Weird Beneteau Stanchion bases.

[Simon F]

Hi Everyone,

My Beneteau 24 has triangular stanchion bases, (see pictures) weirdly, 6 of them are made in aluminium, whereas 2 are some kind of black plastic and are both cracked and useless. I think perhaps they were all plastic originally and someone replaced 6 of them as they broke, because the two remaining plastic ones aren't reciprocal, they are the 2nd and 3rd from the bow on the port side. Anyway, I'd like to swap those two as well as they're dangerously weak and I figure it makes sense to re-use the holes in the deck made for the existing ones so I was wondering about getting some made on the pattern of the better aluminium ones. Is that possible? - I mean, actually I'd rather buy some off the shelf, but I haven't found any to match the pattern. I even emailed Beneteau, but they haven't replied.

Or I could try and make some myself from a chunk of aluminum? It's available on Ebay!

What would folks advise?

Thanks - Simon.

 

[Neeves]

Simon

Hopefully you will find someone who knows what they are talking about - but I'm keeping your thread active and on the 'front' page.

You could buy a block of aluminium and drill out a hole for the stanchion - but it will need a really good drill bit and a decent heavy duty drill stand. I have both and have worked with blocks of aluminium to make the sort of thing you want. You would need an appropriately sized lump of the 5083 alloy of aluminium (its the marine grade). I worked with a 25mm thick slab of 5083 and if you have the right kit - it not difficult and satisfying to work with.

An alternative is to buy off the shelf stanchion bases and modify them to suit the specific locations, this would need a file or rasp in a battery drill or maybe a grinding wheel on an angle grinder. The stanchion bases I see are stainless (and will not match what you have) but will do the job (and fit a standard stanchion). I thought, don't know, that Ronstan supplied, but check for Lewmar, Vetus or Plastimo. You might need to isolate the new stainless stanchion bases from the aluminium toe rail - but that's the easy part.

Don't use the angle grinder on the deck - the dust will impact the deck and embed at high velocity and will cause corrosion which will be a devil to remove.

In the meantime - to keep you sailing - replace one plastic one with one metal one from the other toe rail and this will be better than having two duff bases next to each other.


Note: I'm in Sydney, Australia and cannot offer much more than words of moral support

Jonathan

 

[Simon F]

Simon

Hopefully you will find someone who knows what they are talking about - but I'm keeping your thread active and on the 'front' page.

You could buy a block of aluminium and drill out a hole for the stanchion - but it will need a really good drill bit and a decent heavy duty drill stand. I have both and have worked with blocks of aluminium to make the sort of thing you want. You would need an appropriately sized lump of the 5083 alloy of aluminium (its the marine grade). I worked with a 25mm thick slab of 5083 and if you have the right kit - it not difficult and satisfying to work with.

An alternative is to buy off the shelf stanchion bases and modify them to suit the specific locations, this would need a file or rasp in a battery drill or maybe a grinding wheel on an angle grinder. The stanchion bases I see are stainless (and will not match what you have) but will do the job (and fit a standard stanchion). I thought, don't know, that Ronstan supplied, but check for Lewmar, Vetus or Plastimo. You might need to isolate the new stainless stanchion bases from the aluminium toe rail - but that's the easy part.

Don't use the angle grinder on the deck - the dust will impact the deck and embed at high velocity and will cause corrosion which will be a devil to remove.

In the meantime - to keep you sailing - replace one plastic one with one metal one from the other toe rail and this will be better than having two duff bases next to each other.


Note: I'm in Sydney, Australia and cannot offer much more than words of moral support

Jonathan

Thanks for your reply Jonathan. I do have a drill press but it won't take a 25mm drill bit for the stanchion to fit into, so I might not be able to do it myself, unless there are bits with a wider cutting point than the shaft as with those spade type wood drill bits? A good suggestion to swap one of the weak ones to the other side - I'll get on that.

Give my best to Sydney

Simon.

 

[DownWest]

Use a hole saw? If guided by a bit of ply clamped to the ally, they can cut quite accurate holes.

 

[doug748]

You can get reduced shank, twist bits sometimes referred to as "Blacksmith's". They are often carbon steel but these appear to be HSS:

HIGH QUALITY HELLER HSS REDUCED SHANK DRILL BITS 10mm-25mm Blacksmith Iron Metal | eBay

These drills can be handy for jobs with 1in tubing like pushpits etc
Check the shank dia if you go for it.

.

 

[Neeves]

You can buy drill bits that look like small versions of hole saws. They have a central small, thin shank (maybe 5mm) and an outer rim with hardened teeth. I have bought them one at a time, I've not seen a set, and they come in a whole range of diameters. You would get them from any tool shop. They need a decent bench drill and you will need. some cutting medium. They do not drill very deep, maybe 15mm (but maybe you can source ones that cut more deeply, so you might need to drill from both sides, and this might mean you need to drill one side, drill a pilot hole right through and then turn over.

The blacksmiths type where you drill all the metal out all at the same time are OK upto a certain size and then the hole saw type are better as they simply cut, maybe, say 20mm but only cut the outer edge, say a 1.5mm ring. You are not cutting so much. You end up with a short cylinder of metal (for which you might find another use

Its not difficult

But I'd look at buying already made stanchion bases first - much easier and quicker.

Jonathan

 

[DownWest]

But I'd look at buying already made stanchion bases first - much easier and quicker.

Jonathan

But not half as much fun

 

[MikeCC]

Is the one at the bottom of this page the right size? Goiot on Rigrite site in USA.
Stanchion Bases - Metric Aluminum

A quick search for the reference given doesn't come up with anything else though.

 

[Simon F]

Is the one at the bottom of this page the right size? Goiot on Rigrite site in USA.
Stanchion Bases - Metric Aluminum

A quick search for the reference given doesn't come up with anything else though.

Thanks Mike, it certainly looks like a match. I'll take careful measurements and hopefully those will be a straight swap. Amazing!

 

[Neeves]

Looking at the offering and the OP's photo the unit will need to be modified to fit. It looks as if the toe rail fits under a recess in the stanchion base fitting, or the outer bolt needs to be packed to secure. Not a major job - but not a straight swap. I'd check the underside and plan to reinforce the bolt/nut on the inside. I'd also tap the toe rail so that the new stanchion base is secured to something structural (assuming that the toe rail secures deck to hull).

Jonathan

 

[Simon F]

Looking at the offering and the OP's photo the unit will need to be modified to fit. It looks as if the toe rail fits under a recess in the stanchion base fitting, or the outer bolt needs to be packed to secure. Not a major job - but not a straight swap. I'd check the underside and plan to reinforce the bolt/nut on the inside. I'd also tap the toe rail so that the new stanchion base is secured to something structural (assuming that the toe rail secures deck to hull).

Jonathan

Well spotted sir! - the existing stanchions overlap the toe rail by 20mm. and it looks like the resulting gap has been filled with some kind of spacer. Presumably I can either reuse that, or fashion a suitable piece of marine grade aluminium. Even I can cope with that.

On the inside there are only large washers and nuts so I'll take your advice and add a drilled stainless steel plate instead, to spread the load I would have thought.

It's odd that the stanchion bases so feeble. Surely the stanchions are the likely failure point of the lifelines owing to the torque exerted when a sailor is thrown at them by a wave. Obviously I tether myself when going to the mast in weather, but I certainly I wouldn't feel confident that the lifelines would stop me, but it seems to this non-engineer, that they could be easily designed to be much stronger than they are.

 

[billcole]

Have you tried a Beneteau dealer. I got some toe rail bits from Fox's (quite a few years ago it's true) and they had Beneteau part lists and diagrams much in the same way as a car dealer would.

 

[Simon F]

Have you tried a Beneteau dealer. I got some toe rail bits from Fox's (quite a few years ago it's true) and they had Beneteau part lists and diagrams much in the same way as a car dealer would.

Hi Bill,

Yes I did try the one in Belfast, although I'l ltry a few others and see if I get any luck. Thanks. Simon.