Helicoil vs re-tapping to next bigger size threads?

I broke the custom "bow sprit" on my Hobie Island, and decided to replace it with something more heavy-duty (will post some details on that later). Everything was going surprisingly smoothly, until I stripped the threads on one of the Hobie brass inserts. It was 10-32 threads, so I figured I'd tap it to 12-24, and I can't see any major difficulty in accomplishing that (once I buy the tap, that is...).

However, looking online, a lot of people recommend using a helicoil over re-tapping to a larger size. The helicoil tool would cost about 2x more than a 12-24 tap, but if it's a better way to do it, I could go that way, especially given that I can foresee having to do this a few more times.

I'm not sure if one might be better than the other wrt strength and/or corrosion. Any thoughts?

I would go with the Helicoil repaired.  It's Stainless Steel and will not strip again.

I've used helicoil with good success before, but it was a long time ago. I blew a sparkplug out of the head on an old high compression Kawasaki 750 twin, oops, haha. Was a great bike, and I rode it for about two more years after that repair.

I might go with a timesert f.t.w. added ridgidity with the hat/collar
I don't know about over boring the thin thread bore for a bigger sized screw, could be fine...

I decided to tap it for the next size up, namely, 12-24. It was the cheapest option, but the main reason was that I could get it done today. There was no need to drill it out, as the hole was already slightly oversized, as compared to the ideal size for a 12-24 tap.

The only catch was that the tap had a point end, so it could only reach about the top 1/2 of the threads. Since the total depth is only about 3/8", only about 3/16" was threaded. So, I fired up my angle grinder and took off the pointy part off the tap and was then able to get it threaded all the way to the bottom.

If this had happened in an easy-to-reach location, I probably would have just drilled it out and thru-bolted. Anyways, it seems to be be sturdy, and I'd wager that it is every bit as strong as it was originally.

Nice work, looks like plenty of meat left there.
7days