reinforcing the lower shroud chain plates

Jan 4, 2021
8
Catalina by Jaguar (UK) Catalina 22 Swantown Marina, Olympia
The C22 Tuning Guide says, "To minimize shroud flex due to deck flexing it is advisable to reinforce the forward and aft lowers at the deck. One way to accomplish this
is to run supports from the bottom of the shroud bolts to the bulkhead.
"

I have a 1980 Jaguar (British built C22) and I can see that reinforcement is probably a good idea. My boat has a heavier mast and 5/16" rigging, no doubt deemed suitable for sailing the English Channel and now sailing Puget Sound

I'd like to see some examples from anyone who has reinforced their chain plates. A pic or two would be great. The concept is straight forward....add a tang to the bulkhead and connect to the interior chain plate bolt using a turnbuckle.

My chain plates for the fore and aft shrouds are U-bolts above the deck with a 2"x3" x5/64" thick SS backing plate on the interior. Unfortunately, the U-bolts are just long enough for the nuts....I can't add anything under the nut to connect a turnbuckle so I'll probably need to replace the U-bolts to get enough length to work with. But seeing an example of what someone has done would be helpful. Thanks
 

RoyS

.
Jun 3, 2012
1,739
Hunter 33 Steamboat Wharf, Hull, MA
Caution with U bolts for chain plates. Just had one break on my boat. U bolts should be aligned with the load and not side loaded. They seldom are however. In no case should the threaded area be subject to side loading. The threads are a stress riser and likely to propagate a crack through the bolt. Hardware store U bolts should not be used as they are weak. Purchase a made for purpose replacement U bolt from a marine supplier. I recommend that you look at Wichard's line in various sizes. Their waterproof model is especially appealing. Good luck.
 
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