I've just bought a used Fanatic (couriered) and noticed there is two severed bolts in the board, one in the front foot, third position from the front and one in the rear foot position, second position from the front. I'll get in contact with the seller tomorrow about this surprising oversight when discussing the condition of the board over the phone.
What are the chances of getting these bolts out. They have broken almost flush with the board so I can't get any grip with the pliers. Any past experiences/suggestions/surgical advice would be greatly appreciated.
You can buy a device called an "Easy Out". You basically drill into the severed bolt, then screw in a thingo which with it's thread bites into the outside of the hole you drilled. You then unscrew the stuck bolt with it. Make sure you measure the diameter of the bolt you need to remove, as they come in a variety of sizes. Your local tool shop will help you out.
i've seen people use a small nail punch & hammer to get severed bolts out.
You can put the nail punch against one side of the severed bolt & tap at it with a hammer, you could try drilling a small hole to put the punch in, its quite a fiddly job, although watching a tool maker do it looked easy....
It may be possible to drill it out, quite often a drill bit will bite when drilling which could help unscrew it, i haven't it though & i wouldnt be too keen on putting power tools near a board...
Don't like your chances, drilling into a broken stainless screw isn't easy for a start.
Unless the screw is slightly above the deck so you can smooth it off and centre punch it.
One small slip and you've put a hole in the board.
Assuming the screws broke when somebody tried to undo them, unless you can free them up somehow, the easy-out will probably also snap, (It's a smaller diameter and harder so probably more brittle).
But I can't think of another alternative apart from replacing the insert, so it's worth a try, just be very carefull, and don't expect too much.
busted 4 screws flush with the board myself over last few years. if there's any advice i can give it is that you buy the more expensive single screw extractor (easy outs as easty said) for at least $10 each rather than the $10 5 piece set from supercrap auto etc which are very soft and strip themselves. Use a shifter to grip the extractor and turn it veeeeeerrrryyy slowly as they are very brittle 
as a result i now change screws each year, but not sure gf is impressed
The absolute easiest way to get them out is to use a dremel.
Cut a slot in the screw, and put a normal flat bladed screwdriver in. Unscrew.
Easy peasy japanesy, done it before, it works a treat, even if the screw is flush with the mounting plug.
), this forces the hole to become elongated, and simply unscrew... 
Ive alway used an easyout .
Just drill a 2mm pilot hole first follow followed by a 3mm drill be careful not to drill to far check how deep the other inserts are first.
Then use the right size easyout which you can buy from automotive shop.
the hardest part is drilling the hole on center .
oh yer Ive always use a new drill bit to start with.
Thanks for the insights guys.
I dropped the board off at the local engineers and discussed the ideas posted. They are going to give the Easyout a go (I'm worried I'll screw it up) and the bloke didn't think it would be a problem. Looks like it'll cost about $70 though
$70 would have bought a decent dremel set!
Honestly once you see it done once you'll wonder why you thought it was hard.
The engineers should do a good job though.
being an engineer myself.......(ahem...)
if the bolts are corroded to the extent that they snapped upon extraction, an easy out is unlikely to work, and will probably snap the easy out.
Easiest and cheapest solution is:
bore a hole in the corroded bolt with a 3/16 drill bit.
buy some wide head 3/16 pop rivets and some wide, 3/16 stainless steel washers.
simply pop rivet the foot strap into the drilled bolt, using the washer to protect/ spread the load on the strap during use.
cost:
rivets: $7
washers: $3
pop rivet gun: $25
it works too, I did it on bombora board 8 months ago, and still going strong.
OK, I have actually done this and it worked!
A friend of mine snapped of a screw while fixing a footstrap into his board. I used a soldering iron to slowly and carefully heat the screw. Just touch the metal of the screw and avoid the surroundings. The screws fasten into a nylon plug glassed into the deck. With the right amount of heat the nylon softens and the screw will move about quite easily. In my case the screw had a small ragged bur at the point it snapped. With fine needle nose pliers I was able to grip the end of the screw and gently turn it out of the plastic. Once soft it moves quite easily. If no part of the screw is above to surface I suggest using a 'very' small drill or similar to remove some of the nylon/glass around the end of the screw so it can be gripped with the pliers. Previous suggestions about easy outs (I am also a tradesman in this field) are unlikely to be successfull as the diameter of the screw/bolt will be very small to successfully drill out a large enough size hole. Also the screw is very tight in the hole and will be difficult to shift, thats probably why it snapped in the first place. What will happen however when a hole is drilled into hardened stainless steel there will be significant heat which will soften the nylon having the same effect as the soldering iron so be very carefull. This is how I found out about the heat method in the first place as the screw started moving about as I drilled. I had more control with the iron and could apply the heat with more care as I easily wiggled the screw loose. The nylon plug did not appear to suffer any damage from the heat once it cooled down, the trick is not to overheat it!
Let me know if it works?
Good Luck
I had a similar thought about using a soldering iron, but I think Neb's idea of making a slot with a dremel is better than removing bits of the insert around the screw, if it can't be gripped well enough with pliers.
And as you say about drilling heating up the screw, so would the dremel, if it was too tight after cutting the slot, then use the soldering iron.
Be interesting to hear how the engineers get on and what method they use????
My main concern with giving it to engineers with no experience of sailboards, is any other damage they may do while trying to hold the board. If they use any of their normal methods of clamping stuff while machining it, there's likely to be compression damage.
geee economy must be tough if engineers are spending their time removing sheared screws from boards.
you could have bought resin, q-cell, a new insert and a $20 router and put a whole new insert in
I spoke to the bloke who was going to do the work on the board. I'll chat to him Monday morning to remind him to go easy on the board and run the dremel idea past him. If he's having troubles, there's still plenty of strap positions available.
Thanks all, I'll let everyone know how it goes.
Sorry to 'ambush' your topic McMahon, but it seems there's a few screw-techs here...
I have a problem with footstrap screws loosening whilst sailing, to the point that I have to stop halfway through and tighten...one of the screws actually popped right out a while back causing a sensational catapult (coming off lip of chop for a hop at the time and pulled my back foot up and...)
Any suggestions to keep 'em in?
Sailhack,
I have boards 4 years old that require a 1/2 turn of some (not all) screws about every 20 sessions.
Thus I think you have screws that are too small or your inserts are stripped from screws done up too tight etc.
Easiest fix is to bung a matchstick or two in each hole and then stick the screws in again.
If waaayyy tight (like they should be ) put a bit of soap on each screw and use a good elec screwdriver or drill to put them in 99% of the way and then use a screwdriver for that last 1/2 - 1 turn.
If it is backing out and not pulling out then its must be getting a bit of a twist from the footstrap movement. If you could isolate that with a washer or one of those plastic anti-twist washers with the little spikes that grab the deck pad that might do it.
Is the screw the right gauge for the insert. I think 10 gauge is the usual thing.
If all else fails maybe the weak version of Locktite would be worth a try?
you could have bought resin, q-cell, a new insert and a $20 router and put a whole new insert in
One out, one to go. They are going to get some of 'the good Easyouts' and have it out tomorrow. I stressed that I would rather a screw left in rather than both out and a damaged board. Strictly no clamps.
had a set of easy outs -the $67 set from Bunnings- and that was way to hard - had no luck after multiple attempts (4 hours plus what a headache) - maybe easier with a drill press - but i dont have one.
bought a rotary tool kit today (the Ryobi 216 piece kit incl flexi extension ) - using the small conical grinder bit i got a slot worked into the screw and out she came with a flat head - so much relief! took about 15 minutes.
Now i can do sick top turns again! (or so i think)
had to settle for 1 screw out. The other screw has been drilled through but they didn't want to break anything getting it out.
It will be interesting to see if the shop (not Victorian) who sold it to me will come to the party with the engineer's bill.
I had the same problem (also with a Fanatic - go figure). I asked the "Board lady" who had the simplest solution out of all mentioned so far. She suggested just drilling a new hole (4mm) in between the broken screw hole and the next one. The nylon plug is a single piece so what's it gonna matter anyway and the screw will create it's own thread pattern.
Only tip was don't drill too deep - or then you're screwed (double entendre...oh yeah.)
AB....
