Is there any reason why I cannot use 1/4" King Starboard (synthetic wood product) as a backing plate for my stanchions? How about 1/2" plywood loaded with sealer? Pros, cons?
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I am not familiar with starboard
I am not familiar with starboard but plywood crushes and rots. I make fiberglass sheets by laying up multiple mat and cloth layers on waxed paper using my table saw as a base with waxed paper on top so I have a flat sheet with a smooth top and bottom. I cut backing plates out of that. It makes neat backing plates that don’t rot or distort. All the best, Robert Gainer
I am not familiar with starboard but plywood crushes and rots. I make fiberglass sheets by laying up multiple mat and cloth layers on waxed paper using my table saw as a base with waxed paper on top so I have a flat sheet with a smooth top and bottom. I cut backing plates out of that. It makes neat backing plates that don’t rot or distort. All the best, Robert Gainer
might be too thin
unless you use large washers to spread the load. It's basically a hard plastic and can deform - you might be better off with 1/2 or 3/4 inch Starboard. I have some of the latter here as scrap from another project which you're welcome to have if you want to pay the postage
unless you use large washers to spread the load. It's basically a hard plastic and can deform - you might be better off with 1/2 or 3/4 inch Starboard. I have some of the latter here as scrap from another project which you're welcome to have if you want to pay the postage
Better options
1/4" StarBoard is probably not strong enough to spread the load adequately. It is also fairly pricey. Why not use 1/8" aluminum sheet, 3" wide or so? You might also try a polyethylene cutting board, 1/2" thick or so. It is pretty much the same material as StarBoard, but without the UV protection.
1/4" StarBoard is probably not strong enough to spread the load adequately. It is also fairly pricey. Why not use 1/8" aluminum sheet, 3" wide or so? You might also try a polyethylene cutting board, 1/2" thick or so. It is pretty much the same material as StarBoard, but without the UV protection.
Stainless
I have all stainless steal for stanchions as well as ladders etc..... hardy little suckers! Good Luck Greg
I have all stainless steal for stanchions as well as ladders etc..... hardy little suckers! Good Luck Greg
Backing plates
I go to my local home improvement store and buy aluminum strips. The 1 1/2 inch wide ones work great. They come 6'-8' longand cut easy on the bandsaw to the length I need. Then I drill out the holes. If I need something bigger I buy aluminum plate.
I go to my local home improvement store and buy aluminum strips. The 1 1/2 inch wide ones work great. They come 6'-8' longand cut easy on the bandsaw to the length I need. Then I drill out the holes. If I need something bigger I buy aluminum plate.
Not Starboard
I wouldn't use starboard. It is basically just some form of poly. And expensive. If you want to use this material, as someone else said, just go buy yourself a poly cutting board for far less money. Only difference is the UV protection, which you don't need on an under deck backing plate. My recommendation would be to hustle up some scrap aluminum.
I wouldn't use starboard. It is basically just some form of poly. And expensive. If you want to use this material, as someone else said, just go buy yourself a poly cutting board for far less money. Only difference is the UV protection, which you don't need on an under deck backing plate. My recommendation would be to hustle up some scrap aluminum.
I agree with RAD.
The purpose of the backing plate is to spread the load. The Starboard has too much flex. The load doesn't spread across the whole plate it is still an individual point stress. Go aluminum or stainless. Depends on the area you sail. I would use 1/8 to 1/2 inch material. That is what I have done on my boats. The more torque an item has, the thicker the plate that is needed. Things like my genoa track could not be plated so I used big stainless washers, and doubled them on the ends. I used 1/2x 3" aluminum to back my motor mount on one boat and a 1/4 12x16 plate behind the motor mout on another. Hurry, it's almost time to splash the boat! r.w.landau
The purpose of the backing plate is to spread the load. The Starboard has too much flex. The load doesn't spread across the whole plate it is still an individual point stress. Go aluminum or stainless. Depends on the area you sail. I would use 1/8 to 1/2 inch material. That is what I have done on my boats. The more torque an item has, the thicker the plate that is needed. Things like my genoa track could not be plated so I used big stainless washers, and doubled them on the ends. I used 1/2x 3" aluminum to back my motor mount on one boat and a 1/4 12x16 plate behind the motor mout on another. Hurry, it's almost time to splash the boat! r.w.landau
Thanks for all the great responses!
This is precisely the type of advice I was looking for. All the ideas have merit, but I think I'd prefer aluminum If someone that knows more about metals than I do can look at this site and let me know exactly which aluminum plate/sheet type would work, I'd greatly appreciate it. There is quite a bit of price difference between types, plus I don't want to buy something that I can't drill into. I want to back my stern rail stanchions with something more substancial than a fender washer under each bolt.
This is precisely the type of advice I was looking for. All the ideas have merit, but I think I'd prefer aluminum If someone that knows more about metals than I do can look at this site and let me know exactly which aluminum plate/sheet type would work, I'd greatly appreciate it. There is quite a bit of price difference between types, plus I don't want to buy something that I can't drill into. I want to back my stern rail stanchions with something more substancial than a fender washer under each bolt.
I went with 1 inch thick white oak
White oak is durable, nearly as strong as aluminum, fairly inexpensive and readily available and can be worked with wood working tools. It has a pleasing appearance, takes finish well and after 7 years under my stanchion bases has no soft spots.
White oak is durable, nearly as strong as aluminum, fairly inexpensive and readily available and can be worked with wood working tools. It has a pleasing appearance, takes finish well and after 7 years under my stanchion bases has no soft spots.
6061-T6
Paul, 6061-T6 is the material your mast is made from. It will work well in this application. Aluminum is a good choice and very common for backing plates. It can be cut using woodworking tools and in fact I cut it using a table saw if I need square or rectangular chucks. I prefer to use fiberglass for most backing plates. Metal is much stiffer and can cause a hard spot that encourages cracks in a fiberglass laminate. The fiberglass plate can be strong enough and still be flexible. It doesn’t matter too much in practice but old habits die hard. All the best, Robert Gainer
Paul, 6061-T6 is the material your mast is made from. It will work well in this application. Aluminum is a good choice and very common for backing plates. It can be cut using woodworking tools and in fact I cut it using a table saw if I need square or rectangular chucks. I prefer to use fiberglass for most backing plates. Metal is much stiffer and can cause a hard spot that encourages cracks in a fiberglass laminate. The fiberglass plate can be strong enough and still be flexible. It doesn’t matter too much in practice but old habits die hard. All the best, Robert Gainer
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