Cape Dory 36 chainplate issue: would you buy this boat?

[pbryant]

I'm looking at an original vintage (hull number less than 71) Cape Dory 36 cutter.

Everything looked good - until I inspected the forestay chainplate belowdeck backing plate and anchor assembly (I believe Cape Dory owners call this contraption "The Thing") in the bow chain locker. My research shows that this vintage of CD36s used a mild steel plate, with welded rebar at the apex of the bow. The rebar is glassed in to anchor the chainplate backing plate and transfer stresses to the hull - not the deck.

Because the rebar is surrounded by glass, I can't see its condition. I can only see that the plate is corroded and that the plate has delaminated from the bottom side of the deck - presumably due to rust swelling under the plate. (Photos below: note the streaks of rust.) . If the plate fails or the rebar loses its bond with the hull, all of the stresses will transfer to the deck, and the deck will almost certainly fail catastrophically without warning under that tension from below (not to mention the consequent dismasting).

Later Cape Dorys used bronze or aluminium because of the corrosion issue. I suspect removing and replacing the plate would be a costly and major project. If I replced it, it would be very challenging to get a primary bond to the hull. The only practical correction I can envision is a conversion to an external stem, which would interfere with the boomkin.

All other things being equal, would you buy this boat? And if so, what would you do about the rusted and delaminated plate?

Thanks in advance for any opinions!

[hilbert]

"The Thing" looks in good condition for its age. I see no evidence of rust, discoloration or deterioration in the perpendicular member that is welded to the plate and fiberglassed to the hull. The plate itself looks sound. The rust on the starboard side may be water intrusion along a bolt that secures a chock. There doesn't appear to be extensive thinning or flaking and I don't see a serious issue with the slight gap that is visible on the outer edge, between the plate and the underside of the deck.

If this boat is to your liking and the price is reasonable, then I would not walk away because of "This Thing" as pictured.
I would suggest having a surveyor inspect it and then make a decision on how to proceed.

[camroll]

That one is not that bad. Mine was much worse. One side had thinned considerably. I did replace it myself with a stainless steel one and it turned out to not be a huge job. The hardest part was actually getting it to break free. I had to put a come-along on it to get it out after grinding all the fiberglass away.

Russ

[John Ring]

Thing #135.jpg

This is Thing #135, built in 1985. I'm pretty sure it's steel, and looking pretty good. The chainplates for the shrouds on Tiara are aluminum, but the backstay's chainplate is also a steel thing. All in all, they're in very good shape after 33 years in the salt.

Yours doesn't look too bad, and I've heard people say they are easier to remove than they feared.

John Ring
CD36 #135 TIARA

[JD-MDR]

Here's mine before, during,and after with g-10 replacement. You can read all about it under Leoma Chainplates

[John Stone]

"The thing." Yes, I am intimately familiar with it. Yours is not bad. I don’t know what the rest of the boat looks like so I can’t recommend you buy it. However, If I was not going to buy it, it wouldn’t be because of that backing plate.

I removed mine. You can read about it here.

http://www.farreachvoyages.com/projects ... cation.html

I examined it closely after I removed it...not fun by the way...but doable. It was not in as bad a shape as I thought. I changed the design of my bowsprit and made lots of other mods to my CD 36 # 61. So, it had to come out anyway.

There is nothing about my boat that I don’t know. I gutted it to a bare hull. There are no secrets left (and their were a few to be sure). But, there is no such thing as a perfect boat. They all have issues and peculiarities. And that goes for high end custom boats too. Yes, Cape Dories have a few areas that can be aggravating—but they are well know. All those areas, if your boat has a problem, can be repaired, modified, or worked around. If you purchase a pristine 30 year old Hinckley B-40 you will find things that cause aggravation...I guarantee it.

The boat is hell built strong. She is a sweet sailer and a fine seaboat if you know what you are doing. I am completely delighted with my boat. You can learn more about what the hidden parts of the boat looks like as documented on our rebuild website or at our newer sailing blog.

http://www.farreachvoyages.com Rebuild Site
http://www.farreachboyages.wordpress.com Sailing and Maintenance Blog

Another great thing about Cape Dories is the forum. It’s active and there are a lot of knowledge boat owners. If you have a question, someone has a helpful answer.

I learn something on this site nearly every day.

[mashenden]

Where are you located? My CD-36 is most likely going on the market in the Spring - I'm not using her enough, so time is approaching to downsize to the Typhoon. I'd consider a pre-market sale if interested. We are located in Virginia.