Bow Pulpit Removal - O'Day 28

Pafb

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Oct 11, 2012
13
Oday 28 Satellite beach
I need to remove my bow pulpit and re-bed it. Will use "Maine Sail's" method for rebedding deck hardware. Used his method previously to re-bed my genoa tracks and it is an awesome and leak proof process. However, for my bow pulpit the aft base for the bow pulpit has 3 thru deck bolts two of which I can get to very easily but the outboard bolts on both the port and starboard bases are impossible to get to. The nuts for these bolts are between the anchor locker (which is molded into the deck) and the deck to hull seam. Aside from the numerous (and sharp!) deck to hull fasteners there is simply no room to access the nuts. Any suggestions or will I have to install small access hatches on either side of the anchor locker to get to these nuts and properly repair the deck and reinstall the bow pulpit. Photo below should help explain.
 

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Feb 26, 2004
23,360
Catalina 34 224 Maple Bay, BC, Canada
Are you sure there are nuts down below? Have you backed one out to see if maybe there isn't a plate in the deck? Have you tapped around it? And if there are only nuts down below, then access plates are the only way to do it. My boat has a four inch round Beckson plate.
 
Aug 3, 2012
2,542
Performance Cruising Telstar 28 302 Watkins Glen
Yes, the nuts are down below between the anchor locker and the deck/hull seam. You will need a long extension on a socket wrench and a flashlight to reach them. I did mine recently, and they are hard to reach, but not as hard as the forestay chainplate! Use an 18 to 24 inch extension. You can do it. You may have to cut away the hull liner too.

Good luck.

Andrew
 
Sep 23, 2009
1,477
O'Day 34-At Last Rock Hall, Md
Will have to do this on my 34 this fall.
I have found an impact driver like the Bosch unit ps41 or others, to excel at this type of removal. Not even necessary to put a wrench on the opposing nut. Might work for the situation you described.