Toggle bolts or screws?

[Maxamillion]

I have a Alumacraft 1236 Jon boat and I am going to be putting wood on top of the bench seats with seat pin mounts. I need to know how should I secure the wood to the seats with toggle bolts or tapping screws. The aluminum, is so thin I would think screws wouldn't hold.

 

[Clint KY]

I agree that screws are a bad idea. While toggles would spread the load a bit more I think there is a better idea.
Construction Adhesive. Take a trip to your local Lowe's HIW and wander down the glue isle.
The make many specialty adhesives now I am sure you will find one that is made for wood -> metal.
Make sure the seat top is clean and dry with all loose paint sanded off. Also a good idea to rough sand the seat top to give the glue something to grip.
And use the stuff sparingly. A little goes a long way and you don't want the stuff oozing out onto the floor of the boat.

 

[kofkorn]

I would suggest "Rivnuts" or rivet nuts. They are strong and have a high pull through force. Also they give you the ability to remove whatever you are attaching with just a standard screw. The down side is that they require as special tool, just like a pop riveter to set them. However, I've used a high strength bolt with a nut to set some larger ones that are too big for the tool I own.

What you do is take a high strength bolt of the correct size (standard bolt will work but my need to be replaced after 4 or 5 inserts, a nut, and a washer. Drill the through hole just a touch undersized so that the insert presses in. Then take the bolt and spin the nut on it. Make sure that you have enough thread showing to engage all of the threads of the insert. Then while holding the head of the bolt still, thread the nut off of the bolt until it snugs against the insert. Continue trying to spin the nut off of the bolt while holding the top of the bolt still. This is where the high strength bolts help, because you're likely to stretch the threads of the bolt until you have a better idea of the force needed to set the rivet.

I've used them in multiple locations on my boat and love the flexibility they give to be able to remove something instead of a one time rivet or a weaker screw.

Good luck!

 

[PsychoXP18CC]

I agree with the Rivnuts. We use hem at work for all sorts of things, they are a great alternative to screws/rivets, with the added bonus of being able to remove and replace items. Would be kinda pricey if you have to buy the setting tool, but I would bet you'd find other uses for them over time.