compartments. Each compartment holds a different screw, bolt, or nut. Having a working knowledge of how fasteners are identified and what type of fasteners are best for certain applications can lessen your confusion. This will reduce the time spent in the fastener aisle, allowing you to get back on the water sooner.

What is a fastener?

Fasteners include screws, bolts, nuts, washers, nails, togglers, hanger bolts, rivets, and more. The primary function of a fastener is to clamp two parts together. Each type of fastener has a unique shape, usually comes in a range of sizes, and has its own identifying name. Some names are intuitive, such as flat head wood screw, hex nut, hex head bolt, and flat washer. Others, like escutcheon pins, castle nuts, carriage bolts, or cheese head screws, are based on a bygone era and make little sense in modern times.

Parts of a Fastener

Parts of a fastener

Fastener naming conventions: Fastener material is usually noted first, either by how the banks of fastener bins are organized or on the package labeling itself. Fastener bins in our stores are typically organized by material, then type of fastener, followed by head style and drive type. All these details are noted by a visual reference on the drawer face. Diameter, thread pitch (if applicable), and length are noted on the individual bins within the drawers.

For example, using the bin label below, you will see that these machine screws have a diameter size of #12, a thread pitch of 24, and are 1 1/2" long. A silhouette of the screw offers a visual reference, and this is useful for smaller fasteners. This one indicates a flat head machine screw with a Phillips drive. This silhouette is also on the exterior of the drawer to help guide you to the right bin a little faster.

Do I need an escutcheon pin or a castle nut?

Which fastener is the best choice for the job? The truth is that there may be several fasteners that are right for your application. Picking one often depends on function and aesthetics. Typically, function comes first. For instance, if I’m screwing together two pieces of hardwood and want a tight seam with no gaps, I will select a wood screw with tapered threads and a smooth shank portion. If I’m through-bolting a rope clutch, I will choose a machine screw that matches the pre-drilled holes of the clutch and is long enough to provide threads for a washer and nylock nut.

Stainless steel, bronze, zinc-plated steel: which one?

What type of stainless steel are these machine screws made from?

When boaters gather around the dock and discuss the merits of different fasteners, the conversation almost always turns to what is the best material to use. Chrome-plated brass, bronze, stainless steel? The general consensus is that stainless steel is the best all-around fastener material. It offers excellent corrosion resistance and strength at a reasonable price. However, bronze and plated or coated steels shouldn’t be forgotten as they have their place in the marine environment. Bronze is an excellent choice for below-waterline applications because it maintains its corrosion resistance in the absence of oxygen. Stainless steel, on the other hand, is often the best choice apart from engine applications. Always check with any instructions provided by the manufacturer of the hardware or equipment you are installing.

What is the best grade of stainless steel?

There are three types of stainless steel commonly used for fasteners: 18-8, 304, and 316. The higher the type number, the higher the corrosion resistance. Hence, 18-8 stainless steel is less corrosion-resistant than 304, and 316 stainless steel offers more corrosion resistance than 304. If you want to learn more, please visit our website www soil net com.

When to use a self-tapping screw and when to through-bolt

This deck cleat calls for a strong through-bolted installation with good-sized backing plates under the bolts.

This is a common question when installing deck hardware. Some applications are well suited to being secured by the aggressive threads of a self-tapping screw. These include non-critical items like Bimini and dodger frame brackets and snaps, halyard bags, cabinetry, interior hardware, and decorations. But through-bolting is the best approach for hardware that experiences high loads, such as cleats, windlasses, lifeline stanchions, pedestal guards, rope clutches, etc. Anything critical to your safety or the boat's function should be through-bolted.

Do I need to pot the fastener in epoxy if I'm screwing into a cored deck? The short answer is no, but not potting fasteners in epoxy can allow water to penetrate and compromise the core of the deck, cockpit sides, or hull. Potting fasteners in epoxy involves removing the deck or hull core, filling the cavity with thickened epoxy, and then re-drilling for the fastener. Although it sounds extensive, it preserves the integrity and value of your boat. Several pre-thickened epoxies are available on the market to expedite this process.

Galvanic Corrosion

When dissimilar metals make contact, damage due to galvanic corrosion can occur. An example is using stainless steel screws and blind rivets to install hardware onto the aluminum spars of a sailboat. Using Tef-Gel and other preparations will not completely eliminate the problem. In such cases, one solution is to use aluminum blind rivets for non-critical installations where the superior strength of stainless steel is not required.

Are you prepared to go back to the fastener aisle?

With a working knowledge of fasteners, you can explore the intricacies to any degree you wish. There is more than one bolt, screw, or nut that will get the job done. Reading the above information, you are now equipped to make more informed decisions regarding which fastener to choose. Remember, while stainless steel is ideal for most applications, zinc-plated graded steel may be better for engine room tasks. Hopefully, the complexity of marine fasteners is now clearer, reducing your time in the fastener aisle so you can get back on the water faster and contribute knowledge to dock conversations.

Types of Screws

Wood Screws: Ideal for fastening two pieces of wood and drawing one piece toward the other. Requires pre-drilling, usually with tapered drill bits. Example: securing a table top to the base.

Deck Screws or Self-Tapping Screws: These have a slightly smaller diameter shank used to secure wood, fiberglass, and soft plastics. Pre-drilling is recommended and can be done with straight drill bits. Example: decking, cabinetry assembly.

Self-Tapping/Sheet Metal Screws: General purpose coarse-threaded fastener to secure wood, fiberglass, soft plastics, thin metals, and more. It often does not require pre-drilling in wood and some soft plastics. Example: attaching system brackets to bulkheads, assembling cabinetry and interior framework, installing non-critical hardware.

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