Hurley 22: the front fell off

[Strathglass]

Yes, the stem fitting on a Hurley was a bit suspect as it relied on the hull to deck join to take the forestay loads.
I have repaired one but cannot remember the full details. As far as I remember I welded a tang from the bow fitting down the stem and through bolted it with an internal backing plate.

 

[xeitosaphil]

Quickly looking at your photo, there looks to be part of the original stem head fitting missing? The strap that is part of the SH fitting that runs down the bow and is bolted through into the anchor locker.

Here's a photo of mine when I had a H22 she was a circa 1978-80

 

[KristiferColumbus]

Well it hasn't yet but the teak holding the stemhead fitting is starting to show some movement,

View attachment 41015

Climbing into the anchor locker to examine the underside reveals a previous repair (hence the visible bolts) where the forestay fitting must have ripped from the deck.

This seems to have been fixed by glassing and bolting in a bit of flat bar in the bow and a metal plate to replace the knackered bit of deck and a smear of filler.

View attachment 41016

This has gone down hill a lot since I last inspected it and is pretty much just a scary rusty cornflake now and is well beyond the stage I can pretend it isn't there.

Now I have a gallon of resin and about 7 metres of matting (some csm and some woven roving plus some biaxial tape) and the current plan is to take it to bits, rip all this rusty stuff out, reinstate the deck and then glass up a cone in the bows back to a foot and a half or so generally turning the area into a brick **** house. I may also try to tie the teak to the bows with a strip of stainless down the outside of the front.

Thoughts?

Glad it ai'nt my boat.It looks a bloody mess.

 

[viago]

Quickly looking at your photo, there looks to be part of the original stem head fitting missing? The strap that is part of the SH fitting that runs down the bow and is bolted through into the anchor locker.

Here's a photo of mine when I had a H22 she was a circa 1978-80

it looks like some improvements were made in the preceding ten years.

 

[BruceDanforth]

Yours is a much later setup with a stainless fitting and an anchor locker. All of the others seem to have a strap of some kind. Maybe mine snapped off which is why the front fell off in the first place. I did mention making a strap in the OP....

Quickly looking at your photo, there looks to be part of the original stem head fitting missing? The strap that is part of the SH fitting that runs down the bow and is bolted through into the anchor locker.

Here's a photo of mine when I had a H22 she was a circa 1978-80

 

[chinita]

Once you have sorted it, use the opportunity to convert to Junk rig.

Seriously, a Hurley 22 is a popular Junk option. No more horrible loads from knackered rigging.

 

[BruceDanforth]

As I just paid for the new genoa minutes ago I think I will be keeping the existing rig....

Once you have sorted it, use the opportunity to convert to Junk rig.

Seriously, a Hurley 22 is a popular Junk option. No more horrible loads from knackered rigging.

 

[chinita]

Oh.

 

[Lakesailor]

I'm not sure my welding friend can weld stainless onto bronze. He's coded but I don't think he has that one.

No need. Make you stainless strap fold over the stemhead fitting on each side and bolt-through.

 

[BruceDanforth]

I was thinking a plate under the bronze and down the front or just get him to copy the bronze one in stainless but with a strap. Some of those bronze forestay attachments have come to bits on other boats.

No need. Make you stainless strap fold over the stemhead fitting on each side and bolt-through.

 

[BruceDanforth]

I'm doing some work to fix it so I can see that it would not be ideal for you....

Glad it ai'nt my boat.It looks a bloody mess.

 

[Lakesailor]

I was thinking a plate under the bronze and down the front or just get him to copy the bronze one in stainless but with a strap.

That would be best. I didn't suggest it as I didn't know how much you were wanting to spend.

 

[LittleSister]

Quickly looking at your photo, there looks to be part of the original stem head fitting missing? The strap that is part of the SH fitting that runs down the bow and is bolted through into the anchor locker.

Here's a photo of mine when I had a H22 she was a circa 1978-80

Ed/Bruce's boat was built by Hurley. Your later boat was not (South Coast Marine probably). There would have been some changes over the years, especially when Hurleys closed and SCM then others took over the moulds, so can't assume the fittings would have been the same. Certainly the stemhead fitting in Ed's pic is nothing like the one on the late 70s SCM Hurley 22 I used to have, with or without any strap.

it looks like some improvements were made in the preceding ten years.

The earlier Hurley built, er, Hurleys are considered generally better built than those later ones by South Coast Marine and others, but there may well have been some improvements as well.

 

[KristiferColumbus]

I'm doing some work to fix it so I can see that it would not be ideal for you....

Looks like a pretty simple strait forward repair is necessary & though I am constrained by modesty I can assure you that that type of work is just routine on my boat.I am something of an expert in it!
I could well be prepared to act as a consultant for a small fee

PS:In view of your attitude it would actually have to be quite a large one

 

[viago]

Looks like a pretty simple strait forward repair is necessary & though I am constrained by modesty I can assure you that that type of work is just routine on my boat.I am something of an expert in it!
I could well be prepared to act as a consultant for a small fee

PS:In view of your attitude it would actually have to be quite a large one

 

[oldsaltoz]

Back to basic engineering of the load paths. The forestay pull up is the main load which must be eventually returned to the base of the mast support (As does chain plates).
The path originally would appear to be via the deck at the bow, the attachment of the deck to the hull then via the hull to the mast support. It seems the deck to hull atachment has failed. While your approach of reattaching the deck to the hull with lots of resin and glass may do the job it will still depend on the adhesion of the polyester resin to the old hull and deck. Albeit via new bolts through the deck and new GRP.
A far better solution might be to replace the old rusty bracket down to the hull with a new attachment here. Ideally bolts through the stem itself. Always very strong and thick.
I am thinking in terms of 2 bolts holding a saddle on the inside. To this you attach a cable with a turnscrew in it up to another saddle attached to the frestay fitting. The turnscrew enables you to actually tension down the deck onto the hull so taking all the forestay load. Ideally this cable will be inline with the forestay but any deviation will be taken up by the deck, more deviation the more sideways or backward force on the deck.
It may be possible if you get the cable length just right to be able to use the bolts of the forestay fitting to tighten up the tension on the cable insted of the turnscrew.
Of course you should repair any lifting of the deck I think epoxy better than polyester in adhesion to old GRP but the deck should not take the forestay tension. (Which can be quite huge under a big genoa in a decent wind). The tensioned cable is far better than the bracket in that it takes the load imediately wheras a bracket needs the deck to flex up until the bracket takes the load.
A friend had a lightweight strip ply racer which had lots of turnscrews under the deck taking the load of stays even the turning blocks for halyards at the base of the mast. An effective way of passing the load to a strong part. good luck olewill

+ 1
Do it once and do it right.

Good luck and fair winds.

 

[Wooden Boat Fittings]

Just have to post this:-

Thanks Michael. Clarke and Dawe are classic commentators on current affairs here - -always clever, always funny, and always to the point.

Mike

 

[viago]

what about forgetting the current arrangement and getting yourself a shiny bowsprit. most of the forestay tension and forces can then be taken by the hull through a single bolt.

 

[Lakesailor]

Not entirely true. There are massive compression forces rearwards to the deck/hull.

 

[viago]

Thanks Michael. Clarke and Dawe are classic commentators on current affairs here - -always clever, always funny, and always to the point.

Mike

....and always on this forum.
even always on this thread. see post 20.