How Can I Attach a Snap to a Fiberglass Boat Hull?

The storage cover you put on your boat is kept in place by straps that run under the boat's keel, but if the boat is in the water and you're docking overnight, you have one option -- a mooring or docking cover that snaps over the boat's cockpit. This means you have to attach snaps to the gunwales, the top edge of the boat's fiberglass sides. Attaching a snap to a fiberglass boat hull is not an ambiguous process.

Things You'll Need

  • Drill
  • 1/16-inch bit
  • Adhesive silicone caulk
  • Putty knife
  • Boat snap kit
  • Screwdriver
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Instructions

    • 1

      Drill a 1/16-inch pilot hole in the location where you want the snap.

    • 2

      Lay a thin layer of adhesive silicone caulk on the bottom of one of the snaps from a snap kit, using a putty knife. Put a thin layer of the caulk around the pilot hole.

    • 3

      Push the snap's mounting screw through the center of the male part of the snap. Center the point of the screw in the pilot hole.

    • 4

      Drive the screw into the hole with a screwdriver. Stop driving the screw as soon as the caulk begins to squeeze out from beneath the snap. Allow the caulk to cure for 24 hours.

    • 5

      Tighten the screw. If any caulk has squeezed from beneath the snap, scrape it away with a razor blade.