Relocating my forestay chainplate

[Terra-Loon]

I have a problem with my forestay chainplate - as you can see from the images it's trying to come away from the deck.

My thinking is that I should replace it with something attached to the hull. The boat is moored at Brixham marina and I could do with some advice on what to do. I guess I'll need something fabricated and then fitted. So who do I call and how much are they likely to charge me!?!

 

[ShaunG]

What is the tang attached to inside the boat? The angle of the tang and forestry look linear..has anything changed of the mast forestry attachement etc...this might help guide what you do next.

My initial thoughts are to really look at how the forestry chain plate is attached to the boat, I wonder if it has broken away inside ( I have a similar style rotting which is attached to a bar internally that is in turn bolted to a fillet in the bow, if this attachement was to fail then I would see similar to your picture, q change of angle could cause this due the the load now being non- linear...photos of the underside of the chain plate would be very helpful

 

[savageseadog]

It probably is attached to the hull, there should be a web of GRP or plywood attached to the hull on both sides. It may be just a bit of movement or it's just bent back because it's not quite in line.

 

[Terra-Loon]

It's not attached to the hull, it's just bolted to the deck. There is also a slight bulging in the deck immediately around the area and some stress cracking.

 

[ShaunG]

In tat case it is time to think about an internal hull attachment that takes the load off the deck and distributes it to the hull or a bulkhead..

If you have a fabricator on site (or your nearest fabrictor) then I would talk to them about making a bracket of sorts that can either go to a stringer or bulkhead in side the boat and bolt to the exisiting fitting, depending on the location of a possible suitable mounting point then you may get away with it cheaply (£100-200) or at least double if you need to have something glasses in If needed (unless you can do it yourself...what size and type of boat are we talking about, it may mean that it has already been done

 

[savageseadog]

Might have a reinforced deck in that area with fasteners to spread the load to the hull. You will need to modify if the deck can't handle the load, but strictly speaking the designer should OK it. Perhaps there should have been a stainless bow fitting and the builder economised?

What yacht is it then?

 

[Terra-Loon]

In tat case it is time to think about an internal hull attachment that takes the load off the deck and distributes it to the hull or a bulkhead..

If you have a fabricator on site (or your nearest fabrictor) then I would talk to them about making a bracket of sorts that can either go to a stringer or bulkhead in side the boat and bolt to the exisiting fitting, depending on the location of a possible suitable mounting point then you may get away with it cheaply (£100-200) or at least double if you need to have something glasses in If needed (unless you can do it yourself...what size and type of boat are we talking about, it may mean that it has already been done

The boat is a 32' Dehler Optima98s and I think the current arrangement is the standard way for the chain plate to be attached on these models.

Wouldn't it be better to have some thing made that attached to the bow stem, rather than glassed internally?

 

[ShaunG]

It may be, however if you think of the loads then a linear load would mean that an internal attachment would allow for a stronger repair. As savaged of has said the deck may have built with a way to distribute the load the hull, is the deck cored? If so the core could have broken down an allowed movement, I am afraid I dont know the boat, although I am sure others will be along shortly that do

I had to replace the internal attachement on mine as the fillet in the bow was cracking, it was a fairly straightforward glass repair, although the location made it awkward, I will see if I can dig out some example pics

 

[Puggy]

The boat is a 32' Dehler Optima98s and I think the current arrangement is the standard way for the chain plate to be attached on these models.

Wouldn't it be better to have some thing made that attached to the bow stem, rather than glassed internally?

I had much the same problem on my Nauticat baby stay, the bow eye was lifting from the deck. It turned out that the deck eye was attached to a steel webbing type arrangement that was glassed into the stem of the boat. This had corroded and weakened to the point that it was starting to part company. I had the bracket ground out and a new one fabricated (this time in stainless steel....) and laminated into the stem, with some additional reinforcement laminating. Turned out not to be a big job or particularly expensive, I was lucky in that access was easy not requiring anything to be dismantled. Good luck.

 

[Terra-Loon]

Might have a reinforced deck in that area with fasteners to spread the load to the hull. You will need to modify if the deck can't handle the load, but strictly speaking the designer should OK it. Perhaps there should have been a stainless bow fitting and the builder economised?

What yacht is it then?

The deck is pretty solid where the chain plate is fitted - but I don't think the initial design has stood the test of time. And I think the designer might have economised a bit.

 

[Terra-Loon]

I had much the same problem on my Nauticat baby stay, the bow eye was lifting from the deck. It turned out that the deck eye was attached to a steel webbing type arrangement that was glassed into the stem of the boat. This had corroded and weakened to the point that it was starting to part company. I had the bracket ground out and a new one fabricated (this time in stainless steel....) and laminated into the stem, with some additional reinforcement laminating. Turned out not to be a big job or particularly expensive, I was lucky in that access was easy not requiring anything to be dismantled. Good luck.

Access to the chain plate seems fairly good via the anchor locker, but I'm no expert and I don't know how much room is needed!

 

[VicS]

I think I would either have one made with the top part and the studs below at angle such that the studs go through the deck squarely whiile the top part aligns with the angle of the forestay.
Id also have the studs long enough so that a serious backing pad can be put under the deck to spread the load as widely as possible

Or, I would make it dead straight with the( longer) studs going through the deck at the same angle as the forestay and a substantial tapered backing pad designed for the nuts to go on at the same angle.

 

[savageseadog]

Access to the chain plate seems fairly good via the anchor locker, but I'm no expert and I don't know how much room is needed!

Enough room to do the job, you need to be able to see and get at least one arm to it while lying on deck.

 

[Terra-Loon]

Enough room to do the job, you need to be able to see and get at least one arm to it while lying on deck.

There's room for that.

It was my surveyors idea that the chain plate should be attached to the bow stem and as he seems fairly well thought of in his trade I've respected his prognosis. However, I'm quite open to suggestion when it comes to a solution for this.

I take it the boat wouldn't need to come out of the water to have this work done on it?

 

[Terra-Loon]

I think I would either have one made with the top part and the studs below at angle such that the studs go through the deck squarely whiile the top part aligns with the angle of the forestay.
Id also have the studs long enough so that a serious backing pad can be put under the deck to spread the load as widely as possible

Or, I would make it dead straight with the( longer) studs going through the deck at the same angle as the forestay and a substantial tapered backing pad designed for the nuts to go on at the same angle.

I wondered myself about something similar to your second solution.

Mine revolved around some dirty great plate that reinforced the deck from below with the studs bolted through it.

 

[sailorman]

I have a problem with my forestay chainplate - as you can see from the images it's trying to come away from the deck.

My thinking is that I should replace it with something attached to the hull. The boat is moored at Brixham marina and I could do with some advice on what to do. I guess I'll need something fabricated and then fitted. So who do I call and how much are they likely to charge me!?!

This is how mine is attached via a substantial plate on the stem

the box section has been plated & welded @ the forrard end , not really visible in the photo.
No load is taken by the deck

 

[Terra-Loon]

This is how mine is attached via a substantial plate on the stem

the box section has been plated & welded @ the forrard end , not really visible in the photo.
No load is taken by the deck

Looks good. So the load is taken by the bow stem?

 

[ShaunG]

Sailor mans photo was just what I was looking for, it's a perfect explanation . Should be fairly easy to do, as well as being fairly cheap

 

[sailorman]

Sailor mans photo was just what I was looking for, it's a perfect explanation . Should be fairly easy to do, as well as being fairly cheap

Holman & Pye design.
i removed it last year & re-bedded the whole thing.
i would have benefited from a Gynaecological course

 

[Terra-Loon]

Any recommendations for who I might call in the Torbay area to knock something up like in Sailormans pic? Preferrably someone capable of fitting it too...