Swim platform hold down bracket broke off

[Duncan]

Did you have the screws in the bottom of the bracket installed and tight? My screws fell out after a year and I never bothered to replace them, until this thread. I got a set at Home Depot yesterday, 5/16 course thread pattern. I'm going to put them back in with locktite.

I'm also thinking about getting some Al plates welded and sistered up with my brackets to give them some extra strength. The hole for the pin is pretty close to the edge of the metal on this design.

Hmmm, time to check those screws and think about upgrading brackets.

This puts the surf flap discussion in a new light. One of the seasons I went with the "floppy" mat design was to greatly decrease force on the brackets.

[Ewok]

Duncan, I'm asking about the screws because I have not used them the last 2 years, and my brackets are showing no signs of wear or fatigue. If the screws prevent the platform from moving and impose additional forces on the pins in the top, which seem to have failed first on Roberts boat, then I'll leave them out and let the base of the platform carry the weight.

[robert theisen]

Did you have the screws in the bottom of the bracket installed and tight? My screws fell out after a year and I never bothered to replace them, until this thread. I got a set at Home Depot yesterday, 5/16 course thread pattern. I'm going to put them back in with locktite.

I'm also thinking about getting some Al plates welded and sistered up with my brackets to give them some extra strength. The hole for the pin is pretty close to the edge of the metal on this design.

If i had the screws,which i suspect i did,they must have come out. The bracket on the Starboard side has a threaded hole as well as a small drain hole in the bottom of the cup.It looks as though there hasn't been a screw in there in awhile.That explains the swim decks increasing movement as the years went by. When we first got the boat hardly any movement was detectable,maybe 1/8". After i waxed it Memorial day weekend it had grown to 1" to 1-1/4" of movement as well as it was 1/2" further from the transom on the port side.

[robert theisen]

Dang Robert, it's not a Diving Board, it's a swim platform! I know you were trying to do a triple Lindy off of it and all but sheesh, take it easy!

j/k - sorry to hear, hope you get it fixed quickly.

I wasn't doing a triple Lindy,just a double back flip. I'm not as young as i used to be.

[Ewok]

They look like the same design brackets that I have. How much are replacements costing you? Ordered through local dealer? I'm thinking of getting one, have it scanned and cnc from a piece of billet from a local shop here.

[robert theisen]

They are 25.88 each. I'm getting 2 and taking the old one to get a pair made of Stainless if i can afford it. If not i think a billet set with 2 pins Top and bottom should take care of the movement problem.

[jrj701]

The screws in the bottom of mine need to be tightened every few times out or they end up on the bottom of the lake. I know this because I have had to replace them twice. I finally used locktite and it seems like they stay tight longer than they used to. Once they loosen up, the platform really gets sloppy and will move up and down, stressing the locking pins. when loose, I can hear the platform rattling while we are sitting and some rollers come in and rock the boat. I also noticed the actual bolts running through the transom beginning to loosen, so I check and re tighten them as well

[bspot]

Same thing happened to my 2011 RZR in the same spot.

[Ewok]

So I ran my boat today with the screws tight. I used locktite and they seem to have kept the tension on the platform pins better, with an upwards direction of force vs the outward, away from the boat force applied to the pins and the mounting bracket on the hull. When I installed the pins I noticed they had more room to tighten and got the platform more solid if I lifted the platform a little as I tightened them. Now there is no play and the platform is solid, no wiggle room at all. I'm going to keep a close eye on those bolts and keep a spare set in the boat.

Bottom line, if you have the same type of bracket you have to keep those bolts tight.

[robert theisen]

I suspect my bolts had fallen out long ago. When i installed my brackets this past weekend i used the new bracket on the platform bracket to gauge play. What i found was about 3/16" to 1/4" of play. My new brackets had a hole but it wasn't tapped. So i got some 5/16 -18 x 3/4" Stainless Steel bolts.When i tapped the holes i just threaded the tap tip about 1/8" through the bracket. This will make the bolt thread easily till the last few threads,kind of like a nylon locknut. I plan on loctite later but will see how they hold in for now. As Ewok mentioned i tightened and lifted on the deck until there was no play in it at all. When i lifted on the deck the boat would start to unload the suspension on the trailer. Solid as a rock. Testing will be next week as the 3M 4200 takes 24 hours to dry. I will let you know how everything works out next week.

[What she said]

I have notived my swim plateform having more and more play, and i remove my swim platform to fit the boat in the garage. I have a few question guys- are these bolts your talking about go in the botton of the bracket on the boat screwing upward? After installing them, does it affect taken the platform on and off?

[Wickedcummins]

Do your self a favor and throw the POS away.. There are just a huge problem and waiting for someone to get hurt. Mine broke TWICE.. Once when a friend was standing on the back out of the water. hurting him when he fell to the concrete. I bought the new Billet aluminum brackets and bolted them up. Message me and I can explain how I did it.. very simple to do and well worth it. Tige should have RECALLED these but dont seem to care if someone gets injured.

[robert theisen]

I have notived my swim plateform having more and more play, and i remove my swim platform to fit the boat in the garage. I have a few question guys- are these bolts your talking about go in the botton of the bracket on the boat screwing upward? After installing them, does it affect taken the platform on and off?

Yes they screw in from the bottom of the bracket and push the deck brackets up tight against the pins.That way the deck has no movement and hopefully won't fatigue the bracket again. If mine breaks again i will see what Wickedcummins has done and use that fix.

[What she said]

THANKS ROBERT

[Ewok]

Yes they screw in from the bottom of the bracket and push the deck brackets up tight against the pins.That way the deck has no movement and hopefully won't fatigue the bracket again. If mine breaks again i will see what Wickedcummins has done and use that fix.

All that and yes, to remove the platform your going to need to loosen the bolts from the bottom before you remove the release pins in the brackets.