Orientation of chain plates

[MaryEllaRose]

I'm in the process of re-bedding my chain plates and need information on how to orient them in relation to the mast. The old ones are so loose I have no reference.

Should they point fore / aft or be angled towards the mast? I've heard it both ways. Angled toward the mast makes more sense to me.

Should I use Boat Life caulk or epoxy to seal them? Heard that both ways as well

The PO used hitch pins with ball detents to secure the turn buckles to the chain plate eyes. Looks like it's easier that those pesky little pins with circular rings. Good or bad idea?

Thanx,

Tom G

 

[$tingy Sailor]

Angle them at the mast step and you'll likely never bend a T bolt. Anywhere else and all bets are off. IMO, butyl tape is the only way to go. Some owners have managed to get by with detent pins. I don't trust them with all the rocking movement and strains on the shrouds. I use toggle pins on my forestay, forward lower shrouds, and gooseneck instead (because I trailer sail) and don't worry about them. Some owners don't trust those, but my C22 just went through a freak storm that rocked her almost to knockdown for over an hour and sheared the boom off the mast. Except for the gooseneck pin bending slightly, they all held.

 

[agprice22]

When rebedding those chainplates, look at the MaineSail article on properly handling deck penetrations. Basically, you top-drill thm out to 3/8, ream the core wood out (between the deck and inner liner only) further with a dremel, tape the bottom and fill them with epoxy, and redrill them to original size and bevel them, so your hole is only drilled through epoxy. That way, any water getting into the hole only touches epoxy, no wood. It works well. Then you bed the fittings and ring the bolts under the fitting with butyl rubber and tighten them from the bottom.

Oh, and orient your chainplates so they allow the shrouds to freely fall fore and aft. Otherwise, you will possibly bend your turnbuckles when you lower your mast. Basically, the tang on the chainplate should be oriented fore and aft, with pin hole for the toggle pointing port and starboard.

Thanks,

Andrew

 

[CCrane2299]

I don't really have an opinion, but mine are factory aligned to the mast. agprice22's explanation would seem to be more logical to me...?

 

[$tingy Sailor]

All aligned with the pins athwartships seems logical from a stepping/unstopping perspective so that the turnbuckles rotate parallel to the mast motion. But once the mast is vertical, the sailing (heavier) loads torque the turnbuckle toggle and the pin sideways instead of perpendicular to the axis of the pin - less so on the lower shrouds, more so on the more critical upper shrouds. You want the shrouds to pivot on the pins with no binding. I've also read that new boats are built that way but I can't confirm.

When I purchased our boat, the chain plates were at random rotations. Bent a couple T bolts until I rebedded them rotated to the mast. No problems since.

 

[CCrane2299]

I'm not rotating mine, I hope my mast stays up most of the time....

 

[MaryEllaRose]

Those are some interesting perspectives. I'm inclined to angle them towards the mast step since the loads on the pins would be perpendicular to the pin axis when under sail. My mast raising and lowering apparatus puts no strain on the shrouds, they're not even connected until the mast is fully raised. I'v just read Main Sail's article and it makes sense, too. My chain plates are loose and I find it hard to believe that there isn't some deterioration of the wood core around the holes. I had planned to drill them oversize, they're already 3/8", fill the holes with epoxy, re-drill and then add 3" x 4" x 0.125" aluminum plates under the lower shrouds' nuts, inside the cabin to distribute the load. If the studs were long enough, I'd add them on top as well.
I've used the same style detent pins on my dinghy for years and the mast stays up all season long. So far, no problems except that the little balls need a shot of WD40 when it comes time to put her to bed for the winter.

Anyway, thanx for tips...

Tom G

 

[CaptDon01]

Never paid attention to the position of my side stays, but guess they installed mine correctly. Here's a little trick I do to prevent bending my lower "T" bolts.

I tie them up tight before I de-rig. That way they are ready to go when I raise the mast, and don't have to worry about bending a "T" bolt. :dance:

Don

 

[Richie50]

I used your idea when I raised the mast this year and It was a tremendous help. Thanks for sharing.