Opening the can of worms

[henry hey]

<sigh> I hesitate to even start this post because I'm afraid of the responses I will receive.

I have a '79 CD25. I've been working hard on my refit for the season. All the brightwork has now been stripped and some of it (toerail in the fall) has already been refinished with Signature finish Honey Teak. I have added a new radio and new depth sounder as well as some nice single-handing gear following the template of a friend (thanks Carter).

I'm sewing my own cushion covers and etc etc.

The boat is going to be so very nice in about 2 weeks.

I have examined (at least on a surface level) the beam under the mast step and it appears quite solid although it does have a thin layer of rust -- which I imagine is to be expected in any saltwater boat. Just saying the word rust near a salty boat will generate decay.

I am unsure of my chainplates. They feel solid when I bang them with a screwdriver tip and don't really show any more surface rust than the mast step beam. There is no reason for me to believe that they are faulty. I sailed the boat down from Niantic to NYC in the fall and we went through some pretty heavy stuff. They were totally fine. I tend to be the overly cautious one when it comes to this stuff. For example, I used to have an O'day mariner and I added a compression post well in advance of any signs of deck failure. However, I don't want to open myself up to a huge project that very well be unnecessary. How am I to know about these plates without major surgery? This boat appears to have always been very well loved. The general condition is quite good for a boat of it's age.

So. . my questions to the board:

1) is there a way to ascertain if I am ripe for a critical failure on the chainplates without removing them?

2) what is the simplest procedure for rectification of this potential issue?

3) is it possible to simply add localized backing plates (with longer bolts) to the existing glassed-in common steel and is this advised?

Please help me to simplify my process so I can get out on the water!

Thanks.

Henry

[marka]

Henry,

There are those of us who love the boat restoration & maintenance process and those of us who view it as a necessary evil. I am one of those who loves it.

Having said that, I think we tend to way more conservative regarding our fears of iminent critical boat-part failure than we need to be. A little surface rust on a 30 year old piece of metal is most likely nothing to worry about. If the corrosion is severe enough to compromise the structural integrity of the chain plates, my bet is you would know it.

Remember, there's a difference wondering if you have something to worry about and the sure knowledge there is nothing to worry about. Sometimes achieving the latter is just way too costly.

My recommendation would be to go ahead and sail the boat. You already have a basis for concluding the chain plates will not instantaneously fail since you've sailed the boat under demanding conditions already. By all means, keep an eye on them periodically and if you notice a change, then re-evaluate.

[henry hey]

Mark,

I would say that I love it enough to want to see the results of my refit this year. I have enjoyed working on the boat but it has been quite time consuming. At times it is tough to juggle my professional schedule with the boat maintenance.

Anyway, thanks for the vote of confidence. I will look at them a little more but I may well just do as you say.

Thanks again,

Henry

[Zeida]

Henry... if I remember corrrectly, on my CD-25 (it was a 1980, though) when I lifted the cover of the lazarette, you could see a round piece of wood against the back wall; taken off, you could see with a flashlight and small mirror, the inside area underneath the backstay and check out for rust, etc.

I also had cut out a small aperture in the forward most bulkhead piece of teak in the V-berth, so I could inspect and see the underside of the bow bronze fittings, chain plate, etc. It looked like a small window, but I could almost put my head thru there to look around.

When I saw the space there, I also cut out a small hole on deck, and installed a thru-fitting where my anchor rode and chain would go through the deck, and into that empty space beneath, so I did not have to keep it on deck. I kept a 25 lb Danforth on the bow pulpit of the CD25.

The same, inside the boat: right under the mast, another wood circle in the lining. If removed, you could check that area where the electrical wiring came from the mast into the boat, if any water had been leaking, or rust, etc.

And if I remember correctly, you could also with a flashlight and mirror, check the deck/hull joint for signs of rust. From inside the boat, try to find where the stanchions are secured to the deck and look in there with your flashlight. Chainplates are very close by, and you may be able to find and look at them also.

BTW, I also use the Signature Finish Honey Teak on my CD-33; you should be very glad with the way your baby looks. Will never use anything else again. On my CD-25, I used practically every product in the market, and had to keep doing it over and over, because nothing would last or stay in good condition any time over six months. With the Honey, I get good over a year, then I rub gently and apply more coats of the clear.

The one single scary experience I had with the CD25 was that the boat started taking water inexplicably one day during a normal sailing day, on our way back to the marina - and it was not even a rough weather day. I pumped (the hand bilge pump in the cockpit) the water out, and somehow no more came in. But I was spooked. After I sold the boat, this same thing happened again to the new owner as he was moving the boat to his place !!!
He found out that where the hose from that manual cockpit pump connects to the thruhull in the stern, was loose!!! and water was coming in through there! As part of your prep before you go sailing this season, make sure that all your thruhull hoses are secure. You have one wonderful sweetheart of a boat.

[Carl Thunberg]

Henry,
You can test the thickness of flat steel using non-destructive ultrasonic testing. I use it routinely at work on bridges and steel structures and it gives reliable results that have been verified by caliper testing.

Do you have any contacts with a structural steel welder? Most of your better welding shops will have one, and there are testing companies that specialize in ultrasonic testing. In fact, they might be able to do the test top-side, but I'm not sure of that one. Google "ultrasonic testing steel" and look for a testing company in your area.

Of course, this assumes you have a reason to suspect you might have a problem, which I'm not sure you do. My chainplates are in the same condition that you describe and I haven't lost any sleep over them yet.