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Best product for sealing chainplates??

4K views 5 replies 5 participants last post by  pirateofcapeann 
#1 ·
I have just removed my chainplate covers and am looking to seal them up again. What is the process I need to do? Do I need to clean out all the what I think is Butyl tape or is just a basic cleaning ok? How long should I let it dry for? (water that is) and what product is best??
 
#2 ·
LM:

Your basic problem is that you want to know the best bandaid to use when in reality your looking at a chainplate/seal/seal cover ''system''. The best alternative you probably have, assuming you have typically small/flat deck plates with slots cut thru which the chainplates pass AND you only want to regoop at the deck edge and screw the plates back down, is to replace the plates with ones that incorporate an indentation on their underside, allowing you to amass a larger body of goop and get a better encompassing seal. (Forespar or someone else in the rigging business sell these, I was recently told). The less desireable choice is to ream out the old goop where you can, clean up the back side of the plate, and then reseal/refasten. Bedding compatibility, sealing in of moisture, and especially the inability to get fresh goop into the seams where the chain plate passes close aboard the slot cut in the deck are problems with this approach, tho'' in truth this is what''s commonly done. This is also why people are finding they must redo this frequently (after they once again find deck leaks at their chainplates) and why deck coring is ultimately found to have failed due to water penetration.

If the offseason allows it, why not pull each chainplate? You''ll purchase peace of mind for starters, and get the job done right for an extended period of service. You''ll be able to do a proper coring repair or epoxy sealing, bevel the slots to hold far more goop, and then fully rebed with a single flexible/high density compound like 5200.

If some chainplates are easier to do than others, do the easy ones and see what you think of what you found, and how easy/hard the job is. That might provide further motivation.

Jack
 
#3 ·
Jack was very thorough and correct I think. Problem for me is getting the cover high enough on the chainplate to work under it. So each season I just dig out the old silicon and apply new. I use lots of clear silicon so that it comes out around the edges of the cover and up through the slot. I don''t think I have any leaks.
 
#5 ·
Lastmango
You might want to read Done Casey"s article in the SailNet Articles. It is titled ---------- "Choosing and Using Sealants", and is dated 01/23/03. You will find it by clicking on, View all Articals, under the Last Five Articals column. Right now it is the tenth one on the list.

Walt
 
#6 ·
Who ever came up with the silly idea to run the chain plates up through the deck should be keel hauled… the long way! But as you’re probably not ready to mount phosphor bronze, Herreshoff style chain plates to the outside of your pristine white fiberglass hull, we’ll have to try to correct the problem as it stands.

I faced the same problem on my C22. Over the years, water running down the chain plates had caused the wooden bulkheads to rot out. Although I replaced the bulkheads, I wanted to find a way to keep from having to do it again. I sealed the new bulkheads in multiple coats of epoxy as well as the chain plate bolt holes and bedded the plates and the doublers in epoxy too. But what I really wanted to do was to stop the deck joint leak.

First you need to understand what you’re trying to do. You’re trying to seal a joint between two pieces that move independently of each other, ie, the chain plate and the deck. The movement between these two is caused by the alternate loading and relaxing of the area and the rigging. Although in most cases it’s very slight, it still will eventually break down the bond that any chalking may make on the two, unless there is sufficient space for the chalking to flex properly.

I would suggest that you remove the plates, first marking the position where they exit the deck. Also, if the dirt line is gone, mark the area covered by the cover plates as for esthetic purposes, you don’t want the repair to extend beyond this. Mark a cut line ½ inch around the surfaces of the chain plate, leaving ample material for the cover plate screws to bite on. Cut this area away, right down through the deck, being careful not to damage the mounting brackets for the plates below. Once that’s done, thoroughly clean and dry the area.

If moisture is present, you can use heat lamps and acetone to dry it out. Then seal the core, deck and inner pan surfaces of the cut out with fiberglass. I would use epoxy instead of resin for this, as the repair area will be small. Don’t forget to run some epoxy into the cover plate screw holes with a pipe cleaner.

Once the repairs are cured, clean the inner faces with a file, acetone and a scrunge pad. You want to get these surfaces clean and free of wax so the chalk will bond. Use a sander on the deck so the cover plates lay flat and below to clean up the over-head as well. Clean the chain plates and their mounting surfaces below. Use a wire wheel on the sections that pass through the deck, and re-mount the chain plates and doublers. I bedded mine in epoxy but 5200 may work here just as well.

Now, from below, tape off around the chain plates at the overhead then take your 5200 topside and fill the voids around the plates well. A plumber’s acid brush may help make a better mechanical bond to the fiberglass and the metal as a first step, then fill ‘em up!

It takes about 7 days for 5200 to cure. It expands a bit as it sets and here is where you’re going to put the final finish on your fix. Using a sharp chisel cut off the excess about ¼ inch below deck level at the chain plate. This will give the 5200 some flexing room before it hits the cover plate and is stripped off. Put the covers back on and you’re done! They should give you years of leak free service. Mine were still dry when I sold Olde Blue four years later.

Well, I hope this response wasn’t too exhaustive and is helpful to you. Good luck!

Pi
 
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