Issue 32 : Sept/Oct 2003
Unscrewing a slotted deck-filler cap with a screwdriver can be hard work, especially if the cap has corroded in place. Small screwdrivers tend to turn within the slot, and even large ones don’t give you much leverage.
Employ a second screwdriver, however, and you’ll find the job much easier.
Cross the screwdrivers, locate their heads at opposite ends of the slot, then rotate the handles counter-clockwise. By bracing each screwdriver against the other, you greatly increase leverage on the filler cap.
And while we’re on the subject of undoing things, here’s an effective way to attack that stubborn shackle pin you can’t budge with a marlinspike. Prepare for battle with one large screwdriver (no lightweights please, they’ll bend) and an adjustable wrench. (A steel bar will serve in place of the screwdriver if you don’t have one large enough.)
Grip the shackle-pin tab firmly with the wrench and thread the screwdriver through the shackle so that its head sits squarely on the pin. Check to make sure you’ll be turning the pin in the desired direction, then squeeze the two handles toward each other until the pin turns. If you can’t dislodge the pin using this method, it’s time for desperate measures indeed!
Thank you to Sailrite Enterprises, Inc., for providing free access to back issues of Good Old Boat through intellectual property rights. Sailrite.com
