[Public-List] [Ext] Re: Chain plates...

[Alexander Mitchell]

On a family member's sailboat I pulled the chainplates through the deck in
a decent 15 knots of wind.  I didn't really notice it, had the bimini up
and wasn't watching the sail because I was happy with the 6 knots we were
making. She is an Island Bahama 30, and the chainplates were bolted to some
plywood bulkheads that had been leaking horribly.  I looked up at the mast
and it was dog-legged, thank God it did not snap.

Number one source of paranoia for me now when sailing, thanks Gordon for
the reminder to check again.

Al
Rascal #145

On Thu, Mar 17, 2022 at 8:19 AM Jeff Randall via Public-List <
public-list at lists.alberg30.org> wrote:

> Gordon,
>
> Thanks for the sad reminder that trouble lurks wherever water seeps.
>  Also that even the most respected old salt has to constantly pay
> attention.
>
> As I get ready to do spring prep I will pay attention.
>
> Jeff Randall
> Yankee Star. 296
> Sent from my iPhone
>
> > On Mar 17, 2022, at 6:48 AM, Gordon Laco via Public-List <
> public-list at lists.alberg30.org> wrote:
> >
> > "So there I was… “
> >
> > In the RCN stories, particularly stories involving disasters averted at
> the last moment are called ‘salty dips’.   When one is getting under way
> into a salty dip, you start with ’So there I was…’ while making a motion
> overhead as if one is knocking a lantern to make it swing, the image being
> you want to add effect to the tale by simulating the motion of your ship in
> the storm.   Imagine I’m doing that now.
> >
> > So there I was, yesterday, about mid afternoon with the birds returning
> outside my office window, hope fading that my British supplier’s crate of
> fittings would arrive that day, all the desperate customers notified
> ‘hopefully tomorrow’, and for the moment pressing work caught up.  While I
> was building my new dinghy this winter, I forced myself into the habit of
> starting work early and downing tools (well shutting down the computer) at
> 3pm and doing two hours work on the boat.  The dinghy is virtually
> finished, so I decided yesterday to go over to SURPRISE have a look at her
> portside chain plates.
> >
> > Last spring, my big job was to build raised and armoured blocks of
> metal, epoxy and fibre around each chainplate where it came through the
> deck in hopes of finally curing the persistent leaks there.  I did the job
> and the leaks were finally conquered… but I also noticed that during the
> season the portside primary shrouds chain plate seemed to have moved up
> minutely. I could detect this because I could see the ‘waterline’ of caulk
> on the plate where it came out of the metal top surface of the block. Hmmm,
> that’s bad.
> >
> > I looked inside at what the plate is bolted to and saw it was bolted to
> the tabbing securing the bulkhead… the three bolts going through both
> tabbing and bulkhead.  There was a spacer on the after side, and that was
> dark mush.  It had once been plywood, but decades of leaks had destroyed
> the wood.  I turned the nuts and found them apparently loose… turning them
> in was compressing the mush.  That’s very bad.
> >
> > All winter I’ve visualized the repair… well yesterday with the warm
> weather I went at it.  Imagine my horror when the mush came out with
> minimal effort.  Imagine my deeper horror when the bolts all came out with
> very stylish and complex bends in them, obviously from the stress imposed
> on them by the shroud they secured.    If anyone wants to see a picture,
> email me and I’ll send to you.
> >
> > So now I’m resolved to replace all the bolts in all the chainplates, and
> in place of the plywood (mushy or not) I am fitting in the very hard
> variety of mahogany I used for the knees and keel of my new dinghy.
> >
> > Am I glad I looked into this?  Oh yes… oh yes...
> >
> >
> > Gordon Laco
> > 426 Surprise
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
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-- 
Al Mitchell
815-579-4968