[Public-List] Mast Beam Variation

Thu Jul 17 07:13:58 PDT 2008

Thanks for the input guys.  I'm fairly confident in my abilities,
however I don't want to undertake days of needless work.

At this point I'm just exploring the possibilities. At first glance,
it would appear that the aluminum plates are just a patch, without
solving the actual problem. However, if scores of people have done
this with complete success perhaps it is the answer.

I know this, while I've not even put my alberg in the water yet (hope
she floats), I tend to sail my boats hard and the last thing I want is
be worrying about the beam.

Question: is "The Washington Aluminum Company" the place to get the
plates still? Anyone have any recent costs for these?

-jeff

On Thu, Jul 17, 2008 at 9:36 AM, Roger L. Kingsland
<r.kingsland at ksba.com> wrote:
> Mr. Bergquist waxes philosophic with great eloquence.
>
> Roger Kingsland, Chief Rubber, Scraper & Check Writer
> "PERFECT intentions" (AKA, Good Old #148)
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: public-list-bounces at lists.alberg30.org
> [mailto:public-list-bounces at lists.alberg30.org] On Behalf Of J Bergquist
> Sent: Thursday, July 17, 2008 9:24 AM
> To: Alberg 30 Public List -- open to all
> Subject: Re: [Public-List] Mast Beam Variation
>
> Jeff-
>
> Quantify what you mean by 'failure' in this context. If you mean
> catastrophic failure (mast going through the boat) then I for one have not
> heard of this. That doesn't mean it hasn't happened. Just that I don't know
> about it.
>
> If you mean slow, steady, creeping failure of the beam over time such that
> you can't close the cabin door any more, then I think these started
> happening back in the 70's (when the original repair was designed by Mr.
> Rankin).
>
> I suspect that when the beam fails is a function mostly of the boat's usage
> pattern. Many boats do a lot of sitting and not a lot of sailing. Boats that
> get sailed a lot are probably going to experience beam failure earlier than
> boats that sit at the dock a lot. So that is why some boats fail earlier and
> others later (of course, it's not the only factor, because no doubt the glue
> used to make these beams probably drops off in strength as a function of
> age, maybe temperature cycles, maybe UV exposure I don't know I'm making
> this up as I go along).
>
> If you want to go to the trouble of ripping out your beam and re-laminating
> a new one and installing that, then have at it. To me it seems like an awful
> lot of work to undertake, especially given the existence of a
> well-documented and successful repair method which was designed by a
> professional and which many people have used over the years. Also, the
> aluminum plate sister method will take you 2 days to complete. I can't
> imagine completing a re-lamination or fresh lamination of a new beam in that
> kind of time. But maybe you are much faster worker than I am.
>
> I suppose if you are very confident in your skills and confident that you
> have the chutzpah to undertake a project like this and see it through to
> completion, then have at it. However, I think we have all seen people
> undertake boat projects that are a little bigger than the well-intentioned
> undertaker (no pun intended) initially estimated.
> Sometimes these things result in an incomplete or less than excellent
> result. People reading this list (well, by that I mean me and some of the
> other Albergers I know) think it's sad to see boats be subjected to these
> kinds of things, and I htink that might be the source of some of the
> resistance you are hearing. Also, when you modify your boat, especially when
> it is a boat with the kind of staying power that these boats have, you
> should consider not only your needs but the needs of future owners. Most of
> us have, from time to time, cursed our previous owners for things they did
> which were less than ideal. I know I have.
> So if you make this repair and it comes apart for the next owner or the
> owner after that, how will that make you feel? How confident are you in your
> skills that you are really up to the task of doing a job like this at least
> as well as Alberg and Whitby (who were professionals that stayed in business
> for several decades...clearly they knew something about what they were
> doing...)
>
> Heck for all I know you're a boat builder by trade. If so, knock yourself
> out.
>
> Ultimately, if you have a good idea, you should vet it, make sure you
> believe in it, and if you have the confidence to undertake it, then go for
> it. There are always people who will say 'nay'. But fortune favors the bold,
> so if you're bold enough to make it happen, best of luck! We just don't want
> to see you do something you might regret later.
>
> If you do undertake this repair I would love to see pix!
>
> Kind regards,
>
> J Bergquist
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-- 
Jeffrey Fongemie
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