Bow pulpit removal mystery

[tmorrow]

Anyone know how to access the nuts that secure the bow pulpit on a Catalina 30? I can’t see any way to get to the ones on the port side and the ones on the rear starboard side. Is the only way to install inspection ports in the anchor locker?

 

[sailboatracer]

Step 1: Remove deck.

 

[Meriachee]

Are you sure there are nuts?

 

[Ward H]

On my 93 C30 there are metal plates imbedded under the rear stanchions of the pulpit. The front stanchions are through bolted. You need really long arms to get to the nuts under the front port stanchion.

 

[Gene Neill]

Same as what Ward said. On our '88 C22, I had to install inspection ports in the sides of the anchor locker to get at the forward ones. The aft ones had metal plates.

 

[Will Gilmore]

Welcome to SBO, tmorrow.
You are lucky you found this forum and very smart to have joined it. These are great guys with knowledge as boundless as the seas they sail. Someone here will know the answers you seek and all are willing to help and share their knowledge here.
Unfortunately, I know nothing of Catalinas. What happens when/if you turn the bolts from the top side? do they loosen? Can you even get a grip on them or are they more like a carriage bolt? Do you know the bow pulpit was factory installed? What year is your boat?
I take it you can reach the bolts on the forward starboard side, so you know there are bolts. Can you see the bolts you can't reach? Ward H describes a setup that means you might only need to reach the forward bolts. The aft bolts just thread down into the embedded plates.
I found this picture of a Cat30 anchor well. If you don't have one and you want one, now would be a good time to put one in.

https://catalina.sailboatowners.com/mods.php?task=article&mid=84&aid=5972&mn=30 .

I hope you work this problem out and welcome, again, to SBO.

-Will (Dragonfly)

 

[sailnoproblem]

It was built like every other production boat. The deck hardware is installed on the deck before the deck is attached to the hull. Note: with no regard for reaching many of the mounting points in the future.
Ward and Gene are right there are metal plates imbedded in the deck and the bolts are threaded into it.
Just a suggestion try to loosen the bolts with a hand impact tool (imbedded ones) good luck.
Welcome to SBO.

 

[Ward H]

I had to install inspection ports

That's a good idea I hadn't thought of.
I bent my pulpit the first week I had it in the water tying to dock it. I found an almost brand new pulpit in the gear ads. Putting the new one on is on the spring list.

 

[tmorrow]

Thank you everyone for the quick responses. So the good news is that the rear bolts screw into a metal plate. The bad news is that the port side seems to be stripped as I can literally pull them out with a pair of pliers. I'm going to investigate further based on what you guys have told me today if the rain holds off. I hope the embedded metal plate hasn't somehow dropped out. That would suck.

 

[Hayden Watson]

If the aluminum plate is stripped, you have two choices.
1. Drill an oversized hole in the stanchion base and drill and tap the plate for a larger bolt.
2. Install a Helicoil to repair the threads. http://www.repairengineering.com/helicoil.html
BTW, the imbedded plate is cast into the fiberglass of the deck.

 

[Gene Neill]

On the C22 it is a very thin plate, more like a sheet. Embedded, yes, but barely. Drill and tap would be better than helicoil. The plate might be (certainly should be!) be thicker on a C30, though.

View from abaft port side:

 

[tmorrow]

Drill and tap it is. Will let you know what happens.

 

[Ward H]

I like Hayden's ( @Hayden Watson ) idea of drilling an oversized hole and tapping for a larger machine screw.
But first check out this pic.

This is looking up at the starboard side deck joint area at the forward bulkhead. The red and black cables are for a windlass. The silver dot above the red cable is where one of the machine screws for the pulpit base pokes slightly through. If this machine screw stripped I would put a longer bolt through and put a thick large nut on it.
You might be able to do the same depending where the machine screw can be reached.

Hard to see in the pic but when you take a close look you can see the thicker area where the metal plate is embedded.

Edit: I was writing while Gene posted. Based on the thickness I see I'm guessing the plate on the C30 is 1/4".
When I rammed my pulpit into a piling the front pushed down and the back pulled up, pulling a few screws out of the plate. I'm glad they stripped out rather than pulling up any fiberglass. On second thought I would rather drill and tap before putting nuts underneath.

 

[tmorrow]

Finally getting back to closing this out. After taking care of other projects that took priority, I finally turned back to the bow pulpit. I removed all the screws to allow me to drill and tap for the new screws and discovered that the screws in question were all 1 inch in length and the screws on the starboard side were 1 1/4 inch in length. I tried the longer screws on the port side and found that the plate wasn’t stripped at all! Someone used screws that were too short! The only thing holding the screws in and the stanchion to the deck was some kind of silicon crap! Couldn’t believe it. Rebedding and reinstalling the bow pulpit the correct way with the correct screws today.

 

[Project_Mayhem]

The good news is you just solved two issues. I would suggest checking other deck fittings for silicone. They will fail

 

[tmorrow]

Yup. Already started. Rebedded starboard portlights. When the weather clears the pulpit is next and then on to all the stancions, cleats, etc...

 

[tmorrow]

Whoever designed the forward part of the bow and access to the underside of the stanchion bases and cleats on the Catalina 30 should be taken out and flogged! What a pain in the ass to access the bow pulpit stanchions and cleats!!! Geez! Love my boat, but am ready to strangle someone after the contortions I had to go through today!