Have you considered knocking a little bit off the hinge edge (planing) of the door and replacing with a continuous SS hinge... similar to a piano hinge?

I don't sell much marine door hardware, but none of my books show a 3-1/2" cast hinge either.

I like the piano hinge idea. Good thought!

One advantage to this approach is the identified problem "There has been a problem keeping the SS wood screw fasteners tight...", an indication the wood fiber in screw holes has torn over the years. A continuous hinge will bring approx 16 screws in new locations to each leaf of hinge, in lieu of the six screws that are there today (three screws per hinge leaf, two leaves per hinge two hinges = six screws total for door, six for jamb).

Disadvantage is, if this is a very nice boat, there would be one door dissimilar. Attention to detail is very important on custom boats. While my offered solution is practical, it is an idea that might not float. _{Did I really say might not float?}

"There has been a problem keeping the SS wood screw fasteners tight...",

My experience with marine means wet.Wood and wet dont go well with screws stainless or not, if the wood is getting wet, were the screws go in,expantion will back those screws out every time over time solid wood expands when it gets wet too.I suggest stainless bolts and nuts and a good shot of marine grade sylacone in the hole to help seal them,seems to me bolts would hold that heavy door and the moisture it contains better then screws any day. Sylacone is easy to clean off fiberglass you can tidy up the nuts on the inside to your choosing, they are on the inside right? Hope this helps

That is a thought I had but when I looked up from inside the transom there is no access to the teak wood jam. Trying to open it up would be a fright. I wonder if there is a 3"X.25" piano hinge? If there is we could consider going that route, router out the jam and door .25' deep X 1.5" to accomodate a SS piano hinge.

Kiwi Robin

SELECT Manufacturing Hinge Selector Guide for continuous pin and barrel hinges. These can be had in custom lengths, no trouble.

This is but one manufacturer that make these.

A piano type hinge would be ideal I am sure. However it would be quite expensive and time consuming to accomplish. The fact is there were no problems with the 3/8" dia fastener screws coming loose for perhaps the first 15 plus years, my maintenance man (when I was working) always sprayed all moving parts regularly with LPS 1, that practice will be reinstated.. It wasn't until the corrosion started in the hinge pin (neglect) that pressure on the screws I guess caused them to be stressed and loosen.I could still tighten them but when running there is always some vibration & they would loosen, finally late last summer the door became harder to open & close as seizure was taking place.

My plan is to oversize the screws to 1/4" the wood is sound and not torn or cracked, so if I maintain the moving parts with the silicone lubricant I can expect reasonable performance. Still need advise on drilling the SS butt hinges

A bit of "Silver Goop" (that's what its called) in the moving parts could be a good idea. It is designed to stop stainless steel binding.

doorman, i've got to disagree. this man had a 3-1/2" pin with one contact point seize up..there was only one point that water could intrude. at the top of the hinge. see my point? also,two hinges will allow the door shift a bit when the hull twists and flexes.

durtieduck, you said "this man had a 3-1/2" pin with one contact point seize up..there was only one point that water could intrude. at the top of the hinge. see my point?" No, I don't see your point.

"also,two hinges will allow the door shift a bit when the hull twists and flexes." And this is good because.... why? You are sort of on the right track; boats, railroad cars, airplanes, a bus... the doors in these are subjected to all sorts of flex and shake, you are correct about that. A soft mount is generally not desired for these, the more rigid the better.

The SS hinges have no place to add grease fittings. One straight SS pin so sea spray & continuously in a marine atmosphere eventually all metal fixtures corrode. A regular application of LPS 1 or WD 40 retards corrosion.

My plan is to oversize to 1/4" the hinge holes with appropriate carbide drill bits. Purchase a quick twist deck plate & install it in the inside of the transom to allow access to the inside of the cockpit door jam. New SS 1/4" fasteners with nylock nuts & SS fender washers will fasten the hinges to the jam. Cockpit door screw holes will be over sized for new SS screws.

A big thank you to all of you for your interest and good advise. Also Happy Canadian Thanksgiving - its today October 8, 2012

Kiwi Robin

Welcome to the forum.

Generally, we use machine screws, so the drill and countersink sizes may vary.

I would use a 17/64" drill for the clearance hole.

The countersink will need to be at least 1/2" in diameter.

You can get the tools from a good hardware store. Stainless steel is pretty aggressive material, so some of the cheaper drills and countersinks may peter out before the job is done.

I would also use a cutting oil or tapping oil on the drill and countersink. Ask your hardware store about this. Apply directly to the drill and countersink with a small acid brush. Keep the drill and countersink wet.

I would also use a drill press and be very careful that the drill does not snag the part and rip it out of your hand!!! Do not wear gloves! I know it is tempting, but when a finger of a glove gets caught in a drill it wear easily slice your finger and hand up or worse.

AH,

My advice is NEVER hold a piece of metal by hand, when drilling it. ALWAYS clamp it.

Otherwise I agree with your suggestions.

Agree, I have a 3" scar on the back of my hand doing that in the ship yard from 20+ years ago.... just a second....... yep, the scar is still there

You might consider dribbling some two part epoxy into the holes, prior to installing the new screws.

Better yet would be using marine grade epoxy to secure stainless machined inserts sunk into the wood, and securing the hinge with countersunk machine screws instead of the wood screws. I don't know if they're available in stainless but I would look for inserts that are used to secure bolts to particle board, coarse thread on the outside, standard threads on the inside, if you can't buy them anybody with a lathe and some stainless stock could machine them. Saves all the aggravation of reworking your old hinges.

Yeah, I'd stay with the same diameter screws. You could

1. Go with longer screws, same diameter, alone on in combo with 2)

2. Fill the existing holes with filler (Bondo, etc) and re-drill. Or use SS or brass mesh or braid in the old holes to fill up the space. Or wood dowel (I've used match sticks with smaller screws in soft wood.) Maybe even use plastic anchors.

Here's a link to Ron Hazleton's recommendations. Who can argue with ole Ron?

Forgot the link
http://www.ronhazelton.com/projects/how_to_fix_stripped_screw_holes_in_wood

No point in going longer as the cockpit jam is only 11/2" thick. We have decided to bolt & nut to the jam. We will buy a white quick twist deck plate and mount it between the hinge points on the inside of the cockpit (it is white fiber glass jell coated about 1/4' thick) Going to up size to 1/4" SS fasteners.

the people here are very good at locating items on the net if they have "ALL" the details of the hinge.

drilll bit points are ground at only a few different angles.. use a larger bit to chamfer the holes.. you should be able to judge the correct angle by comparing the screw with the bit. the manufacturer chamfered the holes using the same method.

NO manufacturer EVER countersinks holes in metal with a "drill bit".

No competent machinist would either.

Who are you kidding?

Typical drills are 120° and typical countersink is 82°. Not even close.

sorry, i let the dog answer that one. BAD DOG!!

KR is neither a Manufacturer or a Machinist however I will accept the advise given & buy an 82 degree Cobalt countersink ( proper size for 1/4" fasteners) & 135 degree split point Cobalt drill bit and I hope the drill press @ RVYC workshop can be slowed down. Of course I will 'C' clamp the hinges to the table and use cutting fluid.

I am not sure how much luck I will have trying to drive the 3/16" dia. pins out of the hinges without damaging parts. Maybe applying heat, I will have to buy a small dia punch & give it a try.

Kiwi Robin

I am not sure how much thickness you have in the wood, but a more reliable solution might be to drill through the screw holes and use bolts with a good-sized fender washer under the nut. On the nut side, counter-bore sufficiently so that you can finish the hole with a wood plug. Through-bolting will be much sturdier than relying on threads holding in old wood.

Why go to all the trouble of drilling out the hinge when you can take a wood dowel rod of the same material and glue the rod and drive it into the old hole and let it set up. And then reinsert the standard screws that fit already. I do agree with DOORMAN that a continuous hinge would be the best repair if the first approach doesn't work.

a good answer from me.. but i would drill over sized holes in the jamb and drive a hardwood dowel [hickory?] for a better grip on the threads... soak the hardwood dowel in water for a few days to soften it. the dowel will swell a bit, but it will be spongey enough to drive it in. saturate the screw holes with water. apply elmer's waterproof glue to the soaked dowels and wet screw holes.then drive the dowel in. wait until the dowels dry before you hang the door. you might need to drill a pilot hole if you decide to use hickory dowels. it's hard as hell, but the screw should'nt come loose again.

reguards.

durtieduck from amish country

Cobalt steel is essential for drilling or countersinking SS as previously mentioned. However, you might also consider a cobalt center drill which drills and countersinks at the same time. They are available in a variety of sizes, but the portion of the tool that fits in the chuck is the diameter of the countersink, so to countersink at 1/2", your drill(press) would require a 1/2" chuck. They are a little pricey for the cobalt tool, but it will still be usable when the job is done.

Use a countersink bit.

Good advise

KR

go to this site.

globalspec.com and type industrial hinges into the seach box.

come on guys, asleep at the switch again?

http://www.wikihow.com/Repair-a-Loose-Wood-Screw-Hole-for-a-Hinge

First thing is to rehabilitate the original hinges, I suggest some gentle heat as you apply a penetrant such as WD 40 and flush out what ever is causing the binding. It appears is if they do not use SS hinge pin due to the binding but if you can remove the pin and rifle drill it with corresponding cross drilling for lubrication maintenance you will have a very long life solution. Add a grease zerk and lube with a anti seize product. If pin size is too small still drill and add a cap on top for lubrication purposes. All other suggestions are on the mark for attaching to wood frame and I give a + to using epoxy in the holes.

If the screws are just coming loose and still bind down. Paint the screw threads with some acrylic paint, finger nail polish will do. A good thick coat. The fill the holes with some epoxy. Screw it in with the epoxy still wet. Let it set up. Should hold for long while with out coming loose. If the screws ever have to come out the paint will shear away from the epoxy.

Or use longer screws, too.

Something doesn't sound right. 0.25" thick??? That would be a huge hinge, more suited to a safe. Check that thickness again. I think you will find it more like .125" thick. Could it be the pin diameter you quoted as being .25"?

donno about the teak ... properties (cracks forming precautions)

i remember something like that for the occasion

but i donno how to prepare the mount cavities

nor the fix-filling nor securing

it's a self gripping mount (not all the details shown)