by V. Lee Oertle
Extra hardware on your boat will enhance its beauty as well as its utility. But mounting handles and chocks on fiber glass requires special know-how for a perfect job. To be an expert, just read this.
When you buy a new small boat, especially an outboard, you probably will not notice the scant hardware included in the purchase price. The excitement of the moment can fade rapidly, however, the first time afloat. You pull up to a dock to refuel, the mate jumps onto the dock and starts clawing the smooth, tractionless fiber-glass deck, searching in vain for a handhold. In desperation he grabs at the steering wheel or the windshield bracket to stop the violent pitch and roll caused by the wash of other boats. You then begin to realize that a bow handle is not always quickly or easily grasped—and this is about the only piece of hardware included with the bill of sale. You want to tie your boat for a moment—but there are no mooring bits, chocks or cleats. The rise and fall of the boat bumps and scratches the new beauty of your boat, and you cringe at the lack of side bumpers. The freshly salted small-boat skipper mentally starts to file a list of accessories to install at the earliest opportunity. And it will be a wise investment from the standpoint of functional efficiency and increased evaluation of your boat through these improvements that add beauty and safety to the craft. What hardware you finally purchase will depend, of course, on your pocketbook, your taste and your particular need. The tools you’ll need to install this hardware are more standard, and include a small portable power drill, a screw driver and a handsaw. Since a great many new boats are of fiber-glass construction we shall deal here with the methods of installing hardware on this type of craft. Plywood and metal hulls require much the same treatment; but due to the extreme hardness and slick surface of fiber-glass hulls, the beginner boatman may encounter more difficulty in drilling holes and placing screws.
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