Replacing C309 stanchion

[DavidRT]

Due to a "perfect storm" of 5 coincidences and the incompetence of the skipper (ME) in trusting neophytes to think and do the smart thing, a finger pier with no vertical rubstrakes and higher than deck level busted off the port stanchion closest to the mast shrouds -- base plate still firmly bolted in !!

Question: How is the base plate mounted to the deck? Although my hand is quite large, from the cabin, I can feel nuts on the two machine screws which come through the deck (inside screws). For the outside screws which go through the toe-rail, I'm not sure exactly what I feel and thus do not know for sure into what the screws screw.

Do the outside screws screw into a (1) threaded plate? (2) nuts molded into the fiberglass? (3) or are they tapered self-taping screws (which would surprise me if so)? I'd kinda like to know what I'm getting into before I take off the base plate. I'm not even sure if I can hold the nuts in place for the inside screws while an assistant uses a Phillips screwdriver on deck.

I have a new stanchion on order. When I install the new stanchion, what is the best sealant to use? One boater says to use silicone seal but my neighbor on the same finger pier says, "No, No, use Boat Life below the water line sealant."

Any suggestions?

Thanks, David Thiessen

 

[Tim C350 April IV]

There's an article in the most recent Mainsheet magazine (for Catalina Owners) that describes the replacement of a stanchion on a C350 - which I assume would be very similar to the C309.

 

[Siamese]

Darned neophytes! Anyway, I know more about 309 stanchions than I'd like to, having replaced some because of marina incompetence..grrrrrrrrr.

On my hull #82, all the bolts were through bolted with nuts located underneath. Guess what...Catalina puts the stanchions on the deck BEFORE they attach the deck to the hull. As Tony the Tiger would say: GRRRREEEEAAAT!!! That's why they're so tough to replace. Wouldn't it be sweet if they had separate stanchions and base plates for just such an occurance? You know, instead of saving two bucks by making them one piece? But, NOOOOOOOOOO!

I replaced the portside gate stanchion, the portside stanchion just forward of the gate stanchion, and the stanchion just forward of the gate stanchion on the starboard side. All were through bolted with nuts underneath.

You'll need some skinny monkey fingers, and some new cuss words to do the job. I have some really good ones. If you can get a wrench on the nut, use the proper size screwdriver to turn the screws from outside. Hell, just do whatever works. Because of the trauma your stanchion suffered, expect the bolts to be bent and come out with difficulty. But there's good news: I just saved $492.00 by switching to Geico.

At the factory, they use one size bolt. Long. They put the nuts on the bolts, then break the bolts off to the proper length before they attach the deck to the hull (I told you I know my 309 stanchions, didn't I). Because of the built up gunk on the bolts you'll remove and because they've been broken off, don't even think about re-using the bolts...the nuts are tough to thread back on cuz the bolts were broken off.

Is yours the stanchion forward of the shrouds or aft of them? Mine were aft and barely accessible. Don't know about the forward ones and I'm not on my boat right now. If you ever have to replace the starboard gate stanchion, though, just saw off all your stanchions for that uncluttered look.

Everybody has their own favorite sealant. For deck stuff, I'm pretty partial to 3M 4200. Have some acetone around, as it does a good job of cleaning up the mess you'll make with the 4200.

 

[DavidRT]

Thanks Tim C350 from Seattle (where I grew up) and Siamese from Muskegon for your input. I bought my C309 (hull #121) from Sailplace in Waukegan, IL which has another place in Cedar Springs, MI just east of Muskegon.

I looked at the Mainsheet article on replacing the C350 stanchion and it is a little different than the C309 in that the C350 has two machine screws through the deck and a bolt through the toe-rail whereas the C309 has two machine screws through the toe-rail instead of the bolt. Still, the article helped.

It looks as though I will have to find someone with skinny fingers as Siamese suggested. My wife's hands are only 1/2 the size of mine, so maybe that will work. I'll have to give it a go.

The broken off stanchion is on the port side just aft of the shrouds.

Thanks again. If I learn anything from this job, I'll post it (or write an article for Mainsheet)

Cheers, David