So how did you Cherubini owners mount your cabin top hardware?

[kito]

My H30 project boat needs some cabin top winches, mast plates, organizers, turning blocks, clutches and a cam cleat. This boat has not been touched since leaving the factory as far as any upgrades go. The winches are no problem since I will be using the round embedded plates to drill and tap. Other than ripping my headliner out (ain't doing that!), how did you through bolt your new deck hardware? Did you just drill through the liner and use a backing plate.? I know there is about a 1/4" air gap between the liner and the top. That would make a depression in the headliner when tightened. Did you just cut the headliner the size of your backing plate and leave open? I made some backing plates from 316 SS 1/8" plate for all my hardware. What I am thinking is to drill all the way through and use a hole saw at each hole the size of a fender washer and stack 316 fender washers even or a little proud of the headliner. I would then add my backing plate to tie it all together and hide the washers and top it off with acorn nuts. This way the backing plate will be solid against the washers. Just looking for ideas from others.......

 

[Ed H]

That sounds like a good idea. I wish that someone had done that on my boat. He added a line clutch and just tightened it up. It eventually crushed in the liner. It looks bad but at least it is in the head and not in the main cabin. I read somewhere on this forum that I could make a shallow fiberglass box and cover the mess... maybe later...

 

[Alctel]

On my 36, there is a raised area each side of the companion way. This actually has a built in metal backing plate, so you can drill and tap straight into it!

 

[kito]

On my 36, there is a raised area each side of the companion way. This actually has a built in metal backing plate, so you can drill and tap straight into it!

Yes, that's only good for my winches.

 

[David in Sandusky]

Here is how I did it:

http://hunter.sailboatowners.com/mods.php?task=article&mid=16&aid=7355&mn=27_75-84

I would say that the liner floats under the cabin ceiling. First I laid out then "drilled/filled/drilled" all of holes to protect the balsa cord of the deck. Then I covered most of the fender washers and nuts in the cabin with a cherry plank and teak railing, using long bolts where needed to fasten the plank to the ceiling.

This mod has worked for 8 years now with no issues or maintenance.

 

[Dalliance]

Your plan makes sense to me given the situation. The only downside is that your fender washers are effectively your backing plate and your backing plate is effectively an escutcheon. So you are actually spreading the load over a smaller area, but it's probably OK. You may have to customize some of your bolt lengths if you use acorn nuts, but it will definitely look better.
Ditto David in Sandusky on the drill/fill/drill method at all deck and cabintop though-bolt conditions. MaineSail describes that method very well in one of his posts.
Also see, if you haven't already, his posts about butyl sealant.

 

[Ed Schenck]

Didn't know there was an air gap. I through-bolted my two deck organizers with a large fender washer. I didn't cover them and I don't think anyone notices. There was one originally on my H37C and it was just screwed into the plywood coring.

 

[kito]

Well, my disappointment continues. I took the afternoon off to install my winches on the cabin top on those round raised areas port and starboard of the companion way. I ordered special 1/4-20 316 flat head socket head screws to mount them. I bought a tap drill for my 1/4-20 tap too. I found out my "raised area" is just that.......no aluminum plate!. I can't believe how Hunter was so inconsistent from boat to boat. Now I have to make or buy a 5" round backing plates for those winches and order more long bolts.

 

[Ward H]

I wonder if you could use one of those round teak winch risers as a backing plate? Already cut to size and finished edges. Thick enough you could recess the nut and washer flush.

 

[SailormanDan]

I found this of someone's traveler installation from years ago, I remember he used a hole saw to cut this out and then install a round inspection port to cover it up, might be something to consider.

 

[Steve Dion]

If you drill the holes through the cabin into the interior you can then fill them with epoxy. Then these holes can be redrilled to the proper size and the bolts can be secured with washers and acorn nuts. This is what we did when we replaced the teak hand rails on our H31.

 

[kito]

I wonder if you could use one of those round teak winch risers as a backing plate? Already cut to size and finished edges. Thick enough you could recess the nut and washer flush.

I like that idea. I haven't had any luck finding a 4"-5" round teak 1/2" thick though. I don't want it too thick so I bang my head on it.

 

[Dalliance]

The inspection port sounds like a good idea if there is enough space between the liner and the cabintop for the cover to clear the bolt ends. It would be nearly flush and it would be white like the liner. Visually less intrusive and nothing to hit your head on. Drill a little test hole first and see how much space there is. Might have to place the winches a bit forward of where you might otherwise to keep the inspection port flange from conflicting with the downward curve of the liner at the cabintop wall.

 

[kito]

I just finished installing my winches. I did my ss fender washer idea. I drilled through from the top and took a 1" spade drill to drill holes in the 1/8" thick headliner. I then inserted a stack of washers in the holes to fill the air gap until flush with the headliner and installed a nylock nut and an acorn nut. Worked pretty good and looks great. These are just #8 single speed winches for my main halyard and my reef lines, not like I am hoisting a bosun chair with these

 

[azambella]

I have a question about dkeagle's photo. Where is the balsa core between the deck and the
headliner?

 

[Dalliance]

Azambella,

The core, whether it's balsa or plywood, is within the deck. In dkeagle's photo, you are seeing the fiberglass underside of the deck through a hole cut in the headliner. There is nothing but air between the deck and the headliner. That is the dilemma.

 

[azambella]

Thanks
yes that does make things quite difficult to access...

 

[braol]

It looks like drilling an oversized hole with the saw is a good idea for access. I'd go with a backing plate of some kind though...there are other woods besides teak which look good (cherry, cedar, ect...) when varnished. Without a backing plate you are relying on the strength of the fiberglass and core only. Also, with the "air gap" between the headliner and deck you'd never get a firm purchase with your hardware without some kind of material in there. Drilling and filling with epoxy doesn't work because of that gap...you'd just get lots of expensive epoxy running down the inside of your headliner in the gap.

 

[David in Sandusky]

Drill/fill/drill. Read Maine Sail's article.

We had no epoxy leak, because we didn't drill the hole through the fiberglass layer under the core. I used the pilot drill to get the hole saw engaged in the top layer of fiberglass. The I stopped and removed the pilot drill, and carefully drilled through the wood core checking to be sure it wasn't going into the lower layer of fiberglass. (In the event, the sound changed when I reached the fiberglass.)

When the bolts are tightened, they draw the "floating" liner hard up against the roof sandwich. No harm to anything, and the mounting is tight.

Implementing the winch mounting bolts (4 in our case) in this way is as strong as you get get. No problem with any stress we put on the winch in the 14 years since the installation.