repairing a hydrogate on nautique 200

[blagrata]

A tab was broken on my hydrogate on a 2011 Nautique 200. I ordered a replacement part and just need to swap it out. It looks like I need to remove some small screws going into the hull to swap out the part (that slides up and down). Does anyone on here have experience with this? My biggest question is do I need some kind of marine sealant around the screws that go into the hull... or simply just screw them back in. Is there any kind of backing plate on the hydrogate? Thanks in advance.

 

[DavidN]

There’s no backing plate inside the hull. Gelcoat around the hydrogate is pretty thick and Nautique just uses std sheet metal screws directly put into the transom. I would put a dab of marine sealant on the threads and the holes before re-installing but wouldn’t worry too much about it.

[jimski]

Sikaflex

[emwheaton]

You can just screw them back in, but if they go in with little to no resistance, then the threads are probably worn and you may want to use a bit of adhesive sealant. The screws that are going to be the most prone to backing out are the two on the very bottom of the transom. The hydrogate puts the most pressure on those screws when it's down.

 

Your post promoted me to check mine - I removed my hydrogate a few years ago and since noticed one of those lower screws would regularly back out and become lose... its now backed completely out and the threads inside are completely stripped out. So it is something that you'll want to keep an eye on...