Chainplate torn through deck.

Captnkev25 · Oct 8, 2011

I'm taking it this was your port chainplate?

Joe11688 · Oct 8, 2011

How does the bulkhead look inside the cabin? Is it rotted? Can you take some pictures of the damaged areas and post them here for us.

Years ago, I mounted two O'Day 25 chainplates on my O'Day 222. I did the work myself. If I can do it, anyone can. The chainplates are mounted to your bulkhead down in the cabin. It would take a lot of strain to pull them of a plywood bulkhead like that unless there was some rot present in the bulkhead. Then you would need to replace that bulkhead. As a general rule, a bulkhead will rot in time if water seeps in around the chainplates. It is good that your mast didn't get damaged. I don't see why you couldn't fix this damage yourself. If you do need to replace your bulkhead, you could buy the plywood and use your damaged bulkhead for a pattern. Whatever you decide to do, I wish you luck.

RichBone · Oct 8, 2011

You're not the first oday owner to have to replace the bulkheads. Good thing it happened at the dock. There's number of us that have posted pics of our rebuilds. Tabernacles too. Talk to us.
What's the story with the 'crack where the deck meets the hull'?

Rich

25yearslater · Oct 9, 2011

Hello Teacherspet. I have a 27 which is set up almost exactly the same as the 25. My method can be seen on page 3 of "And so it begins," under bigger boats as to bulkhead removal. Rbone and Emergpa1 have also done this and can guide you through the process. Best wishes for your success.

emergpa1 · Oct 9, 2011

teacherspet said:
Just got my boat back in the water. It was tied up on the dock slip. The slip next to it has a overhead cover. Well the bow line got loose so the boat rocked violently cracking were the hull meets the deck. But the big problem is the chain plate ripped through the deck and mast fell into the lake.
no damage to the mast. Just have to replace the tabernacle.
The question I have, is this a repair that I can do or should I have a professional do it?

"The question I have, is this a repair that I can do or should I have a professional do it?" well, of course that depends on the amount of damage, your skills, time available, tools available. And of course a professional isn't always better than a dedicated DYI'er.
If you can, get some good pics of the damage and give us some info on your skills, time, and tools. Then we can answer your question and give you a good idea of what it might involve. We all would be glad to do anything we can to help. That would include providing sources for materials, what to use, what to avoid, etc.

25yearslater · Oct 9, 2011

That's it? I have 3/8 balsa for the core and +/-45 and 0/90 left over from my own project that I would be happy to send you for shipping costs. Let me know how much you might need?

25yearslater · Oct 9, 2011

Yes I did. It was mainly to remove the load from the bulkhead. It also gave me the 1/2-5/8 inch I needed to move the bulkhead toward the starboard side to clear the cabin liner. I got to do it twice because I purchased DECORATIVE marine plywood which is not the same as structural marine plywood. I'll have the most expensive companionway hatchboards available anyway, LOL. Let me know what you need as far as balsa and the Knytex since I won't be needing it anymore.

Joe11688 · Oct 9, 2011

teacherspet said:
Already have the plywood. More than likely is was rotted. Bulkhead will have to be replaced. It is going to be a real pain to get it out. Do you have to remove the starboard bulkhead first? I am more concerned with the crack where the deck meets the hull.

I don't know anything about O'Day 25 bulkheads. I removed all the bulkheads and every piece of wood from my cabin a few years ago when I refinished my cabin interior, but we have different model boats. I'm sure the O'Day 25 guys can point you in the right direction though. I would do an exploratory on the deck core in the surrounding area of the damage and reconstruct that first. Then you can tend to the bulkhead.
Good luck with that.

Joe

emergpa1 · Oct 10, 2011

teacherspet said:
Here are the pictures

My first thought was....damn...that's awful.

The bulkheads and chainplates r doable. It is a long project. But very rewarding, and you learn a lot about boats, epoxy and fiberglass, finishing, and such. To replace the bulkheads, the cabin has to be pretty much disassembled. And you end up doing more than u think. It is a great time to refinish everything.

I am concerned about that large area of damage to the side. It is along the hull deck joint as you stated. It looks like it will be challenging. Reasons that come immediately to mind are that you have angles and joints to work out. It's hard to explain with a keyboard, but what I mean is that the fiberglass work is easy in broad flat surfaces, and difficult in small areas near corners, or sharp angles. The cloth doesn't take to angles well, and you do not have room to grind your bevels, etc. As u know, those things are molded int those odd shapes. It just looks like a tough frustrating repair for us typical DIY'rs. If u r going to attempt it, I would find someone who has done that repair and get their input. That one is out of my league.

The other thing that would concern me is the hidden damage to that hull deck joint distant from the area of impact(s) There r gonna be leaks there.

I think you need a professional opinion.

Ritdog · Oct 11, 2011

Wife and I bought a 25 last year, and spent 5 months getting it ready to go- two problems were that the port bulkhead was rotted out at the chainplate . We replaced the whole bulkhead by carefuly sawzalling out the tabbing along the hull with a LONG demo blade (it bends along the hull curve nicely) and then unscrewing the headliner and mast pole screws. You WILL have to take out the head, and the platform it is on.
When sawzalling, be careful not to rip / cut the fabric liner. I sawed from the head locker area while the wife held the liner back out of the way.
We used the old piece as a pattern for the new, carefully fitting it in. It goes in one way, and you will be putting the top end in first to the left of the mast support, then into the hatch area. It's tight. A swift kick will snap it into place. We used 4000 in the plate slot , and bolted it in - works very well now! The wife covered the cabin side with fabric from a VW supplier - it's actually off-white convertable top fabric, kind of rubbery on one side, and people tell us they like it a lot- beats that bordello red they originally used!

Also had a stanchion ripped out of the hull- I cut that hole oversized, then built up glass to match the thickness of the deck, tapering the edges like one is supposed to. The repair went over the edge, but building it up with strips of glass replicated the profile, and with lots of sanding and a straight edge, you can't tell it has been repaired , after gelcoating! (I gelcoated the entire top of the boat, so it would match.. )

I HIGHLY recommend Don Casey's "This Old Boat" for a reference. He covers everything in DETAIL, and saved my butt many times. Do your research, and think a little, don't be afraid to get dirty, and you can do it. Get some tools. Learn about epoxy, cloth, resin, gelcoat, etc.

You will need a chemical respirator, ( I have a North Twin-can) , goggles, and some kind of fiberglass skin protection, like a bunny suit.

Both of these were not as bad at all as scraping and sanding the entire hull down to the gelcoat in 95 degreee heat (bottom paint was BAD), but that is another story..

Good luck! (BTW - this site is fantastic- thanks to all for all the info presented here- )

Ritdog · Oct 11, 2011

Forgot to mention that you should probably backplate ALL the through hull screws- I did mine with 1/8" sheet steel, and they are solid. Use almond for the cabin color match!

RichBone · Oct 11, 2011

Actually the compression post (the post under the mast)- in my boat anyhow is 3 1/2 x 1 1/4. It shouldn't be screwed in from the top. It fits into a tapered socket in the cabin sole. It might be held in place there by a fiberglass tab. It can be taken off.
Since the chainplate pulled out of the old bulkhead you can't use it for location of the bolt holes. I suggest making up the new bulkhead and dry fitting it. Then take measurements from the location of the other chainplate and then install the port chainplate. Now remove it all and repair the deck.

Rich

Ritdog · Oct 12, 2011

Rbone has a good idea- repair the deck, dry fit the bulkhead, then attach the chainplate. - BUT, how does one exactly fit the chainplate to the bulkhead through the repaired deck if that is one solid surface?

I'm thinking that you could repair the deck, put the bulkhead in place, mark the location of the slot next to the bulkhead on the cabin ceiling (it's a tight fit - we had to hammer the chainplate down while pushing the bulkhead over 1/16") , then drill small holes to mark the ends of the slot, or maybe a line of small holes to delineate the slot. Use a Rotozip tool or a sabre saw plunge cut to finish the slot. You want it tight. Has to be vertical too- interesting problem! Would be interested in other suggestions.

Chainplate torn through deck.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

Attachments

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.