Hi there. I'm fixing up a 1975 Cape Dory 28

[calderp]

Hi, I'm Paul Calder. My parents Nigel and Terrie managed to raise my sister and I on cruising sailboats while my father made sailing his life's work but I haven't gotten on boats much in many years. I've daydreamed a lot about fixing up a boat though and finally got started a few months ago with a Cape Dory 28 . It needs a good deal of work but I chose it in no small part thanks to the recommendations I've seen here at the CDSOA so I wanted to introduce myself.
I'm the new owner of a 1975 Cape Dory 28, possibly hull no. 30.



I've been doing a complete refit including a good bit of fiberglass work, a complete rerig and new systems for cruising. The boat is in pretty good shape structurally and internally but unfortunately a lot of water migrated into the deck and wreaked a bit of havoc. I was very impressed to find that virtually all of the factory installed deck hardware was still bedded and dry after all these years but someone down the line did a much more slipshod job and I've spent quite a bit of time making up for this. I'm still working on replacing the chainplates which this water completely rusted out.

Were the chainplates on other Cape Dory models this strange? Mine are just large hunks of mild steel with rebar welded to them in spots! Odd as it is it seems like it would be a strong design but it's not a good sign when you can pick the steel apart with your fingernails.
Anyway, it's been a lot of work and we're still not in the water yet. I've been very lucky though to have a lot of help from a couple friends and my father who fancies himself something of an expert on these things. It has been fun learning how to fix boats on a Cape Dory. My 28' is so simply and durably constructed that I feel comfortable working on any part of the boat, even as a beginner. I figure if she's tough enough to have survived all these years so well I should be able to get many more out of her.

I've some catching up to do but I'm documenting all the work we do on a blog herehttp://www.sailfeed.com/paul-calder . It's been a great resource having this site to browse through and I'm hoping this stuff will be useful to folks with similar problems. I certainly found the page in these forums on chainplate replacements invaluable when working on mine. I'm sure I'll also have questions as things progress.

[David van den Burgh]

I'm sure you'll have plenty of fun. Good luck on the project and whatever lies ahead.

I'm sure some 28 owners will chime in with specific information about your questions.

[Bob B]

Congratulations, Paul. You've chosen a great boat. I appreciate your documenting the refit in that we can all learn from each other. This is a great board for that.
I've enjoyed reading and referring to your dad's books for help with my boats. It has really made a difference.

Bob B.
CD Typhoon Liberty
Lancaster, SC

[Maine Sail]

Excellent boat Paul! Loved the expanding foam story. Boats are always full of surprises aren't they.... That 10 minute job.... 4 hours later is nearly done....

[Jerry Hammernik]

You will want to check out this site if you haven't already. Fred really got in depth on his rebuild of his CD 28.

http://www.sbastro.com/FeNIX/mainFrameSet.htm

Good Luck.

[Duncan]

Welcome, Paul. In answer to your question, yes I believe that all Cape Dorys have those weird chainplates, although I've heard that some were made of aluminum.
The horror stories scare me, but so far I haven't heard of any rigging failures.

With respect to your water tank aft of the engine, you may want to rethink that location. Alberg designs seem prone to squatting by the stern, and you might find that filling the tank could give you some trim issues.

[Sea Hunt Video]

In the February 2007 issue of Practical Sailor there is an article about marine metals and their degradation, including what to look for.

The article's author, Ralph Naranjo owned a Cape Dory Typhoon (not clear if it is a daysailer or weekender model). His article shows a photo of what was left of one of his chainplate backing plates. As the article described it, it really did look like "cornflakes". Mr. Naranjo was sailing and a bolt from the starboard chainplate snapped when the backing plate (now cornflakes) could no longer support the stress.

Mr. Naranjo suggested that "mild steel" was used instead of stainless steel for the backing plates.

Paul - good luck with your restoration.

P.S. I have two (2) copies of your Dad's book "Boatowner's Mechanical and Electrical Manual". One on my CD 25D; one at home.

[Paul Grecay]

You are going to enjoy the CD 28. I have an older model as well....I replaced the plastic ports with bronze ones and repowered. By the way, there is a Volvo Penta MD2B available if Plainville, CT if you need to repower or rebuild. I have had my CD 28 for years and I love it....it is the only boat I will ever have I think. Mine is a 76....virtually the same as yours. I actually like the deeper companion way...although for offshore cruising I put in the first two boards just in case. My CD 28 does beautifully with the aries windvane....and I use the club jib all the time ... easier for me and I don't care too much about speed. Congratulations....I will watch you progress with great interest!

Paul Grecay
CD 28 "PeaPod"
Lewes, Delaware

[paul marko]

Congrats on your choice of boats,I bought my cd/28 new in 1977 and have learned a lot about how boats are made. Chain plates: after about 2 years I began to see their limitations and made some modifications that included sealing,painting to keep from rusting. The bow plate has to be peened and painted every year. I cut bigger inspection ports for the port and starboard chainplates,beefed up the fiberglass tabbing sealed and painted. This has lasted until now with no futher intervention. The back stay attachment was poorly designed and the best fix is found on the "Phenix" site. I have replaced mine with a 1/4 ss plate bolted threw the deck, not a perfect solution. I personly prefere mild steel if you can keep it from rusting and have good access for inspection. I have seen many ss backed chain plates that have givenway underload. Mild steel will distort but seldom fails completly.

you will enjoy the c/d 28, it single hands easly and sails fast.


best of luck with the boat

Paul Marko

[Paul D.]

Welcome Paul,

Yes the angle iron mild steel chain plates are unique to Cape Dory as far as I know. They are excellent as long as you can keep them dry. What I love about my boat is that I can easily check them and do so twice a year or whenever I open the locker in the head or the hanging locker opposite. I scratched my head when I read your post as I wouldn't know off hand whether to rebuild exactly as original - look for the manual for the 28 on the "About Cape Dorys" page of this site for a design sketch, I have one in my manual if you cannot find one - or glass some new concoction into the hull. I imagine the original would be easy enough and you could epoxy paint the steel for extra resistance. Some of the paint on one of mine is peeling, though it hasn't changed in a decade, so I had thought of doing that job someday.

Good luck! I am sure it vindicates all of our deep feelings of pride of ownership that you would select a CD for your boat!

[calderp]

Wow, thanks for the hearty welcome folks. I'm comforted to hear that I'm not alone in my chainplate struggles! All of mine were pretty well destroyed so I'm switching to stainless on the outside of the hull where I can keep an eye on em. They're nearly completed but it has been a struggle - one of the few projects where I think it would have actually made sense to pay someone else to do it, at least the cutting and drilling part. Apparently SS is tough stuff to work with...
Other than the chainplates (which maybe I shouldn't blame on CD since the water didn't get to them thru the original fittings) I've been very impressed with my 28! It feels quite roomy and I love the big cockpit even if it means keeping the dropboards in while offshore. Plus there are are a lot of little bonuses that show the builders really knew what they were doing like isolating important hardware from the deck core. Of course I've yet to sail the thing but hopes are high!
As I said this site has been a huge help as was Fred's website which helped me figure out what the heck was going on when I started investigating the chainplates! Mine were definitely mild steel. Very, very mild by this point! The strangest thing is how the used rebar on some of them. I guess they justifiably had a lot of faith in the hull-deck joints but water will find its way almost anywhere in 36 years...

Thanks for the tip Duncan. Unfortunately the tank is already pretty well set in place so I'll have to live with it. I've been toying with the idea of building integral tanks in the bilge area at some point but that's a project for the future.

To the Paul's - There must be something about Cape Dory that attracts people named Paul! Maybe we need a survey on this I've also replaced my plastic ports which were leaking a lot and I think I'm going to remake the dropboards or at least modify them as mine are quite a loose fit. Looking for a windvane as well. As for the engine I'm holding off for now I think while my dad and I toy around with the idea of using it as a test boat for some sort off hybrid power system. In the meantime I've got an outboard and bracket that came with the boat which should do the trick.
Oh and Paul D. that's good to hear that your chainplates are still holding up. They are incredibly overbuilt which is nice but unfortunately someone put in some poorly bedded deck fitting near each of my chainplates and water destroyed them. Oh well.

Oh and I've got one more questions for now. Have any of you with CD28's or similar put in propane lockers and if so where did you put it? I'm trying to figure out where to locate mine. Currently the top contender is glassing off part of the port cockpit locker and using that. It wouldn't be too much work but is less than ideal.

Thanks again.
-Paul

[BubbaThePirate]

Welcome and congrats, Paul. I'm a CD28 owner as well - 1975 #53. When Michigan thaws out, one of my projects is to put stainless steel chainplates on outside as you describe - a la Fenix. I'll be watching the blog. I track my glacial progress at www.bubbathepirate.com.

Cheers,
Todd

[paul marko]

This is Paul marko again/cd/28, about wind vanes: I have a Navick and it works well , I know of two other cd/28's that have them. Navick is no longer made but service parts are available at Plastimo USA located in Sarasota fl. The lower unit is poorly built and requies some reinforcement but is easly fixed. If you can find one used, they sell for about 200-400 dollars depending on what shape they are in.

good sailing

Paul Marko

[Jerry Hammernik]

Paul,
John Stone is rebuilding a CD 36 and recently installed a Cape Horn windvane. Excellent series of pictures and descriptions of the install. While most 36's are wheel steered, Far Reach has a tiller and so would be instructive for your project.

http://farreachvoyages.com/dailylog.html

There is a lot of info on his site that would be relevant for your project.

[rorik]

Paul,
I have a `79 CD28.
Done a complete refit, well, almost. Not quite done yet. Here's what I did for propane:

http://i930.photobucket.com/albums/ad14 ... C02656.jpg
http://i930.photobucket.com/albums/ad14 ... C02664.jpg

The tanks and brackets came from Sure Marine in Seattle: http://www.suremarine.com

Also re-powered a year or so ago with a Nanni N2.14 - 2cyl, 13hp. Very easily pushes Mathilda through the water at hull speed below full throttle.
It's a Kubota based engine. Similar to a Beta, but with some small differences that I thought were better.