[wally erickson]

I haven’t seen or heard anyone doing this so I’ll pass this along. I have a problem (“Issue” for you modern types) with a teak deck on a boat built in Twanin in the mid seventies. The deck is so worn that the screws are showing. Luckily they are bronze. I bought a 3/8 inch router bit for my plunge router, limited the depth to 3/16 or so and plunge into what’s left of the plug and right down into the screw grinding the slot off if need be. You have to hold on tight and go slow or else you’re in for a wild ride. After all the bad screws are done I epoxied in the new plugs. Chipped them flush, cut new groves where needed with my trim saw, caulked with Silkaflex and sanded the mess with 60 grit to start. It doesn’t look new but you will get the last few years out of the tired old deck instead of ripping it off. I tried it on a stainless steel screw and was greated with an instantly glowing screw and lots of smoke.
W.

[alloyed2sea]

Hmmm,..., Taiwan and stainless steel - in the same sentence.
Google: "taiwan stainless steel substandard"
A well documented problem that can sometimes it can kill you:
http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-co...in92068s1.html
http://www.ustr.gov/assets/Document_...le456_4755.pdf
Really:
http://www.infoglyph.com/pdfs/COU_0003.1.PDF
http://www.llnl.gov/es_and_h/sci/subcont.html
http://www.eh.doe.gov/sci/SCI_Traini...l_05-10-06.pdf
http://www.practicalmachinist.com/cg...1;t=022412;p=0

A problem which ofterntimes extends to their construction of yachts as well:
http://www.yachtsurvey.com/boatrevie...andGypsy40.htm
http://www.yachtsurvey.com/boatreviews/offshore_48.htm
http://www.sailnet.com/boatchk/showp...hp?product=540
http://my.boatus.com/forum/forum_pos...TID=55088&PN=1
http://www.sailinganarchy.com/general/2006/chinese.htm

Job ONe? Stealing our livelihoods (and making us pay for it - just like WAL MART).

[JimBauer]

I once had a Boat US surveyor type who had a fit because the fittings on my Mainship were not double clamped, the BoatUS underwriter called me to discuss it. I told him that they were all new fittings from the BoatUS store and not one of them was wide enough to take double clamps. I asked him if he would be satisfied if I just hung a second clamp on the unsupported hose. End of discussion with the insurance company, never heard another word about it.

I talked to the Groco people at the Annapolis Boat Show later that year, they told me that BoatUS and the rest won't carry anything but the cheapest hardware products they can buy. They aren't alone, that seems to be the general practice at the OEM level in this country...

Jim Bauer