Replaced chain plate deck core - Did I do something stupid?

[JeffBurright]

Hi all, I felt pretty good about a deck repair I did recently around my starboard chainplate, but after reading up again now I'm wondering if I made a fatal mistake.

My chainplate goes through the deck and attaches to the bulkhead, and the deck around the plate intrusion was soggy and rotten. I removed the fiberglass skin in the area and replaced the balsa core, but rather than remove the chainplate and create a slotted epoxy plug for it to fit into surrounded by flexible sealant, I just molded thickened epoxy around the chainplate itself. This was partly because I left the 1.5" tab of fiberglass topskin around the chainplate, and it made sense at the time to just turn that area into a solid watertight block. Now after re-reading some of the discussion here, I'm more than a little afraid that I've created an immovable seal that's going to damage the deck, the plate, or both.

Can someone out there please let me know if what I did was stupid, and how stupid, exactly? What will be the consequences if I sail with this setup? Any suggestions for how to rectify the situation if in fact the epoxy is solidly adhered to the chainplate?

Thanks, and please, be gentle.
Jeff

[US27inKS]

Odds are that the chainplate will break loose from the epoxy. Chrome or polished stainless are hard to adhere to. When the chainplate breaks loose, you can properly rebed it.

When I did mine, I coated the chainplates with johnson's floor wax to aid in breaking them loose. Yours may just take a little more than a light smack from a hammer.

As far as sailing the boat goes, don't worry about it. The amount of flex between the deck and the bulkhead is minimal. Once it breaks loose from the epoxy, you will need to rebed it properly with butyl tape.

[Gary M]

I did mine but I removed the chain plates and installed a foam core about 8 inches sqaure with a section of thickend epoxy right where the plates go. Then when it was set up I simply cut new slots there for the plates.

[JohnRPollard]

Jeff,

You might be able to hasten "the release" by applying moderate heat to the chainplate. Epoxy is tough stuff, but it doesn't like heat.

But wait until you hear from others on whether this might affect the temper of the stainless.

[dieselboy]

Originally Posted by JohnRPollard

Jeff,

You might be able to hasten "the release" by applying moderate heat to the chainplate. Epoxy is tough stuff, but it doesn't like heat.

But wait until you hear from others on whether this might affect the temper of the stainless.

Just my .02 but..

Stainless no. it takes a great amount of heat to even bother stainless the fiberglass will catch fire long before.. So, no heat.... the fiberglass will give out long before the epoxy or the stainless.. Heat may also cure epoxy and make it even harder depending on what type was used.

[Capnblu]

Get a spiral bit for your dremil tool. The spiral bit has a completely round end that will ride along your chainplate. I would cut out a bevel completely around each chainplate, then use this bevel to seal it up with butyl, and a stainless coverplate.

[floatsome]

I used this method: Chainplate Fix and packed with butyl tape under a stainless plate. Worked great for me, based on one season so far - no drips. It makes sense to me to leave some room for the chainplates to move a bit with this kind of deck installation.