Catek screw incompatibility?

[Guest Jim S]

I had a problem at the end of the season with some used Cateks I mounted to my new 2002 Volkl RT. I was doing a heelside turn when I released from my front binding (set too loose) and fell back so I was skipping the board and caught the edge so hard that I ripped the rear binding right out of the board. The screws just ripped right out of the inserts on the board! The Cateks are World Cup Series with original screws. Does anyone know of any incompatiblity issue with these screws and inserts? I believe the screws are M6 x 16 but most of the nylon patch is worn off being used screws. When I mounted the bindings I was careful not to strip the inserts and everything seemed to fit fine. Any one have this experience?

[Jon Dahl]

with our Renntigers stripping out inserts, only one at a time, not the whole load! If there is no other damage to the board, you can retap the inserts to 1/4 n.f. (28 threads per inch) You will need 2 taps, a standard one to start the threads, and a bottoming tap to fully thread the inserts all the way to the bottom. This makes a very strong repair with no worries if done properly. This has been covered in a previous thread, or email me for details if you need to, as I've done it myself. Jon BTW, thats one each (that I know of) for Bomber, Catek and Snowpro, so I think its the board.

[Chris Houghton]

The question I would ask - how many threads were engaged when the bindings were fixed on the board? Too many boards have the inserts recessed slightly, so thread engagement is minimal - like a turn or a turn and a half only. Perhaps you need an 18mm bolt? Not sure what the inserts are made of, that may also be a factor.

[Jon Dahl]

that on mine I had plenty of thread engagement with the Snowpro's, so insert quality has always been suspect to me. I've never had any problem an any other board, including all 4 kids boards that I maintain. (I can hardly wait 'till they grow up and pay their own way!)

[Guest Jim S]

Thanks for the replies. It looks like it was a screw length issue. I was only getting about 2 1/2 turns of engagement into the inserts with my 16mm screws. I tried some 18mm screws and did better with 4 turns but probably could go to 20mm screws to make sure. It also looks like retapping the stripped inserts will have to be done too. At least i have the summer to get the job done.

[Guest Comrade]

I rode a 2002 RT 168 for two months this year when I noticed that the binding screws would come loose on nearly every run. Please note that I was riding 2003 Catek Olympic Step-Ins. Anyway, on New Years Eve I tore out the top threads of one of my inserts. I understand that this is inherently different than what you guys are probably experiencing, but I still think that my advice is somewhat relevant.

I took the RT into the shop and they advised longer screws. That made sense. So I went out and bought the next size larger than what Catek sent me and I cut them all down to fit perfectly into my inserts. I am getting about 7 threads of engagement. I have had no problems since.

Another thing that I found solved the problem of my screws loosening and losing thread engagement was the loctite on the screws. The stuff that the Cateks come with is pretty trick. However, it wears off very quickly. I recommend Vibra-Tite, or something like that. It costs about $20 for a tiny amount, but it sure works well, at least from my limited experience.

Good luck with your woes.

->Eric