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I am preparing to flip a Grady White Hatteras and have not been able to remove the engine mounting bolts as I work on removing the engine. I was able to remove the nuts from the bolts, but cannot get the bolts out of the transom. On a Penn Yan I restored, the bolts were hex head, and I was able to thread them back out. The bolts on this engine are round head so there is nothing to grip to try backing them out. I tried hammering on the end of the bolt against a block of wood with no movement at all.

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

Rich

Try to get some lubricant into the hole between the bolt and the wood. Spray WD40????

Can you grab the round bolt head with a vise grips?

Andreas

Thanks Andreas,

I will try the lubricant idea. I cannot grip the roundhead bolt head with visegrips as it is a very shallow dome shape. I like the idea though and will try using the visegrips on the threaded part of the bolt inside the boat. I'll ruin the bolt, but maybe I can get it to rotate.

The boat still has its original engine, so the bolts have likely not budged in 49 years. They certainly seem to want to not start moving now!

Rich

She must be a carriage bolt. I was having a difficult time picturing the bolt you described. Unti you said "dome shaped".

Lubricant and banging on it and vise gribs from the inside might work. Don't worry about destroying it. I wouldn't reuse it even if you didn't wreck it.

Good luck.

Andreas

Rich,

Try using a nut threaded onto the end of the bolt and pound that with a hammer or place a steel or brass bar on the nut and the hit it with a hammer.

The nut will help to keep the end of the bolt from swaging out when hit with the hammer.

You will need to break the bond between the wood and the bolt to get it to move.

I too think you have carrage bolts and they will not be able to turn until you get the square shank under the head out of the slot in the motor mounting flange.

You can always get a BFH to do the job.

Good Luck,

Phill

If you haven't done it already, you might put a jack under the skeg and take the weight off the whole works...

Bolts are out and motor is on a stand. Thank you all so much. I used all of your ideas, and yes - they are carriage bolts. Rusted and 49 years old - I guess they are time to retire!