New here with a big project.

[Quatoria23]

Ladies and gentlemen,

I'm a new owner of a Yamaha 36. Got her from a fellow submariner leaving the island, and have successfully tackled several minor maintenance projects. Big ticket problem: standing rig needs replaced. It's 15+ years old. A rigger has taken measurements and we've discussed the job, and he recommends one of the ways to save cost is to pull, inspect, and replace (as necessary) the chainplates myself.

So, any tips from someone who's done this? I'm an electrician by trade, and am a bit nervous about messing with something so very, very structural.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Delezynski]

Quatoria23,

First, I do not have a Yamaha, so can't help with specifics.

I think only you can decide how comfortable you are with doing the work yourself.

Having said that, it's not rocket science. It's a mechanical system and as long as you take it slow should not be a problem. As the saying goes, measure twice and cut once, I measure about 5 times myself!

With the new self install fittings, I would much rather do the standing rigging myself than the chain plates! And I say that as that is exactly what I am doing now! Getting ready to place my order for parts.

Greg

 

[jnovie]

The following is a link to a thread from early June of 2011 regarding a Yamaha 25 owner on this forum who took on the chain plate replacement issue himself. Reading this thread will give you a good idea as to what he faced as he tackled his chain plate replacement project.
http://forums.sbo.sailboatowners.com/showthread.php?t=130256

Personally I would leave the standing rigging replacement in the hands of a well qualified rigging expert. You have a big boat with very heavy loads involved particularly when you sail in heavy winds and large possibly breaking seas. Keep in mind that each wire swage costs only about $20 (not that expensive if peace if mind is important to you). Standing rigging is a task that should be taken extremely seriously and should be left to the experts. Get costs from local riggers and also costs from online rigging companies. You may be very pleasantly surprised at what you can save buying very high quality rigging on line:

RIGGING ONLY
http://www.riggingonly.com/
or
ANNAPOLIS PERFORMANCE SAILING
http://www.apsltd.com/
or
research some of the others

Google "sailboat chain plate replacement":
You will immediately be brought up to speed with a number of great sites that document what others experienced as they took on the issue of chain plate replacement. In the end you will have a good idea if might have the qualifications to take on such a project yourself.

Wishing you the best of luck and excellent results.

 

[dee.yeah]

For a 2nd hand boat of such age, I would suggest to inspect carefully the standing rigging and all the chainplates. At least to remove, inspect and refit(or replace!) all the chainplates. This gives you confidence as it's the base for the standing rigging.

To replace the rigging cables, you may follow measurements on the manual, if your mast is not a modified one. There must be some basic tunning guide on the manual too. I myself too did follow it as a starting point.

It's best to de-mast the boat to replace the cables, but you may need a crank service. It's also possible to replace it one by one, if you have enough crews, reliable halyards (for lifting a crew to the mast head) and plenty of time.

Better make sure all structural fittings and the standing rigging are good before sailing in heavy wind, than learn a lesson from a broken mast.

Happy and safe sailing!

 

[Rising Sun]

Congratulations on your new Y-36! I recall "Barefoot" being sold in Hawaii, so I'm guessing this was Dave Content's "Barefoot"? If so, prior to that I believe she was "Time of My Life", and "Made in Japan".

Did your riggers inspection call out the chainplates specifically? I presume the boat was surveyed prior to purchase, were the chainplates called out on the survey? The reason I ask is my chain plates have (knock on wood) never shown any issues of concern, and I know that when the boats were built, the chain plate design went though an extensive design review which netted oversized mechanical fastning to the boats structure.

I'd be curious to hear more from your inspection.

I've got the origial Y-36 Owners manual, which includes the spec's for rigging (standard and tall rig) if it's helpful.

Good Luck!
Graeme

 

[Quatoria23]

Graeme (et al),

She carries the name "August Moon", and has since at least the mid-90's, if I recall. The owner before last's name was Mike Roach; he named and owned her for 10-15 years.

The purchase survey noted that the standing rig was of indeterminate age and should be replaced before operating inter-island. I noted that the swage fittings and some pins had corrosion stains, which is why I called in the rigger - but I'd seen the boat sailed hard before; which is, of course, no gaurantee of future performance. Got her for a steal and think it's very worth it, even with the cost of this maintenance.

The rigger said to pull and replace the chainplates, based purely on age. After removing all the starboard units, one of my friends who was assisting assessed in his professional opinion that the metal was in fine shape (qualifications being a nuclear QA inspector.) I contacted the rigger and he said if they were good, they were good. I've cleaned and reinstalled all the starboard units with new hardware and fasteners, as well as the anchor plate that's glassed in to the hull on that side. I have plenty of pictures if anyone is curious to see.

I do intend (at riggers recommendation) to pull the mast to replace the rig above deck, and will leave the installation and tuning thereof to a qualified professional. The lower shrouds are buried in the mast instead of connected with pins, so it's pretty much nescessary, and def above my level of skill. I can get all the lights and electronics done myself while it's down.

As a side note, I think this vessel has some unique aftermarket additions. The mast is yellow and anodized with something - cadmium maybe? and there is a third chainplate on each side, forward of the stay, for a forward lower shroud. The drawing I've seen of the Y-36's don't have that. It angles from about 6" aft of the forward saloon bulkhead aft to anchor at the same bolt as the main stay. It also doesn't have the topside "hilt" that the other chainplates do. Anyone else have this, or is it aftermarket, and if so, to what end?


And yes, the original owners manual would be quite useful. Thanks!

 

[Rising Sun]

Thanks for the update and great pictures. Interesting; she's a completly unkown boat to me, glad to see she's in good hands!

Also very interesting are your forward lowers and chainplate, very different from mine. I've scanned a couple of pages from the orignal manual that spec the rigging, I hope it's of some use. They are in the picture file of my boat.