Tritoon Tube Bolt Loose - Can't tighten!?
Posted: Thu Feb 22, 2018 3:04 pm
I was checking all the bolts on my center tube of my 2006 Premier Pontoon. There are about 30 bolts that hold the center tube on. All but two of them were loose.
I was able to tighten them all except for the second one from the starboard rear of the boat. I am assuming they are carriage bolts and the square head is stripped. I tried using vice grips on the few exposed threads with a wrench on the nut and I can still not tighten it. It is very hard to get to given the fact that there is minimal space in between the tubes.
What I'm wondering is whether or not I need to worry about tightening the bolt. It is going to require removing the underskinning and probably cutting the old bolt off. Considering I used the boat last year the way it is with all the bolts loose and had no issues, I'm feeling that I can probably ignore it and not worry about it. I am just concerned given the fact of how close the bolt is to the motor.
I attached a couple of pictures for reference. Please let me know your thoughts.
I was able to tighten them all except for the second one from the starboard rear of the boat. I am assuming they are carriage bolts and the square head is stripped. I tried using vice grips on the few exposed threads with a wrench on the nut and I can still not tighten it. It is very hard to get to given the fact that there is minimal space in between the tubes.
What I'm wondering is whether or not I need to worry about tightening the bolt. It is going to require removing the underskinning and probably cutting the old bolt off. Considering I used the boat last year the way it is with all the bolts loose and had no issues, I'm feeling that I can probably ignore it and not worry about it. I am just concerned given the fact of how close the bolt is to the motor.
I attached a couple of pictures for reference. Please let me know your thoughts.