Can you install steps on a carbon fiber mast? If so, what screws do I use, ss? Any tips I should know. Is there another product that does the same job?
I wouldn’t think so. Any holes are going to weaken the structure. Get a good quality bosuns chair if you need to go up the mast.
Yes, you can. You need to use machine screws, NOT self-tapping screws. The carbon fiber takes a thread very nicely, just be careful not to break your tap! One thing to know: the CF threads, while well formed, tend to be slippery, and over time screws can back themselves out. The solution is to put a dab of 5200 on the screw before installing, so it has a bit of “grab” once it’s in there.
Here are two of the three folding steps I installed last winter to replace the original aluminum ones, one of which had begun to crack. The new ones are 316 stainless. In addition to the fasteners, I also bedded them in 5200. The original steps were screwed into threaded brass inserts, but Paul Dennis assured me that this wasn’t necessary, and that Freedom eventually abandoned this step in favor of drilling and tapping the carbon fiber directly.
They came out really nice looking, and they’re plenty strong. I picked them up on Amazon for $21 each.
