Passerelle

Bouba

Bouba

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Merry Christmas everyone!
This is a thread on how I strengthened the passerelle on my boat. I managed to finally test it and I’m ready to report. But I’d like to make two things clear now. The first is I do not want to resurrect the dispute with the installer, I think that the best recourse is to let sleeping dogs lie. Water under the passerelle.
And next I want to thank Jungle Jim of this parish without his generosity I could not have started.
 
Worky for me. Look at that waterline! Honestly Bouba, looks like a derelict you lazy git. Get the broom out and do a Christmas scrub.

Merry Merry old chap ?
 
The problem is the transom of my boat isn’t very strong and I wanted it high up in order to be able to step over into the cockpit. So I had two choices, strengthen the transom with layers of fiberglass or fix the passerelle to a strong point. A quick bit of man maths convinced me the cost would be the same! So I listened to Porto and went for a strong point (but with a twist).
Next thing was to download a free CAD program and quickly whip up some plans! That’s when it all came to a dead stop. I couldn’t even get the programs (I tried a few) to draw a straight line let alone a shape. So I put a plea out on the forum and Jungle Jim responded and offered to help?
 
So I went to the art store and bought a drawing board, T square, paper, pencils etc.
A word of advice, never buy set squares out of the discount bin. They are in there for a reason. I ended up doing all my drawings with left handed set squares?
 
For clarity Bouba and myself had a few PM exchanges and we collaborated in designing a internal A frame attached to the engine bearers inside the transom .The forces are expressed on that , shielding the wobbly transoms.Something like that .
Glad it worked out .Looks better than the OEM which is bottom rhs very near B platform hight.
Sure any one on here would have arrived at the same conclusion.
 
I then sent Jungle Jim’s files to LaserMasters in Redruth Cornwall.
I can’t tell you how much of a pleasure it was to deal with them! Their professionalism, their keen prices and customer service is second to none. I cannot recommend them highly enough.
Anyhow they turned the computer files into living sculpture
 
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Next stage is installation. What a saga! But I’m going to take a little break (it is Christmas Day).
Please, I welcome ALL comments ??????
 
My first job was to weld captive nuts to the face of the plate. This would mean that with a captive nut one side and a nut the other, the bolts become a permanent part of the plate.
What a pain this was, welding stainless (a pain at the best of times) without damaging the delicate threads while keeping the bolts at a perfect 90 degrees.
This is when it became obvious that every stage, every nut and bolt, was going to be a battle. Anyhow from this photo you can see the bolt pattern of the passerelle. The holes in the center are for the hydraulic ram.
The cutaway on the side is to run the existing hydraulic hoses (I didn’t want to remove them, that’s a skill I will learn on another occasion).
The large hole at the bottom is to avoid an existing bolt in the transom
 
First thing the passerelle had to be removed from the transom, but was still connected by the hydraulic hoses. So it had to be left in midair. This is one of those occasions where you feel really wise that you chose a boat with a crane.
Then I had to squeeze in the lazaret between a bulkhead and the generator, lie on my back while resting on all sorts of uncomfortable objects and ease that big plate into the gunnel. And boy it nearly didn’t fit! That took some effort.
Next my good wife (and she was my only assistant on this entire job, and I seriously couldn’t have done it without her) had to start putting the bolts in until one of them could line up. While I was trying to hold steady this awkward heavy steel plate.
I’ll be honest, when that first bolt went in I celebrated!
 
This is a photo taken inside the gunnel, I could barely see or reach in. The short bolts had to be replaced at a latter date, it required taking off the passerelle again
 
If my arms were one inch longer it would have been much easier. If they were one inch shorter it would have been impossible! It required me to invent tools for the job
 
By contrast, fitting the anchor part on the starboard longitudinal stringer was a piece of cake! Later it would be glued screwed through bolted and top bolted
 
As the above photo shows, I have a strong anchor point and the passerelle and hydraulic ram are attached to a strong backing plate.
All I need is a connection between the two. Unfortunately, there is a lot of gubbins in the way. The water strainer and fuel filter for the generator and the hydraulic ram of the rudder.
 
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