1997-H410 Stay chainplate cracks !!

vgoya

.
Sep 8, 2021
9
Hunter 410 Vigo
Hi every one,

This is my first post here as a new owner of a H410 so, first of all, greeting to everyone.

In a revision of the rigging I founded this cracks in the Stay chainplate (cracks in the end of the smile shaped cut). Now only the central plate is holding the Stay. Is this a common problem in this model and is there any trusted solution to this ?
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I can't understand what those smile shaped cuts in the reinforcement plate are for, they just make the fixing point weaker.

Thank you in advance for your help. Being a Hunter owner in Europe is a quite lonely experience

Best Regards
V.
 
Oct 22, 2014
20,993
CAL 35 Cruiser #21 moored EVERETT WA
Not sure what caused the cracks.

I think it is time to remove and inspect the chainplates.

The cracks in Stainless is always worrisome. It creates the opportunity for corrosion to occur from the inside. Failure is always sudden.
 

vgoya

.
Sep 8, 2021
9
Hunter 410 Vigo
Do both port and starboard sides look the same?
Yes, both sides look the same. Port and starboard reinforcement plates are fully broken and not working at all. Only the central plate is supporting the Stay, the headsail and the mast. Not nice. When sailing upwind, if you touch the plate, you can feel how it flexes sideways and how the windward crack opens a little bit with each wave and wind gust. Not nice at all.

Can any H.410 owner confirm if this is the original 410 Stay chainplate ? (Sorry if "Stay chainplate" is not the right name for this part of the boat in English)

Thank you in advance !!

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Oct 22, 2014
20,993
CAL 35 Cruiser #21 moored EVERETT WA
Can any H.410 owner confirm if this is the original 410 Stay chainplate
In simple terms. The boat design or manufacture has no relationship here. This is a metal engineering issue and if you were sailing on the Titanic and saw that type of metal fatigue, It is time to get off the boat and fix the issue.

If you are still sailing this boat, you are doing it on borrowed time. The chainplate is in the process of failing. When that happens your mast will be coming down.

You need professional help or a very experienced DIY sailboat smart individual to help you take the stress off the chainplate, remove the chainplate, and have a new one made or purchased to replace the one currently on your boat.

I would not want to sit in port at the marina on that boat with a chainplate showing that type of damage. The risk of a strong wind on bare poles might be all it takes to break the chainplate and topple the mast.

It requires immediate inspection and correction.
 
Jun 4, 2004
1,071
Hunter 410 Punta Gorda
In simple terms. The boat design or manufacture has no relationship here. This is a metal engineering issue and if you were sailing on the Titanic and saw that type of metal fatigue, It is time to get off the boat and fix the issue.

If you are still sailing this boat, you are doing it on borrowed time. The chainplate is in the process of failing. When that happens your mast will be coming down.

You need professional help or a very experienced DIY sailboat smart individual to help you take the stress off the chainplate, remove the chainplate, and have a new one made or purchased to replace the one currently on your boat.

I would not want to sit in port at the marina on that boat with a chainplate showing that type of damage. The risk of a strong wind on bare poles might be all it takes to break the chainplate and topple the mast.

It requires immediate inspection and correction.
I just checked my foresta and thankfull have no cracks. I agree you need emergency measures. Take a couple of haylards and tie them off on the bow and take the pressure off the forstat. Get the boat to a yard and re
 
Jun 4, 2004
1,071
Hunter 410 Punta Gorda
I just checked my forestay and thankfull have no cracks. I agree you need emergency measures. Take a couple of haylards and tie them off on the bow and take the pressure off the forestay. Get the boat to a yard and replace the cracked part.
 
Feb 14, 2014
7,399
Hunter 430 Waveland, MS
I can't understand what those smile shaped cuts in the reinforcement plate are for, they just make the fixing point weaker.
Those are done to relieve stress in the plate and looks like done correctly. The rounded ends of the smile are right too.

The small cracks may indicate the mast was in too much stress, over many years.

The good news is the forward Stay is the easiest to access.

Removal and a good certified welder can fix and actually make it stronger than before.
Jim...
 
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vgoya

.
Sep 8, 2021
9
Hunter 410 Vigo
I just checked my forestay and thankfull have no cracks. I agree you need emergency measures. Take a couple of haylards and tie them off on the bow and take the pressure off the forestay. Get the boat to a yard and replace the cracked part.
Sorry for not sharing this info in my previous posts. Just after I found the cracks. I tied the Spinnaker halyard to another strong point on the bow chainplate. I also rigged up the baby stay or flying stay that the H410 has (at least mine), so I'm moderate sure about the mast not falling down.

Thank you for your very important advice anyhow

Regards
V.
 

vgoya

.
Sep 8, 2021
9
Hunter 410 Vigo
Those are done to relieve stress in the plate and looks like done correctly. The rounded ends of the smile are right too.

The small cracks may indicate the mast was in too much stress, over many years.

The good news is the forward Stay is the easiest to access.

Removal and a good certified welder can fix and actually make it stronger than before.
Jim...
In my opinion the cracks are produced by sideways stress. That side efort is produced by the forestay pulling not 90º straight up but maybe 70º or 60º leewards when you sail upwind specially with a partially furled headsail and/or an undertensioned forestay.

And you are right, the smile shaped cut releases the sideways effort of the port and starboard reinforcement plates but, that way, the only structure holding those side efforts is the central not so thick plate. At some point it seems to have bend so much that said reinforcement plates has cracked.

So welding just the cracks is not a long term solution (IMHO)

Some ideas:
- To weld the cracks but also fill the smile shape cut with welding
- To cut and replace the full central piece of the chainplate (bow-roller) with a really thick SS plate.
- More ideas ?

Thank you all
V.
 

BobH57

.
Oct 23, 2019
91
Hunter 410 Solomons, MD
Sorry for the late response. The forestay chainplate on my '99 H410 has crescent-shaped "ears" welded on both sides in place of the cut-outs shown in your photo.
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  • Helpful
Likes: JamesG161
Feb 14, 2014
7,399
Hunter 430 Waveland, MS
Some ideas:
- To weld the cracks [yes:biggrin:] but also fill the smile shape cut with welding [nope :doh:]
I have expert training and an engineer...
My suggestions still stands.

Simple to verify me, call your local Engineer to review it.

Welding is stronger.
Jim...
 

vgoya

.
Sep 8, 2021
9
Hunter 410 Vigo
Thank you so much Bob, I think you nailed it.

I'm wondering if the smile shaped cuts in my boat can be the holder to weld the protective "ears" but, in my unit, they didn't. Instead they welded the protective bars you can see in the pictures. With the "ears" in place the structure is clearly stronger than with the open cut.

It can be great to have another picture from another H410

Regards
V.





Sorry for the late response. The forestay chainplate on my '99 H410 has crescent-shaped "ears" welded on both sides in place of the cut-outs shown in your photo. View attachment 198351
 
Aug 18, 2018
114
Hunter 410 MDR
Sorry I forgot to look and photograph my 99 410, but I'm almost certain I also have that extra lip like Bobh57. So sorry.
 
Aug 18, 2018
114
Hunter 410 MDR
Made a note to remember, felt bad.
I'm actually getting ready for a standing rigging replacement as well as quite a few additions like adding the inner forestay. I don't have a situation like you do but the extra inner forestay will give me a little piece of mind seeing now what can happen.
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