I’m worried about the rig integrity of my newly acquired ‘89 Hunter 30-2. There is a badly rusted nut where the shroud tie-rod is threaded into the fitting that’s hidden in the hull (see photo). That fitting is inaccessible. Does anyone know how this fitting is attached to the hull and how it might be accessed, inspected and replaced?
30-2 rusted tie-rod joint
- Thread starter rioila
- Start date
jssailem
SBO Weather and Forecasting Forum Jim & John
- Oct 22, 2014
- 23,143
Welcome @rioila to the Sailboat Forum.
Congrats on your new to you boat.
Did you have the boat surveyed? Did the item come up on a list of concerns about the boat?
Yes there is surface rust on that nut. It is not a stainless part. The rod is attached to a steel bracket beneath the fiberglass you see around the nut. The bracket would be attached to the hull as the rigging is designed to transfer the forces of the mast and sail through the deck to the hull.
You might get one of those remote cameras (Harbor Freight sells them - nice ones for about $150) and look beneath the fiberglass to assess the level of rust/corrosion that is happening. Do you have a water leak in the area?
Remember you bought a boat that is 30 plus years old. The original hardware is going to have some wear on it. The photo is just a piece of the system. You will want to do a lot more looking/inspecting before you get excited about the issue. It is an issue that I would put high on my priority list to inspect and get a complete picture before I went into tearing stuff out.
If this is an area you are uncomfortable with you might want to find a rigger in the area to take a look. They will have seen this before and can give you a reasonable appraisal as to how serious the issue is.
Congrats on your new to you boat.
Did you have the boat surveyed? Did the item come up on a list of concerns about the boat?
Yes there is surface rust on that nut. It is not a stainless part. The rod is attached to a steel bracket beneath the fiberglass you see around the nut. The bracket would be attached to the hull as the rigging is designed to transfer the forces of the mast and sail through the deck to the hull.
You might get one of those remote cameras (Harbor Freight sells them - nice ones for about $150) and look beneath the fiberglass to assess the level of rust/corrosion that is happening. Do you have a water leak in the area?
Remember you bought a boat that is 30 plus years old. The original hardware is going to have some wear on it. The photo is just a piece of the system. You will want to do a lot more looking/inspecting before you get excited about the issue. It is an issue that I would put high on my priority list to inspect and get a complete picture before I went into tearing stuff out.
If this is an area you are uncomfortable with you might want to find a rigger in the area to take a look. They will have seen this before and can give you a reasonable appraisal as to how serious the issue is.
Thank you. Excellent pointers, especially the remote endoscopic camera suggestion, that will provide inside viewing without cutting a big hole. Surveyor did not spot this problem !! Yes, there was a water leak around the shroud deck plate. Yes, I am working with a professional rigger.
jssailem
SBO Weather and Forecasting Forum Jim & John
- Oct 22, 2014
- 23,143
All good approaches.
We're not born with this knowledge. It takes time and a willingness to explore. The most important evolution of my becoming a boat owner was to ask more questions then less and learn from the answers.
Your choice of boat is a good one for our PacificNW waters.
Share some pictures of the boat.
We're not born with this knowledge. It takes time and a willingness to explore. The most important evolution of my becoming a boat owner was to ask more questions then less and learn from the answers.
Your choice of boat is a good one for our PacificNW waters.
Share some pictures of the boat.
We like photos! 
Search the forum, several of us have had to deal with this. Not for the faint of heart and does involve cutting, either inside (as most owners who have dealt with this have done) or as Hunter suggests, and cutting from outside the hull , replacing, then reglassing.
You can see my thread on this for my Hunter 34 here.
Captain Jerry also has some pretty good experience on this one, him being dismasted during a race, from the issue.
You can see my thread on this for my Hunter 34 here.
Captain Jerry also has some pretty good experience on this one, him being dismasted during a race, from the issue.
Coupla notes: The rust looks pretty much superficial from the pictures. I don't see scale on top of the buried anchor plate, or around the threaded weldment on the plate . I would be more concerned about the threaded section of the stainless rod under the lock nut. There was a water leak from above and there is a chance that there is some corrosion in the rod thread roots under the nut that ultimately would result in a crack. The area can be inspected by backing off the nut and wire brushing the threads that had been covered by the nut. The anchor plate does not look bad from the pictures but it can be inspected by probing the surface with an awl or icepick (remember those?) If you aren't comfortable judging the potential corrosion, getting a corrosion engineer or a really good surveyor on board to look at both the anchors would be good. If the water leak is still there, fix it. It could be coming from anything piercing the cabin side (portlights etc) or the deck in that area and not necessarily the plate where the shrouds attach. Don't panic unless an inspection shows that the anchor plate is compromised.
A borescope can be used if worried about the majority of the beam that is buried.
Amazon.com : borescope for iphone with light
A borescope can be used if worried about the majority of the beam that is buried.
Amazon.com : borescope for iphone with light
Good pointers, thank you. Do you happen to know the size of the buried anchor plate and how the tie rod is attached to it? You also mentioned a buried ‘beam’. Are beam and anchor plate one and the same? Other respondents talk about a buried angle iron chain plate. I don’t think my 30-2 has such a chain plate.