2022 ATX 24 Rub Rail Screws Repeatedly Loosen

[AmpleAardvark]

The rub rail screws on my 2022 ATX 24 keep loosening and I am curious if others have this issue and if so, have they found a fix?

When I bought the boat used last fall I suspected that someone had been repeatedly tightening the screws on the rub rail because the philips head on many of the screws was slightly stripped out and one of the screws was stripped in the hole and would spin freely. I tightened all the screws hand tight in the fall and then after 10 engine hours this spring a couple of the screws have backed out 1/8-1/4" (see photo) and most of the screws were at least slightly loose when I did a round of tightening (again by hand).

Do those screws hold the top half of the boat to the bottom half or do they just hold on the stainless and rubber rub rail? Anyone dealt with this issue and have a fix?

Thank you in advance!

[h2o-ski]

It depends on how the boat is constructed. Some manufacturers will glue the cap to the hull while others use the screws or rivets to keep them together. It looks like someone used too many uga dugas on the screws and pulled the fiberglass out. If not under warranty, I would suggest some 3M 4200 in the hole and then insert the screw.

[AmpleAardvark]

It depends on how the boat is constructed. Some manufacturers will glue the cap to the hull while others use the screws or rivets to keep them together. It looks like someone used too many uga dugas on the screws and pulled the fiberglass out. If not under warranty, I would suggest some 3M 4200 in the hole and then insert the screw.

Thanks for the info, h2o-ski!

It is still under warranty but when I asked the dealer service person about the loosening screws they said that it's normal that some Tige/ATX boats need the screws tightened periodically. If this is a normal thing I figured someone on here would have experienced it and could report back on if/how it was fixed or if they just tighten all the screws after every few outings.

Only one of the screws stripped out the fiberglass in the hole, all the rest still hold firm when tightened. I saw a suggestion to use 3M 4200 (or similar) on a forum for a different type of boat, but I wanted to get some feedback from the Tige/ATX community before going that route for my boat in case there is something different about how our boats are constructed.

[AmpleAardvark]

Does anyone know if the screws in the stainless rub rail around the ATX 24 are used to hold the top/cap of the boat onto the hull or if the joint is glued? I'll feel a lot better about the loosening screws if their only purpose is to hold the rub rail onto the boat.

[h2o-ski]

After rebuilding my old Supra by pulling the cap off, even with all the screws and rivets out holding the cap down, it was not easy to even move the cap off the hull. I would not worry about the cap separating from the hull.

[AmpleAardvark]

Thank you for the additional info, h2o-ski. To avoid the ongoing hassle of tightening the screws, I'm planning to remove the screws and add a dab of 3M 4200 before tightening them when I get some time and I'll report back if that works to keep the screws tight.

A couple of the screw heads are stripped out enough from before I bought the boat that I should replace them, so I also need to remove a screw to take measurements and find a few replacement screws. Hopefully they are not an obscure size. If anyone happens to know the specs and a source for the rub rail screws on a 2022 ATX 24, that would save me some time and would be greatly appreciated!