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Bolt for main hoop of folding Bimini loosening

Posted: Wed Aug 03, 2022 2:45 pm
by scottst
Hey folks I’m wondering if anyone else has run into this and has a solution. We have a 2019 R7 with a folding Bimini and the hex bolts that attach the main hoop to the hull work themselves loose relatively quickly. This is to the point where I check them every couple times out and they need a little bit of snugging although the first time I noticed the bolts were backed out quite a ways.

Questions:
- anyone else seeing this?
- does the factory use washers or locktite?

Ours has no washers. Just the hex bolt directly to the hoop. Considering stainless washer and perhaps a locking washer. May need longer bolts too.

Thanks!

Re: Bolt for main hoop of folding Bimini loosening

Posted: Thu Aug 04, 2022 10:41 am
by jhnmdahl
There's a lot of vibration on a boat, and purple or a little bit of blue loctite sounds like a great idea to me. I have no idea what's underneath - maybe someone else can chime in.

Re: Bolt for main hoop of folding Bimini loosening

Posted: Thu Aug 04, 2022 10:56 am
by scottst
Yeah, the Bimini does shake side to side when moving at speed. My primary ask is if someone with a similar Bimini can look to see if there are any washers in their setup that might be missing on mine. Loctite seems to be a good move too.

Re: Bolt for main hoop of folding Bimini loosening

Posted: Thu Aug 04, 2022 3:27 pm
by ForeverCobalt
I vote loctite or even both loctite and washer. Nothing frustrating then having a large checklist of these kinds of things.