Port chainplate
Starboard chainplate
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Port chainplate |
Starboard chainplate |
The port side chain plates on these boats seem to be a common problem area. I should have paid more attention, because I only discovered a problem days before we were due to be launched for the first time. Our chain plates are stainless bars but they were only bolted into the teak plywood bulkhead. Leakage over the years had completely rotted the wood. If we had tried to raise the mast, it would have come down immediately. I found some 1/4" aluminum plate and made an extension for the port chain plate that could be bolted into the glass hull inner liner (the head furniture). I also fitted a piece of ACQ pressure treated wood in place of the rotted section of bulkhead, bolted that to the chainplate and bedded it to the underside of the deck.
We found on the boat an extension that a prior owner had made for the starboard chainplate. At some point, the chainplate had apparently ripped out the glass on the starboard side and the extension was made to move the purchase deeper into the glass. A crude repair was then made to the glass and the extension removed. We reinstalled the extension and have not had a problem (yet!). There is a piece of teak (removed for the photo) that hides the awful looking glass repair.
Neither chainplate has moved at all in several seasons so I think we have that problem solved. I special ordered a pair of stainless chain plate covers from Schaefer to replace the rotted plastic originals on the deck (Schaefer SK-4231, 2? x 7/32?).
We also have forward lower shrouds that are anchored only to padeyes on the deck. They seem to have held OK so far, but we may want to add cables inside to anchor them to the hull or hull liner.