SailNet Community banner
  • SailNet is a forum community dedicated to Sailing enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about sailing, modifications, classifieds, troubleshooting, repairs, reviews, maintenance, and more!

Pearson 28-1 Chainplates & Bulkheads

4K views 5 replies 4 participants last post by  jpsails 
#1 · (Edited)
Hi all,

I'm looking at a Pearson 28-1 and overall the boat is in pretty good shape except for the bulkhead and chainplates. There was some rust on the chainplate bolts and staining on the bulkhead. The owners said it's been that way for years so they never thought twice about it. The deck seems solid around the chainplate but I guess there's a chance it could be soft under the cover. Does anyone know if these bulkheads are solid fiberglass or plywood/balsa cored? I'm thinking about walking away at this point and don't know if it's worth paying a surveyor $600 to do a percussion test. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.
 

Attachments

See less See more
2
#2 ·
Rust leaks pouring out of chainplates are always a bad sign. In this case... meh, they are easy to get to, cheap to replace, and no major disassembly of the hull is required to get to them. If the bulkheads are not rotted out then it isn't much of an issue, figure a couple hundred bucks to get new chainplates made. If the bulkheads are bad then it's a much bigger deal.
 
#3 ·
On a boat of that age with rust running down the bulkhead from the chainplate, unless you know that the chain plates have been replaced recently, the chain plates will need to be replaced.
 
#4 ·
Thanks for the replies. The chainplates more than likely need to be replaced but it's the bulkheads I'm really concerned about. What's the likelihood that the chainplates are rusted and have water stains and the bulkheads aren't damaged?
 
#6 ·
I've got a '74 28-1 that I removed and rebedded the chainplates on and from the other Pearsons I've seen I'm confident that the bulkhead construction and chainplate setup didn't change over the model years for the 28-1. The bulkheads are plywood though there are a few external laminate options that were used over the years.

The tabbing for the bulkheads overlaps with some of the chainplate bolts but the bulk of the structural attachment of these chainplates are to the bulkheads themselves. As a result the main structural concerns are bulkhead rot, bolt corrosion and chainplate corrosion. If you can get onto the boat it should be pretty easy to identify if there is a major problem of bulkhead rot present. Tap testing (strike it with something small and hard like a screwdriver handle) the bulkhead around the chainplates and also away from the chainplates where there is no/little risk of water intrusion will help you ascertain how solid the bulkheads are around the chainplates. If tapping sounds the same in all locations, except where it should obviously be different, then rot is minimal or not present. Given the construction/layout of the boat the mid-ships bulkheads are only vulnerable to rot around the chainplates and on the cabin floors (from bilge flooding into cabin) in common scenarios.

Beyond tap-testing you may also notice that the bulkhead is indented from bolt tightening that compressed rotten bulkhead around the bolts/washers or chainplates themselves. Best of all, if you can put a wrench on the bulkhead bolts to snug them up you can easily find out if the substrate is solid or rotten. Rotten bulkheads will compress and distort under very low torque pressure from a wrench. If the bulkhead is solid the bolt will snug up and become hard to turn very quickly, with little/no noticeable compression of the bulkhead.

If you buy the boat you'll have to pull the chainplates to see if there is any problem with them, which is most likely to appear where they go through the decks in my opinion. That gives you a chance to check/replace the fasteners as well so is a good idea. The deck core was not potted/sealed from the factory so removing the balsa from around the chainplate and sealing with thickened epoxy will help protect the deck core in this area.

I wouldn't pay $600 for a surveyor if your only concern are these chainplates as they are easy to get to and inspect on this boat. The chainplates and rigging for this boat is over-built in comparison with most similarly sized boats and is likely to be in better condition than you expect given my experience with a few Pearsons of this era. If there is relevant rot in the bulkhead it will be a big job to fix it correctly though and should be factored into your purchase decison. If the bulkheads are solid then you'll want to plan to rebed the chainplates but even replacing them is a minor task. There are a few ways to replace the rot, including glassing in fresh ply to replace only the rotted section, but replacing the entire bulkhead will be the best way and as you can imagine will be a pretty big project.

P28-1s are great boats for their size. Good luck with it if you are still pursuing this boat.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top