Rebeding Chain plate deck penetrations

[sailingdog]

Don't forget to mark the turnbuckles very clearly. Also, don't forget to use a halyard or something similar to secure the mast when you're working on the chainplates...

Originally Posted by jarcher

This is a great thread! When I bought my boat the surveyor said that I should rebed all the chain plates. He used a device to check for moisture and said overall the boat had very little but that the area around the chain plates needed a little work.

He suggested that I do them one at a time, loosening the turnbuckle a few turns. Then remove the plate, and put an electric light bulb there for a week or so to dry the area out. Then apply the bedding.

I was thinking I would unstep the mast this winter and do them all at once, but now I am thinking that's not necessary, having seen all these pictures of what you guys have done.

What do you guys think about the idea of drying it all out before putting in the new bedding compound?

[Stillraining]

Originally Posted by jarcher

This is a great thread! When I bought my boat the surveyor said that I should rebed all the chain plates. He used a device to check for moisture and said overall the boat had very little but that the area around the chain plates needed a little work.

He suggested that I do them one at a time, loosening the turnbuckle a few turns. Then remove the plate, and put an electric light bulb there for a week or so to dry the area out. Then apply the bedding.

I was thinking I would unstep the mast this winter and do them all at once, but now I am thinking that's not necessary, having seen all these pictures of what you guys have done.

What do you guys think about the idea of drying it all out before putting in the new bedding compound?

Drying them out is a very good Idea for adheasion... mine were not wet anywhere but several screw holes by the way..but I dont think they need a week.. if you go the route evidently suggested to do them realy properly by opening them up all round clear through the deck with a power tool just that heat alone will more then likely dry things out pretty well ..But if your doing it like I did a hair drier will dry what area your sealing and the rest will dry from the inside once water cant penetrate any more.

[jarcher]

SD, when you say "mark the turnbuckles" you mean marking their position before I loosened them? I was told about the hylard as well, thanks for reminding me!

StillRaining, I asked the surveyor about using a hair dryer and he said that would work but he felt that a slower drying approach was better. Not sure why. Is it necessary to cut back the deck each time the chain plate is lifted, or only if the deck is right up against the tang? I'm thinking there are only so many times it can be cut back, and this hull is 31 years old.

[US27inKS]

This is a great thread, I can't believe I missed it until now.

My boat has a similar chainplate setup. I was having issues with leaks because of the chainplates moving and shearing off the sealant at the outer plate. I reinforced the bulkhead to deck tabbing and resealed, and they leaked again next time the boat left the slip. I ground out the deck around the chainplates, and injected thickened epoxy around the chainplates to reduce the amount of movement possible between the deck and chainplates, then reseal with 4200. Still leaks.

The solution was to create a bevel in the deck around the chainplates and pack the bevel with butyl tape that is used for setting windows, then reinstall the covers. The butyl tape never dries up. It stays gooey and a bit fluid. Even as the chainplates move the butyl tape moves with it, and if it were sheared it would reseal itself. Best of all, it's cheap. I bought a roll of butyl tape for ten bucks for another project. I'll bet a local glass shop would give you a foot or so, more than enough to seal chainplates.

[sailingdog]

Yes, so you can get the rig back to the approximate tension that it was at before you started mucking around with the chainplates. Beats having to start from scratch.

As for cutting back the deck, it should only be neccesary if the deck is right up against the tang.

Originally Posted by jarcher

SD, when you say "mark the turnbuckles" you mean marking their position before I loosened them? I was told about the hylard as well, thanks for reminding me!

StillRaining, I asked the surveyor about using a hair dryer and he said that would work but he felt that a slower drying approach was better. Not sure why. Is it necessary to cut back the deck each time the chain plate is lifted, or only if the deck is right up against the tang? I'm thinking there are only so many times it can be cut back, and this hull is 31 years old.

[JSailer]

I realize this is a little older thread but I enjoyed reading it as I am dealing with a bulkhead issue on the port side. The bottom 2 inches are coming off the hull under high tension from the shrouds on the starboard tack of course.
So, I am going to clean up and re-tab the back section (30 yr old O'Day).
I am however considering a friend's suggestion to just move the chain plate to the outside of the hull, with a backing plate of course on the inside of the hull.
I realize I will lose a few degrees of sheeting angle for the genoa, but I am not too concerned as it seems so little. I do believe it would make the whole thing very solid and I wouldn't have to ever worry about the bulkhead roting, coming off the hull, etc. And of course, never have to worry again about potential leaks on deck from the chainplates.
Does that make any sense?
Any suggestions?
I really do not see the cons beside the sheeting angle. The chainplates are currently about 3 inches from the rail. The work appears simple enough...
I just seems like thru deck chainplates are a poor design and always subject to trouble on any boat.

[sailingdog]

This is probably a good idea. Just make sure that the new chainplates are very well fastened to the hull. Countersink the fastener holes and use a good sealant, like 3M 4200, for the chainplates.

Originally Posted by JSailer

I realize this is a little older thread but I enjoyed reading it as I am dealing with a bulkhead issue on the port side. The bottom 2 inches are coming off the hull under high tension from the shrouds on the starboard tack of course.
So, I am going to clean up and re-tab the back section (30 yr old O'Day).
I am however considering a friend's suggestion to just move the chain plate to the outside of the hull, with a backing plate of course on the inside of the hull.
I realize I will lose a few degrees of sheeting angle for the genoa, but I am not too concerned as it seems so little. I do believe it would make the whole thing very solid and I wouldn't have to ever worry about the bulkhead roting, coming off the hull, etc. And of course, never have to worry again about potential leaks on deck from the chainplates.
Does that make any sense?
Any suggestions?
I really do not see the cons beside the sheeting angle. The chainplates are currently about 3 inches from the rail. The work appears simple enough...
I just seems like thru deck chainplates are a poor design and always subject to trouble on any boat.

[GaryHLucas]

This sounds simple, however I think the job is much more complicated because the boat has a toe rail that extends out beyond the hull. This will be in the way of the chainplates. So you would either need to pad them out away from the hull leaving a really nasty obstruction to hit docks. Or you'd have cut away the toe rail which would leave a joint that would be impossible to seal. There is a good reason they pucnh them through the deck!

Gary H. Lucas