On Chain plate inspection.

After removing bolts/washers, nuts . . . make sure the bulkhead through the holes looks shinny and burnished. Poke around with an ice pik or sailmakers needs to inspect the integrity of the plywood.

Replace bolts with some nice hex head shank bolts; the kind with 3 or 4 hatches on the head of the bolt indicating maximum strength.

My boat is a one knee forward reinforcement only design. Some of those washers have sunk into the forward knee. So, right now, I just doubled up on the washers with the sunk one acting as a sheer ring of sorts. Anyone have a better solution? Can the 1st (outside) sunken layer of the plyfood on the forward bulkhead knee be filled in with some sort of epoxy vs. replacing the knee itself?

Also, on the bulkhead; the bottom portion of the chain plate is tipped into the bulkhead by a milimeter or so. Anyone glass over where the chainplates attach on the afterside of the bulkhead? Any other solutions for reinforcement/repair?

mb

:: The rig was down when I did this but it is not

:: neccessary. The whole process was quick, although time
:: adds up if you have to dig out balsa. That sounds like a
:: good job plan described in Ralph's message.
::
::
:: :: There's no need to take the mast down. The aft lower
:: :: shrouds will hold the mast up while you work on the
:: :: chain plates. This would be a good time to check the
:: :: balsa core in the deck around the chain plates. Dig out
:: :: any wet or rotten balsa core; let the hole in the deck
:: :: dry out; tape the hole under the deck: fill the hole
:: :: with epoxy and silica filler; re-drill the slot for the
:: :: chain plate; check for rot in the chainplate bolt holes
:: :: in the bulkhead; repair any damage with epoxy; re-drill
:: :: the holes; replace the bolts if they are corroded;
:: :: re-bolt the chainplates to the bulkhead; and re-caulk
:: :: the chainplate holes in the deck.
:: ::
:: :: ::
:: :: :: Andy, thanks for the reminder. I have not done a thing
:: :: :: to mine except visually inspect them. I want to reseal
:: :: :: them this winter and am wondering if you took down your
:: :: :: rig to do it. I can see where I may be able to keep the
:: :: :: rig up, but since you have recently done it, did you
:: :: :: drop your mast?