Installing Hardware Cleats, stanchion bases, winches, sail tracks, fitting rudder tubes and other pieces of hardware that come under high strain require special treatment of the deck where they bolt down. Core should be removed and replaced with high density hardware plugs to distribute high, single-point loads over a larger area. High grade marine plywood, epoxy-glass plugs, or high density structural foam are the typical choices for hardware plugs. Plugs need to be slightly larger than the area covered by the hardware - a 5 to 8 cm overlap should be sufficient. The core should be routed out without damaging the inside laminate and the insert should be bonded in place and laminated with the same thickness and weight of fibreglass reinforcement as the original panel, and faired in.
** ATL Composites offers a high density plug inserting service as a value added option in DuFLEX Kits. Inserts can be installed into the panel during manufacture to reduce the labour required later to machine and fit these inserts.
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