Looking for some advice from anyone who has removed the bow nose bolster on a 2010 Nautique 230.
I'm replacing the upholstery on the front bow nose bolster and already have a new cover ready to install. To remove the panel, I pulled the lower bow seat cushion and reached behind the fiberglass cap, expecting to find through-bolts with nuts securing the bolster. Instead, I found what appears to be approximately 10 fasteners that look like screws threaded directly into the fiberglass cap, with no retaining nuts visible on the backside.
What has me confused is that I can't find any obvious way to access the screw heads. There doesn't appear to be a seam or opening in the upholstery where a screwdriver could be inserted, and from the backside there are no nuts or other hardware to remove. I've removed the seat base and can partially reach the back side of the bow cap from underneath. I can also almost get my hand up there through the speaker openings in the adjacent port and starboard bow bolsters, but I still can't determine how the panel is actually attached or how Nautique installed it at the factory.
Has anyone removed this bolster before? Are the screws hidden behind the vinyl and intended to be pierced during installation, or is there another attachment method I'm overlooking? Any tips, photos, or insight into the factory installation process would be greatly appreciated before I start pulling on things and risk damaging the fiberglass or upholstery.
Thanks in advance.
I'm replacing the upholstery on the front bow nose bolster and already have a new cover ready to install. To remove the panel, I pulled the lower bow seat cushion and reached behind the fiberglass cap, expecting to find through-bolts with nuts securing the bolster. Instead, I found what appears to be approximately 10 fasteners that look like screws threaded directly into the fiberglass cap, with no retaining nuts visible on the backside.
What has me confused is that I can't find any obvious way to access the screw heads. There doesn't appear to be a seam or opening in the upholstery where a screwdriver could be inserted, and from the backside there are no nuts or other hardware to remove. I've removed the seat base and can partially reach the back side of the bow cap from underneath. I can also almost get my hand up there through the speaker openings in the adjacent port and starboard bow bolsters, but I still can't determine how the panel is actually attached or how Nautique installed it at the factory.
Has anyone removed this bolster before? Are the screws hidden behind the vinyl and intended to be pierced during installation, or is there another attachment method I'm overlooking? Any tips, photos, or insight into the factory installation process would be greatly appreciated before I start pulling on things and risk damaging the fiberglass or upholstery.
Thanks in advance.
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