Motor use and Nylocks/nuts

[Guest]

A curious cautionary note for (I think) anyone who uses a motor on a canoe.

When I am doing any repair or outfitting work on a canoe I circle the hull with a little ratchet wrench and tighten up every machine screw nut or nylock before it leaves the shop. I did so with the 20 foot motorized Miramichi a year ago.

I did some nut tightening a few days ago on that canoe. The OEM nylocks on every machine screw, 18 of them (and I forget to check the 4 on the deck plate handles) were loose. Not just a little loose, but like a full turn+ loose.

I don’t know it the culprit was the road jiggle trailering it from Maryland to Florida to Maine to Maryland, or the Suzuki thrum, but I am suspecting the latter.

I am also wondering if my usual practice of lock washers, nuts and cap nuts with a little Loctite is not a better methodology for any canoe.

 

[Holmes375]

I've gone away from the nylon lockers as they seem to have trouble with the big temperature swings in my region. I can paddle a canoe in cold weather that had them tightened properly during the summer and find them loose when I return.

Loctite is a good thread locker but I've switched to Vibra-tite, usually VC-3, for most of my use. Much better with vibration/harmonic applications. I started using it on rimfire rifle scope mounts which are notorious for coming loose at inopportune times. Its a re-usable threadmate and a bit more laborious in its application as it needs to dry before assembly. Its performance is worth the effort and the extra cost though.

 

[Guest]

Yup, even the machine screws holding the wood carry handles recessed inside the molded ends of the deck plates (very nice Esquif touch) were a full turn+ loose. Trailering or motoring or Nylocks as culprit I do not know, but it was not a good mix with stuff loosening up that much in a year’s time.

I've gone away from the nylon lockers as they seem to have trouble with the big temperature swings in my region. I can paddle a canoe in cold weather that had them tightened properly during the summer and find them loose when I return.

Shrinkage?

https://tenor.com/view/george-costanza-seinfeld-pool-shrinkage-gif-3938364

In rebuilds and outfitting I have never been a fan of Nylocks. I prefer to use a washer, lock washer and nut, with a cut-to-length thread protector on any protruding shank ends, or sometimes cap nuts instead of thread protectors if the shank end protrusion is just right to snug up. That installation seems to stay tighter than using a nylock, and if I don’t have the exact length machine screw on hand a little long still works.

 

[memaquay]

I find covering all exposed nuts and bolts with a generous coating of varnish tends to keep them tight.

 

[Odyssey]

One doesn't have to run motors to run the risk of loosened nuts.
There's a reason our bicycle stems have a small warning label "Warning-Check quick release hubs before each use". I try to make it a habit to check all nuts and bolts before rides. But I do forget.
Last time out for a day paddle and while the canoe was still up on the storage rack I reached under for a quick check of fittings. I was surprised to find the seat hanger bolts loose?! Those have nylocks as I was unimpressed with the OEM nuts. They never seemed to stay snug. I expected better from the nylocks.
I do remember reading somewhere that a touch of nail polish serves as a quick fix sealant for nuts. I tried some on the back of an old solid brass boat prop clock. It worked, but the garish blood red dollops were a little off-putting. The colour just didn't suit me I guess. Did look good on her toe nails I gotta tell you, but I won't be trying the nail polish trick on any outdoor gear like bikes and boats. I'll try the varnish thing instead.
Last week a friend phoned to say his house rental property had suffered a plumbing leak and there was now a small lake in the basement. His truck was on the roadside out of commision, so could I have a look at the leak? Sure, no problem. This riled me though, as I had done the plumbing on that job. I knew everything was tight and shipshape just as I'd left it. As always I'd spent a full hour walking around checking and rechecking everything. His wife let me into the house and I immediately suspected the problem. My friend had been the last one on the job and had "installed the washer/dryer". We pulled them out and Ah Ha. He'd only hand tightened the supply hoses to the machine. One and a half turns with an adjustable and the problem was solved. We both had an awkward moment knowing who'd been responsible for this leaky episode, my friend her husband, but I cleared my throat and said "It's an easy thing to do, forget to do a final check on fittings." And we left it at that.

 

[Guest]

One doesn't have to run motors to run the risk of loosened nuts.
There's a reason our bicycle stems have a small warning label "Warning-Check quick release hubs before each use". I try to make it a habit to check all nuts and bolts before rides. But I do forget.


Last time out for a day paddle and while the canoe was still up on the storage rack I reached under for a quick check of fittings. I was surprised to find the seat hanger bolts loose?! Those have nylocks as I was unimpressed with the OEM nuts.

I try to make it a habit to tighten all nuts or bolts, machine screws on canoes before a trip. And to check/tighten the roof rack bolts as well. But I do likewise forget.

I keep the roof rack tightening tool in the truck glove box, it doesn’t do me much good at home while travelling. For a quickie walk-around-the-hull and tighten nuts an offset ratchet wrench is the bomb. I have (two) 3/8 & 7/16 ratchet wrenches, one in the shop and one in the travelling essentials bag.


Prior to one trip I guess I neglected to tighten everything up, maybe with nylocks, but on a long dirt road stretch I heard a peculiar “Pingpingpa-pinggg”, followed immediately by “whappitawhappitawhappita”.

The pings were the machine screw, flange washer and nut on one side of my strap yoke merrily bouncing off the cap a hundred yards back before I stopped. The whappitawhappitawhappita was the one-side detached strap yoke flailing away on the cap roof. That was a trip where I actually needed to carry the canoe some distance. Fark me, not now.

I had a spare machine screw and flange washer/flat washer/lock washer/nut set (plugged in an emergency seat drop peg) and that little ratchet in the essentials bag. The machine screw was much longer than needed, but it got me there and back without muttering the “For want of a nail” invectives.

https://www.bookbrowse.com/expressio...ngdom-was-lost

 

[Iskweo]

I doubt that the motor or the bumpy drive had much to do with the bolts loosening. I would be looking more at expansion and shrinkage of the wood. Once it gets a little loose from drying out you will get abrasion between the surfaces and then you have loose bolts even if the wood swells up again? There is also the compressability of wood?

My theory for this is based on the fact that I deal with metal parts all day long and the nylocks never loosen up on them. To my way of thinking they may not be ideal for wood applications. I do use them for wood too but dont remember having them go loose on me.

Now I have to go check....THANKS MIKE