Esper Refit 38 - swim platform cut to size; Oyster 435 chainplate problem solved?

[demonboy]

Tired today so not much of an update. It's all in the blog post anyway but thought you might like to see the swimming platform.

It's not fixed in place yet and of course the teak needs to be laid down, but it's looking good. The counterpoise system with the brackets inside appears to work well.

Also, the Oyster 435 was notorious for leaky chainplates. We've attempted to address the issue by welding a plate on the top of the plate to help minimise sideways movement. Only time will tell if this is a successful ploy.

Usual video update, photos and commentary here: http://followtheboat.com/2014/10/26/esper-refit-38/

 

[saltylegs]

As I'v said before good work keep it going

What about the self steering, can you lift the blade through the swim platform?

 

[demonboy]

As I'v said before good work keep it going

What about the self steering, can you lift the blade through the swim platform?

No, the blade sits outside the platform. Despite appearances by the time it is cut down the platform is only 700mm in length from the transom, with the end in between the aux rudder and the blade.

 

[AndrewB]

Also, the Oyster 435 was notorious for leaky chainplates. We've attempted to address the issue by welding a plate on the top of the plate to help minimise sideways movement. Only time will tell if this is a successful ploy.

Interested to know what you mean here. In my experience chainplates that attach through the deck invariably tend to become leaky. Regular replacement of sealant is the only solution, so having a design where this is straightforward to do is a bonus.

 

[demonboy]

Interested to know what you mean here. In my experience chainplates that attach through the deck invariably tend to become leaky. Regular replacement of sealant is the only solution, so having a design where this is straightforward to do is a bonus.

It was something we were told when we first bought the boat, and something that other 435 owners have mentioned too. I think you are right though, Andrew. Maybe because the 435 is 25 years old it was inevitable they would leak. Anyway, I'll be using Arbomast to seal them and now that I've made the bolts more accessible, it's something I'll be able to keep an eye on in the future.

 

[jimbaerselman]

406 had the same problem. We bought an 8 year old, stains on the upholstery below the plates and wet lockers told the story . . . subsequently a day's work each spring to dig out and re-seal four sets of plates kept things dry.

We were advised at Fox's that the solution was to weld a stainless plate onto the chain plate so it lay embedded in sealant flush with the deck. I balked at that, since if the sealant worked loose again, it would imply removing the whole chain plate to re-seal. Much bigger job that just digging out and re-sealing - but hopefully only once every 5 years or so?