Replacing screws after painting/varnishing wooden pram

by Bigtrout
(Washington)

What putty or filler product/products are best when replacing screws after painting/varnishing my plywood 9'pram?

Some screws are stainless, some silicone bronze, some are brass.

There are some above waterline, some below.

Some are in wood only.

Some secure brass oarlocks to wood frame.

Help!!

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Replacing screws after painting/varnishing wooden pram

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Screws
by: Mike

Hi Craig,

I think I would be inclined to leave them for now (if it aint broke don’t fix it).

But if you have any more trouble with those seams it will be best to get them out and do the job right.

Old Screws
by: Olde Bote

Good info.
In a related matter, I'm refinishing an old rowboat and at the corners (tip of the bow and corners of the stern) there's a lot of screws and some of them have likely been added later by former owners to try to tighten up the seams.

I'm thinking of just leaving them in there, but maybe there's a good reason to take them out?

Filler
by: Anonymous

It isn’t normal to putty over the screws holding metal fittings.

The other screws as they are in plywood they won’t be countersunk deeply so you just need a bit of filler for cosmetic reasons.

If she was to spend the whole season in the water all those different metals might be a problem.

But for a pram which will probably be out of the water a lot of the time something like ‘Plastic Padding’ should be fine.

Some clarification
by: Bigtrout

When I removed fasteners in preparation for revarnishing and repainting many had a soft pliable putty or some sort of filler coating or on top of the fastener.
I assume it served to keep the screw hole waterproof and/or served as a type of lubricant. Aluminum flat rails are fastened to the top of the transom, gunnels, and keel.

Filler
by: Anonymous

Do you mean something to cover the heads of the screws?

A pram dinghy doesn't normally stay in the water for long periods so it isn't that critical to have a particular product.

I would avoid anything that is going to stick too well to the screw head, you might just need to get it out again sometime.

There are a variety of marine 'plastic wood' products that come in different colors and can be varnished and painted but they purport to stick to metal as well as wood.