I rebedded the chain plates (and the pulpits and stanchion bases) this fall. I used 3M 4200. (Don't use 5200, it is too strong an adhesive.) I took off the hardware, cleaned, taped and sanded the deck with 120 grit and wiped with acetone, sanded the hardware bases with 120 and wiped with acetone, put a thick layer of 4200 on the bases and the deck, and replaced the hardware. Put 4200 under the bolts too and make sure the shaft of the bolt is cleaned and sanded. The idea is to make sure the 4200 has a good bond. Critically, put the bolts in and press the fitting down some but DO NOT TIGHTEN until the 4200 has cured, 2 days or so. Then have someone hold the bolt heads on deck and tighten the bolts from below. The cured 4200 will bulge out and you should have a very tight seal.
If the bolt head is allowed to turn, the compound's adhesion between the bolt head and the hardware base may rupture and you will likely leak.
The chain plates are U bolts. I unbolted them (from below, of course) and sprayed on some penetrating oil, left them for a few days. They were still tight as could be and I ended up using an auto jack to lift them (from above, using a strap passed though the U bolt and over the top of the jack). You could tap them with a hammer from below (I did, carefully) but you might ruin the threads. The jack method worked pretty well.
The U bolts go through a U channel of maybe 1/8 or 3/16 aluminum. I found the aluminum corroded from leaking sea water. The corrosion wasn't too bad but I wanted to make sure the nuts and washers couldn't pull through so I bought some 3/4" aluminum stock 1/8" thick (I could have used 1/4"). I cut this into 6" pieces and drilled it very carefully with a drill press and basically doubled the aluminum channel by way of the U bolts (on the under side of the channel). While the channel was out I cleaned it up and cleaned out a lot of caked salt that was up on the underside of the deck where the channel had been. Then I polished up and bedded with 4200 per above and tightened down and it worked out fine.
The corrosion was sufficiently advanced (and so hidden) that I suggest anyone who owns one of these boats and who has not inspected the channel do so. If the corrosion was bad enough the bolts and washers could end up bearing directly on the glass deck and conceivably they could pull through.
After the job I put a hard water hose spray on the fittings and just one pulpit base leaked a drop or two and I know why.
Do this job once and you will never let someone push on a lifeline or stanchion again!
The big issue was "interferences", working in such restricted quarters, in lockers, up in the pointy end etc. You will need 11 mm and 14 mm deep socket wrenches, as well as crescents same sizes. One of those new ratcheting type crescents in the same sizes might have been handy (avail. NAPA). You need a big screwdriver as well and a good work light. An inspection mirror too.
For taking off the pulpit and stanchion hardware you can usually put a Vise-Grip on the nuts below deck and turn from above, making at least that part a one man job.
Obviously you will scrutinize the hardware and bolts when it comes off for cracks etc. With the stem chainplate, I took it off and polished it with Bon Ami and wiped it with oil then wiped it dry. I rubbed it over with chalk line chalk and had close look. The idea is that the chalk collects in the oil remaining in any fine cracks and shows up the cracks - a do it yourself form of non-destructive testing, they say. I read once that stainless steel forgings almost never fail without first showing some sign of cracking or maybe elongated bolt holes so my test (and the whole chainplate job) gave me a real comfort level.Nicholas Walsh
Nicholas H. Walsh P.A.
111 Commercial Street
Portland Maine 04101
Tel. 207/772-2191
fax 207/774-3940
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From: mageekenneth
Sent: Monday, November 17, 2008 10:31 AM
To:
AlbinVega@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [AlbinVega] Chain platesDoes anyone have experience with changing out the chin plates? Where
could replacements be found?
