Backstay Chainplate Replacement

[larchmont_oday]

Hello,

New to the forum and appreciate all the great info here. I recently acquired a 1978 O'Day 23. The boat's mast had fallen down after the backstay chainplate failed. I am in the process of having the stays shortened, the mast cut down a bit, and replacing the chainplate in order to get sailing again. I ordered a new chainplate from DR Industries but am having difficulty removing the old chainplate. The screws are just spinning. Guessing there may be a backplate but have no idea how I could access? If unable to access, could I mount the new chainplate to the exterior using longer screws and bolt it through? Picture attached. Any help is much appreciated as I am new to sailing.

Thanks!

 

[sail sfbay]

Congratulations on your new sailboat and welcome to the forum!!! Ouch!!.........might have to get a rigger involved and night find this article on a 1978 O'Day 23 chainplates helpful.

Chainplates: Do Yours Leak?

 

[jssailem]

Welcome to the forum. Oh you are starting with the challenges. Good for you.

That looks like one of those lay on your back in the confined space under the cockpit and reach up with one arm to put a wrench on the nut located on the inside of the transom. Then pray that someone on the out side can hear your screams to turn the screw counter clockwise. They will eventually come out. Most likely they could have a bit of rust .

Or you can take the macho route. Get a grinder and grind off the heads of the screws so you can push the bolt body into the hull. This may end up with the bolt lying somewhere inside the boat, just out of reach. It will rattle about and make that satisfying moan of a lost bolt, as you tack the boat back and forth. But it won't hurt anything.

Good luck

 

[larchmont_oday]

Thanks for the reply. I am OK with the bolt rattling around - just wondering how to attach the new plate. Would you drill through to the interior of the boat and attach a plate to hold the bolts?

 

[jssailem]

Those are not screws they are bolts with a slotted screw head.

The chain plate has to be thru bolted with a backing plate not he inside or it would rip out of the transom in a good breeze.

You will want a backing plate of stainless (match the metals reduce corrosion). Lock nut washers, and stainless nuts on the inside. If you plan to get your hand up inside there, very often, you may want to cover the bit of bolt that extends beyond the nut with something. On most boats they are just left to grab and tear the skin of unsuspecting sailors.

 

[larchmont_oday]

Sorry for the novice questions - but I can't imagine being able to get my hand up there, nevermind being able to attach a backing plate. Could I attach the backing plate on the interior of the hull (in the cockpit) and use longer bolts?

 

[jssailem]

Not practical. You could. You could also mount a Beckson View plate Screw-Out Deck Plate by Beckson or 2 in the cockpit side of the transom. They are certified to be water tight. I have used them before when I could not crawl into a tight transom. Then reach into the space to mount the backing plate and the nuts.

Note the transom on your boat is designed to carry the pull and tug of the mast as you are sailing. You want to secure the chainplate to the transom. The space between the transom and the cockpit is air. The cockpit shell is not designed to carry the forces applied to the chain plate.

 

[larchmont_oday]

that sounds like a great solution -- thanks very much

 

[larchmont_oday]

JSsailem - thanks again for your advice. I did this replacement today and this was the perfect solution.

 

[jssailem]

I’m glad it worked out for you.
Post a picture.
Share how you did the fix. Pay it forward for the next guy with a similar dilemma before he starts pulling his hair out. Think of all the guys you can save from going bald.

 

[sreidvt]

Jack's suggestion was spot on. Now that you have that Beckson access port in, Larchmont, you should also have great access for rebedding your upper gudgeon (which is overdue on a lot of old boats). The lower gudgeon may be accessible from the lazarette. I have a Beckson port opposite my upper gudgeon for just this reason.

 

[larchmont_oday]

Some pics of the final project - please send me a note with any questions