Deck Hardware on 23-1: Screws or Bolts

[sreidvt]

Deck Hardware on 23-1: Access To Nuts

It's a bit too cold up here in VT to start rebedding the deck hardware on the 1974 O'Day 23 Convertible I just bought. So I don't want to start turning screws or bolts that I'm not ready to seal up after (to find out how they're connected).

In general, are the following in with screws or bolts?:

1. Bow rail
2. Stern rail
3. Life line stanchions
4. Jib block track

Thanks for any info. you may have. If some of these are bolted I can't see how I can get to the nuts since the liner seems to be in the way.

Cheers,

Sean

 

[centerline]

It's a bit too cold up here in VT to start rebedding the deck hardware on the 1974 O'Day 23 Convertible I just bought. So I don't want to start turning screws or bolts that I'm not ready to seal up after (to find out how they're connected).

In general, are the following in with screws or bolts?:

1. Bow rail
2. Stern rail
3. Life line stanchions
4. Jib block track

Thanks for any info. you may have. If some of these are bolted I can't see how I can get to the nuts since the liner seems to be in the way.

Cheers,

Sean

you will find they are all bolted on.... there will be no screws holding anything that is even remotely semi structural (taking stress loads) on a decently built boat.

 

[sreidvt]

you will find they are all bolted on.... there will be no screws holding anything that is even remotely semi structural (taking stress loads) on a decently built boat.

That's good to know. Thanks for the reply. So now I need to figure out access although I won't start rebedding the deck hardware until spring when it is warmer. If anyone here has done a full deck hardware rebedding on a 23-1 I'd be happy to hear from you about access. Maybe there are crevices I'll have to look harder for. At least some of the bow rail nuts are accessible from the anchor locker and some stern hardware from inside the lazarette area but the hardware near inner liner areas in the boat…?

 

[Indysailor]

Does it have a cabin sole? The later model does and ODay cut out access holes in it so one can reach the stanchion bolts. A lot of people have been pleasantly surprised by that.

 

[sreidvt]

Yes, it does have a cabin liner but there don't seem to be access holes. At least none that I've seen. I'm sure there's some method for getting to these nuts but I don't yet know what it is. Thanks for the reply.

 

[Indysailor]

If it has a fabric liner, did you try feeling for a spot where it just spans a cut out in the sole?

 

[sreidvt]

It's a hard fiberglass liner. Quite nice but solid. So there's the hull itself on the outside and this glossy finished (almost bathtub-like) hard fiberglass liner on the inside. The anchor line locker in the front provides some access and the rear area under the lazarette provides some but in between I'm not sure where the access should be (unless it's in a blind gap between the hull and the liner.

Thanks for your interest in helping.

 

[sreidvt]

Problem solved. The bolts between the anchor line locker and the rear lazarette area (under the cockpit) go down into wooden blocks (where they are deeply recessed). The nuts seemed to have pulled into the blocks so I may need to open up the blocks and replace them with new ones as I go. This should have been more obvious to me sooner. Thanks.

 

[centerline]

Problem solved. The bolts between the anchor line locker and the rear lazarette area (under the cockpit) go down into wooden blocks (where they are deeply recessed). The nuts seemed to have pulled into the blocks so I may need to open up the blocks and replace them with new ones as I go. This should have been more obvious to me sooner. Thanks.

i would recommend using something other than plywood, or in a few years it will be leaking again.
oak, or teak are good options... or a hard, rigid plastic like delrin. UHMW is a bit soft for backing blocks/pads.... do it right, do it once

 

[sreidvt]

That's a good point, thanks. What about Trex? I also tend to use large fender washers when I do this (to spread the load out for better support).

 

[Brian S]

I think Trex is a bad choice for backing plates. It's basically wood splinters mixed with polyethylene plastic - to my mind, worse than using UHMW poly such as Starboard. I'd probably go with some G10 board, which is basically low resin fiberglass boards. No moisture issues even if you get deck leaks. No creep under pressure. McMaster-Carr has it: http://www.mcmaster.com/#grade-g-10-phenolic/=ulbr6p

 

[sreidvt]

Brian,

Good suggestion and thanks for the link. Maybe I'll try this material when I rebed the dock hardware in the spring. Recommended thickness?

Fortunately, the chain plates on the boat go straight to the hull sides. I'll be rebedding bow and stern rails, lifeline stanchions, etc.

If I recall correctly, material from a plastic cutting board also works well?

 

[Brian S]

Sreidvt, I wouldn't use a plastic cutting board. They are usually made of polyethylene, probably HDPE (high density poly-e.) It's a relatively soft material, and under load, it will creep. Near as I can tell, Starboard is UHMW, ultra high molecular weight poly-e. Probably better, but I don't know as I'd trust it as much as hardwood. That being said, Dyneema and Spectra are also UHMWPE.

I think, and I'm open to correction on this, that 1/2" thick G10 would make nice backing plates for stanchions and cleats.

It's a good idea to bevel the edges of backing plates, such that the thin edge is up against the underside of the deck. This creates less of a stress riser in the deck.

 

[sreidvt]

Thank you much. Now if only I had warm weather to do this in. I need to button the boat up for winter (snow fell nearby today) but I'm already to work on it for a month.

 

[James19955]

Re: Deck Hardware on 23-1: Access To Nuts

Sean, do a search here on this site for "Oday Toe Rail" and you should find a link to this

http://forums.oday.sailboatowners.com/showthread.php?p=1141052&highlight=Oday deck hardware

There are lots of comments about the bolts, the head liner and how to find and replace various deck hardware.

If you have not found or read about Rudy at D&R Marine then I suggest you call and introduce yourself - he is a fountain of wisdom on all things ODay having worked at the Fall River MA yard that made them. He also can supply many of the parts etc you might want.
http://www.drmarine.com/

Hope this helps

James

 

[sreidvt]

Hi James,

Thanks very much. I have spoken with Rudy in the past and will read the thread.

Cheers,

Sean

 

[Brian S]

See if you can pick up a copy of the March/April 2014 Small Craft Advisor, 86. Captain Pauley's workshop feature discusses backing plates.

 

[tcwaltz]

I've been making my own backing plates out of fiberglass and resin. I"ve got a few different sizes of tupperware containers that I use to make them in. I coat the inside of it with car wax (carnuba). Cut my fiberglass mat (however many layers I want for thickness) then lay them in the container, wet with fiberglass resin, and go layer by layer. I end up with nice rounded corners, my favor size being a container that would hold a sandwich. I've made them 1/8"-1/2" thick for different purposes then I epoxy them into place. Put them on all my through hulls when I had the boat at a month ago. Probably the best place I did these were on my boarding ladder. Fiberglass is thin back there and I had alot of stress fractures in the gelcoat. Whole things feels more solid. I've recently made some to reinforce where my cleats are because I've never been impressed with the strength in the cleat area on the Oday. YOu can make alot of backing plates for pretty cheap.

 

[sreidvt]

Great idea. Thanks for the suggestion.

 

[Brian S]

If you're going to make your own glass backing plates, remember that the resin gives no strength, so while you don't want to starve your laminate, you don't want the glass floating in the resin, either. I have heard some people make up laminate sheets on a piece of glass. I bet this would work well, too, because extra resin could just kinda flow out of the laminate onto the glass under force of gravity? I dunno because I haven't tried it. But from my experience, every time I've tried to epoxy glass something, the dang epoxy drips out leaving more to sand smooth!