Bought boat and sailed couple of times but now taking a closer look I see hair line cracks in the hull were the 3 chain plates are on each side. has any one seen this on there lancer, and how to deal with this?
Chain plates
- Thread starter Patrick Stump
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I have since learned they are fiberglassed over from the inside! No inspection possible. This was Lancers method of eliminating deck leaks. ALL of the deck hardware mounting screws, bolts and plates have been glassed over...Replacing the bolts on two of my lifeline stanchions was a major job...
Good afternoon all. See my thread on hand hold removal, where I used a plug cutting bit to remove the fiberglass around the nut. Remember also that SS requires air to keep from cooroding. Steve
Once sea water seeps in and collects in the fiberglass pocket surrounding the fittings, corrosion is guaranteed..Removing the nuts was impossible. I was able to use a sawz-all, a small battery-powered one, to cut the stanchion bolts/nuts, remove and replace them..
Don Casey has an interesting article where he poured raised islands of resin around his chain plates to limit water intrusion. This might be helpful for the Lancer. I had one and never did figure out where the chain plates mounted too either. The best plan may be to drill a weep hole at the bottom of the fiber glass encapsulating them and then be sure to check them annually. Reseal at the deck initially and then if they leak again later. The full monty would be to cut away the fiberglass, remove them, replace if necessary and then glass them in again inserting a tube to allow weeping / inspection as previously mentioned. Your other engineering ideas may apply, including mounting them externally to the hull or to a new wooden bulkhead.
I did my chainplates last week. I wish to heck I had taken photos for you all though but I was a man on a mission at the time and didn't stop to snap a few. The fiberglass covering my chainplates belowdecks had spiraled from weeping water to seaping water to dripping water. So time to do something about it. I removed the fiberglass the way any Marine would: a chisel and a rubber mallet. I then repaired the few knicks in the fiberglass of the deck and cleaned the chainplates (the nuts were loose enough on the bolts that I could handturn them after just a few go-rounds with a ratchet). I resealed ever possible seam topside and belowdecks around the chainplate with 5200, put a bead of 5200 around the inner and outer perimeters of each chainplate and reattached all of the hardware connections. I left mine exposed to the cabin air instead of glassing over them again because I didn't see the engineering value in it. The job seems rather solid and no water has permeated the area of the chainplates after two days of rain and a 3 gallon bucket of water test.
-usna06marine
-usna06marine
Good afternoon all. I haven't covered up my L25 chainplate area with the "headliner" and will post some photos when I get back from travel in mid-May. I think it was Bob's idea to remove the chainplates from the inside and remount them oatboard. I like that idea and may add that one to the "to do list." For now I've got to get the portlights reinstalled and the remaining foam particles/glue removed from the fiberglass as my wife and I are heading for several days of sailing in the Sacramento River Delta in June...gotta keep the little lady happy! Steve
5200
It amazes me how we sailboaters ignore leaks coming into our boats rather than maintain them. I have a toe rail leak now and it is still a toss up whether I will get to it this year versus some other tasks.
Sounds like quite a job. Sorry to say, but I just wished you hadn't used 5200. 5200 is a structural adhesive and lacks the flexibility to be a good sealant around the chain plates. It is also hell to remove later. It was a great idea to leave them exposed so you can keep track of them. Were the chain plates themselves in good shape?
It amazes me how we sailboaters ignore leaks coming into our boats rather than maintain them. I have a toe rail leak now and it is still a toss up whether I will get to it this year versus some other tasks.
Man! 5200 seemed like the way to go. I'll definitely keep a close eye on it and make sure I'm not tearing anything up or springing leaks. The chainplates were in pretty good shape. A little discoloration from the moisture, but they cleaned up pretty well with some cleaner. I realize the only surefire crack detector is dye or x-ray, but they looked pretty good to the naked eye.
As part of my recent round of repairs, I took both toe rails off, sealed the joint with tub and tile caulk, replaced the (presumably factory) soft metal screws with stainless, then reattached the toe rails and sealed them. No more leaks down below from toe rail area either. That job took me probably 8 hours per toe rail due to screwheads stripping. I love this boat. My girlfriend, not so much. Maybe once I get it out on the water.
As part of my recent round of repairs, I took both toe rails off, sealed the joint with tub and tile caulk, replaced the (presumably factory) soft metal screws with stainless, then reattached the toe rails and sealed them. No more leaks down below from toe rail area either. That job took me probably 8 hours per toe rail due to screwheads stripping. I love this boat. My girlfriend, not so much. Maybe once I get it out on the water.
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