For the life of me I cannot get the TH-cam algorithm to show me your videos, I'm subscribed, I thumbs up every episode I watch. Your videos are similar to other stuff I watch but you never appear in my recommendation section or indeed anywhere on the front page of TH-cam, very frustrating, oh well, time for an Alan binge watching session of missed episodes.
Thanks for the Shout-out! I am proud to support your work. Been pretty busy though. Most of the time I see a pole mounted with bands, or with holes drilled through both sides. Often with a curved mount the same radius as the pole's outer diameter to help hold it in place.
Weld the bolts to the bar stock. Then push the bar with the protuberance through the holes and tighten the nuts to the outside. You could even get fancy and weld around the bolts on the side facing the outside and cut off the bolt heads
TH-cam just let me know you are back. So I caught up on the last few and even watched most of that “tent” one. I’m looking forward to the multi upload per week video blitz this spring.
The stainless used in that exhaust clamp is probably grade 409. 409 is technically stainless but it only just about lives up to the name. It's used on exhausts because it's cheap and less prone to cracking than more corrosion resistant grades such as 310. 409 will probably grow some surface rust in a marine environment.
For securing brackets to the mast I would look into using rivet nut inserts. Besides the threaded inserts you have to buy the installation tool but it's a great way to install a threaded hole in a thinner piece of stock. As for the bracket, if I couldn't find a flat-sided spacer for that sized pipe I'd fabricate one. The spacer slightly wraps around a pipe or pole and the outward facing surface is flat so that you can mate a flat object to it with screws or bolts.
I don't think DIY riv nut setters will handle stainless steel M12. And with this solution I spread the force across a wider area. Point taken on the spacer.
Re the mast bolts, there's more than one way to skin a cat. Idea #1 A better way of doing this might be to bore two holes right through the mast, fabricate some crush tubes from some hollow bar that sit proud and weld them into the mast front and rear. Then the bolts (or threaded rod) can be inserted through the crush tubes and have flat & square surfaces to bear on when you tighten. Idea #2 Another way is to weld directly to the mast. Make any templates very accurately out of cardboard and tape that isn't too strong so it can be taken apart, take it and the mast to a nearby fab shop get them to knock something up and tack it onto the mast. Take it all back to Alan, test fit. If something is wrong then it is easy to change. When it is all kosher then get them to weld it properly. They'll be able to weld up the holes if needed. Idea #3 Re, those bolts on the mast with the JB weld on, forget ideas 1&2, alternatively run without a plate and no washers inside. Just align two opposite flats of the bolt head vertically and tighten. I'm mansplaining it, it isn't hard since the bolt pulled out by hand and lightly twisted will more or less self align and there is far less to crush when tightened than that plate. A thick wall tube that is the mast will hardly deform at all there. Conversely, the plate is going to deform no matter what you do since it has 2x bolts squeezing it and you've increased the diameter of the compressive force over bolts alone - something has to give and it'll be the plate. It'll probably work if you really tighten it intending to bend the plate but the bolts need to be aligned so two opposite flats are vertical - and it's getting messy.
When I installed railings on my pickup's fiberglass hood, I used stainless steel threaded rivet nuts, but I don't know if there are any in the size you need. Good job and greetings from Sweden!
Great episodes, i am watching so many episodes and love the “ new “ season 😂… That railing looks strong , attached to the fire extinguisher system .. where could I buy that for my project.
I did something similar with bolting down solar panels to a roof rack where I didn’t have access to the bolt heads. To prevent them spinning I used carriage bolts so the squared section locked itself in to the holes that way I only had to tighten the nuts without fear of the bolts spinning.
I've noticed you're using stainless steel bolts etc. Don't be too alarmed but stainless doesn't go very well in salt water conditions. Take a few galvanised spares just in case. You're doing a fantastic job with Alan. Keep up the good work, and the videos!
I've not seen many problems with A2 or A4 stainless on Alan, or on all the other stainless fittings on the other boats in the yard. Can you elaborate? A4 / 316 stainless is specifically made for chloride conditions.
@@AlexHibbertOriginals If those bolts are specifically designed for chloride conditions then don't worry. I'll have to admit that although I do have some experience I'm not a bolt expert. I know you're no fool when it comes to forward thinking about such things so take what I wrote as it being someone concerned for your safety.
I feel like we haven't seen the cockpit in quite a while, nice to see. Is the foil somehow insulative, the idea being that the "conning tower" (blister?) is especially exposed to the wind?
If you cut a slot in the end of the bolt (threaded end). You van use a flat bar / screwdriver to stop its rotation while you tighten the nut. Real easy and can be done with the angle grinder.
I haven't watched this video yet, however this has been on my mind in a few of your videos. How you expect the metal handrails and framework to react to thermal stresses? There's calculators online that can help you figure out how much your tubing will need to give. I don't quite remember how you initially installed these railings now and you probably already accounted for this. My fear is those T joints coming undone. I had this exact thing happened on my grandfathers house boat, we live in Canada and it goes through almost 100c of thermal shock throughout the year. We came back and pretty much every metal tube joint had snapped. We fixed it by having hard points on the fiberglass hull but only soft clamp style joints on the railings themselves.
For bolting into a tube / hollow structure the bulkhead door hinge clip nuts of a Land Rover Defender/Series come to mind. The nut comes attached onto a clip which is slid into an oval hole. The clip holds the nut in place and stops rotation. Best googled images to understand.
Could you either route out a place for the head of the bolt to slip into that would hold it captive or weld a length of metal on either side to form a shallow u channel?
It appears the youtube subscription tab issues continue. I saw this video and was wondering why you hadn't uploaded recently. I realised you have 4 videos which clearly seem to have underperformed, which I didn't even get a whiff of.
Unrelated. Would it be possible to wrap copper or other coils filled with high temp liquid like oil around exhaust pipe and back to a boiler/radiator? Would be a free source of heat in stearin of boat. Use less diesel and provide a backup. Also, would sleeping in a suspended hammock reduce the feeling of rocking ? Just curious, enjoy watching. ~Peace
@@AlexHibbertOriginals Thanks for taking the time to reply. Wouldn’t a simple valve shut off and control the flow? I had a 1969 Austin Healy Sprite and a valve in engine bay (or under bonnet) had to be opened to run heat in car. Would an auto heater core set up work? Thanks for your time and best wishes from Edinboro PA USA
Only if you were tapping into the existing cooling circuit. Otherwise a separate cooling circuit with a shutoff to the outside of the engine bay would mean the heat would, instead of staying within the lagged exhaust, be deposited straight into the engine bay, and need extracting.
Regarding the plate inside the mast, would it not be easier to tap the holes in the plate on the inside and screw the bolts in from the outside? and then use som type of locktite to keep them from walking out.
@@AlexHibbertOriginals If you have to go down that route, you can pick up a kit from screwfix that goes from M3 to M12 for under £30 which would open lots of options for other jobs if needed.
Rivnuts rivet and a nut in one. They are nice easy to use BUT BUT BUT they can and do mess up and are a problem replacing . Kenworth Peterbilt Mac volvo all use rivnuts
If you have issues with the two nuts you epoxy in, maybe try threading the holes in bit of steal which goes into the mask. You need to get your hands on the correct tap and die but that should be too hard to find the right size.
@@AlexHibbertOriginals sandwich that flat piece of iron between the bolt and a nut. So when everything is assembled: Bolt - flat iron bar - nut - pipe - nut.
I would drill corresponding holes on the both sides of the mast, and : Either cit the some sort of thick wall tube or pipe to the length of inner diameter of the mast feed long bolt thru. Or better option is to drill corresponding holes the diameter of the tube in the mast Feed the tube through and get it tig welded. This way you can torque as much as you need without distortion
@@AlexHibbertOriginals it wouldn't take that much space inside, also if it's pre cut and drilled, you could get it welded for 30 quid. But in a crisis situation all you need is two spanners to remove the bolts and refit them, you don't have to rely on the chemical bond in cold and harsh conditions.
@@AlexHibbertOriginals the welder is always a good idea, you will find so many jobs that you can do better and faster if you have welder, I even seen people welding with stainless steel electrodes.
strange you didn't "tack weld" the two bolts to the chunk of steel after they properly lined up. Also, why didn't you put lock washers on the inside of the bolts?
I don't have a welding machine - hiring a weldy person is a last resort for this. Do you think nord locks between bolt heads and the custom 'washer' would stop rotation when applying the nylocs?
@@AlexHibbertOriginals bolt head, plate "washer", small nyloc (combination nut and lock washer) that's thin enough to fit in the space of the plate & segment of the pipe. Epoxy is just room temperature setting plastic. Ultimately, you're trusting two bolts set in plastic to hold a light pole while it's getting bashed by Atlantic waves. £20 for a 5 minute weld job seems like a small price instead of having ocean waves using a broken light pole like a baseball bat on the shell of *Alan* .
That flat piece of steel inside the mast is going to damage it and create divots which can lead to failure. You need to form that metal piece to the masts curvature.
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For the life of me I cannot get the TH-cam algorithm to show me your videos, I'm subscribed, I thumbs up every episode I watch. Your videos are similar to other stuff I watch but you never appear in my recommendation section or indeed anywhere on the front page of TH-cam, very frustrating, oh well, time for an Alan binge watching session of missed episodes.
Alan shall triumph despite the current dearth of favour from the TH-cam gods.
Thanks for the Shout-out! I am proud to support your work. Been pretty busy though.
Most of the time I see a pole mounted with bands, or with holes drilled through both sides. Often with a curved mount the same radius as the pole's outer diameter to help hold it in place.
Cheers Paul! Welcome back.
you deserve more views, the amount of effort you put into the project and your videos is incredible!
It goes up and down. I trend occasionally and videos get 100s of 1000s. But then low periods too.
I agree , i'm always impressed by Alex's knowledge and ability to explain all these prosesses .
Always great too see a new video
I always misuse measuring implements to insert bolts through pre-drilled holes, and that was indeed as satisfying as expected
Weld the bolts to the bar stock. Then push the bar with the protuberance through the holes and tighten the nuts to the outside. You could even get fancy and weld around the bolts on the side facing the outside and cut off the bolt heads
That would be fancy indeed. I will get myself a stick welder.
It would seem like all that reflective insulation in the driver’s area would make someone go blind.
It's not a problem I've noticed even in strong sunlight.
Antennas? Surely not!! Antennii, surely YES!
Antennae are for insects. Antennas for techies.
See. Insightful and useful.!
Weld tube all the way through the mast. Big washer on the far side and you are set.
I considered that, but it's (for me) an expensive solution and would take up a lot of internal space needed for conduits etc.
There are stick welders for around 100e, dont need any gas and you can get stainless rods for them, might be a great buy for the project
I had literally no idea. Thank you.
TH-cam just let me know you are back. So I caught up on the last few and even watched most of that “tent” one. I’m looking forward to the multi upload per week video blitz this spring.
Cheers
The stainless used in that exhaust clamp is probably grade 409. 409 is technically stainless but it only just about lives up to the name. It's used on exhausts because it's cheap and less prone to cracking than more corrosion resistant grades such as 310. 409 will probably grow some surface rust in a marine environment.
Yeah, and like other 400s it's a little bit magnetic. It's seriously well coated now, so am optimistic.
For securing brackets to the mast I would look into using rivet nut inserts. Besides the threaded inserts you have to buy the installation tool but it's a great way to install a threaded hole in a thinner piece of stock. As for the bracket, if I couldn't find a flat-sided spacer for that sized pipe I'd fabricate one. The spacer slightly wraps around a pipe or pole and the outward facing surface is flat so that you can mate a flat object to it with screws or bolts.
I don't think DIY riv nut setters will handle stainless steel M12. And with this solution I spread the force across a wider area.
Point taken on the spacer.
Re the mast bolts, there's more than one way to skin a cat.
Idea #1
A better way of doing this might be to bore two holes right through the mast, fabricate some crush tubes from some hollow bar that sit proud and weld them into the mast front and rear. Then the bolts (or threaded rod) can be inserted through the crush tubes and have flat & square surfaces to bear on when you tighten.
Idea #2
Another way is to weld directly to the mast. Make any templates very accurately out of cardboard and tape that isn't too strong so it can be taken apart, take it and the mast to a nearby fab shop get them to knock something up and tack it onto the mast. Take it all back to Alan, test fit. If something is wrong then it is easy to change. When it is all kosher then get them to weld it properly. They'll be able to weld up the holes if needed.
Idea #3
Re, those bolts on the mast with the JB weld on, forget ideas 1&2, alternatively run without a plate and no washers inside.
Just align two opposite flats of the bolt head vertically and tighten. I'm mansplaining it, it isn't hard since the bolt pulled out by hand and lightly twisted will more or less self align and there is far less to crush when tightened than that plate. A thick wall tube that is the mast will hardly deform at all there.
Conversely, the plate is going to deform no matter what you do since it has 2x bolts squeezing it and you've increased the diameter of the compressive force over bolts alone - something has to give and it'll be the plate. It'll probably work if you really tighten it intending to bend the plate but the bolts need to be aligned so two opposite flats are vertical - and it's getting messy.
Thanks. I'll run through the options should my current idea not work. I want to avoid welds that stop disassembly. The plate won't buckle - it's 4mm!
When I installed railings on my pickup's fiberglass hood, I used stainless steel threaded rivet nuts, but I don't know if there are any in the size you need. Good job and greetings from Sweden!
Cheers
Great episodes, i am watching so many episodes and love the “ new “ season 😂… That railing looks strong , attached to the fire extinguisher system .. where could I buy that for my project.
The railings are standard interclamp
@@AlexHibbertOriginals Thanks for that information.. I found them on the internet and will definitely use them.
Great work as always
I did something similar with bolting down solar panels to a roof rack where I didn’t have access to the bolt heads. To prevent them spinning I used carriage bolts so the squared section locked itself in to the holes that way I only had to tighten the nuts without fear of the bolts spinning.
Also if you’re worried about someone disassembling them. You could also use security nuts but they’re a bit pricy once you buy the correct spanner
Yes, I suppose a square hole in the 'washer' and a carriage bolt would have done the job.
@@AlexHibbertOriginals sorry to reiterate, existing holes changed to slots in my case
That mast needs some Alan Orange painted stripes on it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Don't tempt me.
I've noticed you're using stainless steel bolts etc. Don't be too alarmed but stainless doesn't go very well in salt water conditions. Take a few galvanised spares just in case.
You're doing a fantastic job with Alan. Keep up the good work, and the videos!
I've not seen many problems with A2 or A4 stainless on Alan, or on all the other stainless fittings on the other boats in the yard. Can you elaborate? A4 / 316 stainless is specifically made for chloride conditions.
@@AlexHibbertOriginals If those bolts are specifically designed for chloride conditions then don't worry. I'll have to admit that although I do have some experience I'm not a bolt expert. I know you're no fool when it comes to forward thinking about such things so take what I wrote as it being someone concerned for your safety.
I feel like we haven't seen the cockpit in quite a while, nice to see. Is the foil somehow insulative, the idea being that the "conning tower" (blister?) is especially exposed to the wind?
If you cut a slot in the end of the bolt (threaded end). You van use a flat bar / screwdriver to stop its rotation while you tighten the nut. Real easy and can be done with the angle grinder.
True. Would have to find an extra long screw driver.
I haven't watched this video yet, however this has been on my mind in a few of your videos. How you expect the metal handrails and framework to react to thermal stresses? There's calculators online that can help you figure out how much your tubing will need to give. I don't quite remember how you initially installed these railings now and you probably already accounted for this. My fear is those T joints coming undone. I had this exact thing happened on my grandfathers house boat, we live in Canada and it goes through almost 100c of thermal shock throughout the year. We came back and pretty much every metal tube joint had snapped. We fixed it by having hard points on the fiberglass hull but only soft clamp style joints on the railings themselves.
Can you expand on where the failures took place? Something I may need to prepare for. If I had time/money, I'd actually rebuild the railings with GRP.
2:24 riv-nuts, ask around, someone may have a setter you can borrow.
I have a setter, but M12 stainless is beyond it. I lack a pneumatic one and have asked around the yard.
get a military surplus OE254 for your mast. it has built in rigging and plenty of premade parts for replacements.
Perhaps a little OTT!
For bolting into a tube / hollow structure the bulkhead door hinge clip nuts of a Land Rover Defender/Series come to mind.
The nut comes attached onto a clip which is slid into an oval hole. The clip holds the nut in place and stops rotation. Best googled images to understand.
I tend to dart for cover when Land Rovers are used as a model for engineering prowess.
@@AlexHibbertOriginals haha, thats very valid, but there is no other car you can fix (or 'make work') with just two screwdrivers and a socket set
Alex, you should build a base for a starlink antenna.
I'm investigating, but the options are limited here at the moment, and hardware issues are reported.
Could you either route out a place for the head of the bolt to slip into that would hold it captive or weld a length of metal on either side to form a shallow u channel?
Both are possible. See how the JB Weld does.
It appears the youtube subscription tab issues continue. I saw this video and was wondering why you hadn't uploaded recently. I realised you have 4 videos which clearly seem to have underperformed, which I didn't even get a whiff of.
Yes there seems to be a link between reports of notification issues and early view numbers being down.....
Unrelated. Would it be possible to wrap copper or other coils filled with high temp liquid like oil around exhaust pipe and back to a boiler/radiator? Would be a free source of heat in stearin of boat. Use less diesel and provide a backup.
Also, would sleeping in a suspended hammock reduce the feeling of rocking ?
Just curious, enjoy watching.
~Peace
You're the twentieth person to suggest, and I've yet to work out a system that would be controllable.
Great in theory though!
@@AlexHibbertOriginals Thanks for taking the time to reply. Wouldn’t a simple valve shut off and control the flow? I had a 1969 Austin Healy Sprite and a valve in engine bay (or under bonnet) had to be opened to run heat in car. Would an auto heater core set up work?
Thanks for your time and best wishes from Edinboro PA USA
Only if you were tapping into the existing cooling circuit. Otherwise a separate cooling circuit with a shutoff to the outside of the engine bay would mean the heat would, instead of staying within the lagged exhaust, be deposited straight into the engine bay, and need extracting.
Regarding the plate inside the mast, would it not be easier to tap the holes in the plate on the inside and screw the bolts in from the outside? and then use som type of locktite to keep them from walking out.
Possibly, but I lack an M12 thread cutter, and I'd not want to rely on chemical locking in these temperatures.
@@AlexHibbertOriginals If you have to go down that route, you can pick up a kit from screwfix that goes from M3 to M12 for under £30 which would open lots of options for other jobs if needed.
So why did you not drill through the mast and use longer bolts? Seems the easiest way with good clamping force. Or am I missing something?
That would deform the mast tube.
Rivnuts rivet and a nut in one. They are nice easy to use BUT BUT BUT they can and do mess up and are a problem replacing . Kenworth Peterbilt Mac volvo all use rivnuts
M12 stainless riv nuts are beyond my setter.
If you have issues with the two nuts you epoxy in, maybe try threading the holes in bit of steal which goes into the mask. You need to get your hands on the correct tap and die but that should be too hard to find the right size.
I'd have to drill it again, but yes maybe.
If the JB weld doesn't work you could just use a nut to hold the bolt.
Can you expand?
@@AlexHibbertOriginals sandwich that flat piece of iron between the bolt and a nut.
So when everything is assembled: Bolt - flat iron bar - nut - pipe - nut.
Ah, I see - this is excellent.
I would drill corresponding holes on the both sides of the mast, and :
Either cit the some sort of thick wall tube or pipe to the length of inner diameter of the mast feed long bolt thru.
Or better option is to drill corresponding holes the diameter of the tube in the mast
Feed the tube through and get it tig welded.
This way you can torque as much as you need without distortion
Yes this is elegant, but takes up a lot of internal space, and means another welding bill.
@@AlexHibbertOriginals it wouldn't take that much space inside, also if it's pre cut and drilled, you could get it welded for 30 quid.
But in a crisis situation all you need is two spanners to remove the bolts and refit them, you don't have to rely on the chemical bond in cold and harsh conditions.
True. And I might get a stick welder. Although the chemical bond is irrelevant once the nuts are tight.
@@AlexHibbertOriginals the welder is always a good idea, you will find so many jobs that you can do better and faster if you have welder, I even seen people welding with stainless steel electrodes.
strange you didn't "tack weld" the two bolts to the chunk of steel after they properly lined up. Also, why didn't you put lock washers on the inside of the bolts?
I don't have a welding machine - hiring a weldy person is a last resort for this. Do you think nord locks between bolt heads and the custom 'washer' would stop rotation when applying the nylocs?
@@AlexHibbertOriginals bolt head, plate "washer", small nyloc (combination nut and lock washer) that's thin enough to fit in the space of the plate & segment of the pipe. Epoxy is just room temperature setting plastic. Ultimately, you're trusting two bolts set in plastic to hold a light pole while it's getting bashed by Atlantic waves. £20 for a 5 minute weld job seems like a small price instead of having ocean waves using a broken light pole like a baseball bat on the shell of *Alan* .
Point taken. Although once the bolt and nut is tight, the epoxy has done the job and won't be loaded.
make a thick nut plate and let it in to the mast and weld in place
You should have used a pipe bracket for the mast.
Why?
That flat piece of steel inside the mast is going to damage it and create divots which can lead to failure. You need to form that metal piece to the masts curvature.
I suppose we'll see. The area of contact is pretty long down both sides. I'm not expecting divots.
@@AlexHibbertOriginals maybe grind down just the corners then
You cold weld the bolts to the plate instead of jbweld
I did mention a desire to avoid a welding bill, but yes
Dont rely on the sticky tape on the LED strip, in my experience they loose their grip at around -10C, you want som mecanical fastening.
Oh goodness yes - it'll be properly mastic-ed.
In my experience they loose their grip at +20C and above. And also every temperature below that 🤣
Yeah I'm always suspicious of ready-done sticky back.
Interesting episode. For the lighting? Will left and right (green and red) marker lights be necessary? Sorry for the non nautic terms.
Yes they are required by law here I think. On Alan's railings.
nuts on the inner bracket could be welded then all you have to deal with is the nuts
What about rivnuts
I don't think DIY riv nut setters will handle stainless steel M12.
You'll move up another level if you start calling beveling, chamfering.
How bourgeois.
Why not just tap the holes you have drilled
Far too thin