How dangerous is this crack, and how to get it repaired?

[TQA]

For peace of mind get a new fitting but if that is difficult just get it welded then CRACK TEST THE SUCKER.

[GaryHLucas]

Wow, this thread is really over the top. That weld probably cracked because it was a very thin weld laid on top of the underlying material with little penetration. 10 minutes with a grinder, lay a full depth bead in there, go sailing. If a welder tells you this can't be fixed, find a guy who IS a welder!

Gary H. Lucas

[Omatako]

Originally Posted by GaryHLucas

Wow, this thread is really over the top. That weld probably cracked because it was a very thin weld laid on top of the underlying material with little penetration. 10 minutes with a grinder, lay a full depth bead in there, go sailing. If a welder tells you this can't be fixed, find a guy who IS a welder!

Gary H. Lucas

10 minutes with a grinder I could cut the entire boat in half . Just kidding, I agree, simple job, simple solution.

[casey1999]

Originally Posted by hardalee22

Hello,

I believe that is called the "stem fitting" but check with someone else as I am not a rigger.

I don't know how it would be repaired, but I would not take the boat out at all. If that piece breaks the rig could come down and on a 30 foot plus boat that would be a scary thing.

Good luck,

Curious how you would inspect the rigging under the jib roller? I have a hood roller that is 26 years old. Bought the boat a year ago. I do not know when the rig fittings and wire were last inspected. To inspect do I need to remove the entire Hood roller furling? It looks like this is what I need to do.

[tommays]

Chainplates break all the time and as much of a welder as i am i dont see how anybody can call it safe one way or the other from a picture after 20 years of bending


Casey my headstay was the newest standing rigging on the boat and the only way i could look at the wire was to take apart the Furling unit somewhat

After doing it the main issue was the wire being worn away near the top from the furling units bushings and it was about 1/3 through the wire

[GeorgeB]

Let’s not over react. The stem fitting is held to the boat by four through bolts in the bow (pic below shows top two) and two through the top plate on the deck. Your rig won’t come down because of this. Yes, you should get it re-welded to prevent crevis corrosion and the two side gussets keep it from moving when the rig loads up. One of the ways Catalina keeps the costs down is sharing components, in this case the C36 stem fitting. IMHO, the geometry is a little “off” for use in the C34. If anything, re-welding in place will give you better alignment of the stem to stay. In my years as chief measurer for the C34IA organization, I’ve looked at a lot of stem fittings. Some are tweaked, others are not. Normally, this is not a problem. Get it welded in place. Or if you have leaks in the caulking, take it off for welding. Either way. I would call the technical dept at Catalina, They can give you good advice and then they can also update their records for your boat. The C34IA organization is a fantastic resource and I encourage you to join. You can post your question on their website if you want further advice. Biron Toss did a rigging survey on my boat and my stem fitting was not a problem for him. (He didn’t like my tack line set up however, and not for the “obvious” reason either.)

[casey1999]

Originally Posted by tommays

Casey my headstay was the newest standing rigging on the boat and the only way i could look at the wire was to take apart the Furling unit somewhat

After doing it the main issue was the wire being worn away near the top from the furling units bushings and it was about 1/3 through the wire

That is what I was afraid of. Looks to be a big job (but one that needs to be done) taking apart this 26 year old corrode furling jib. I will put it near the top of the list.
Thanks