Hey all, thanks for sharing.
jbenagh wrote:These look pretty normal. That cold steel is going to get surface rust no matter what.
In the starboard picture, it looks like you might have a little water intrusion near where the bonding wire is attached. You might consider rebedding that chain plate on deck. It could just be condensation though.
You might want to refasten the bonding wires after sanding them down. You could check them with an ohm meter to see if the connection is still good. If it's greater than a few ohms to the bonding plate there's probably corrosion somewhere that you should address.
Jeff
Jeff,
I'm glad these look somewhat normal. I am currently in a fresh water environment (JuJu is on her cradle covered with shrink wrap), so if that's just surface rust, which I believe it to be too (deck isn't bubbling up above them), this will probably buy me a bit more time. I am inclined to think it is just surface rust from condensation but if I ever intend to do any long distance cruising, I'll want to come up with a better solution. That little bit of wetness shown in the photos is probably due to me having a heater running and be being aboard for about an hour prior to taking the pics/video on a rapidly warming morning after a freezing cold night.
As far as bonding wires go, are you saying to sand down the connection points and test for ohms at the bonding plate outside on the keel (before unattached, when unattached, and after reconnected)? I'll need to get better informed about the bonding system and navigating that system.
JD-MDR wrote:I used 1/2" g-10 for under deck plates and a knee brace under each deck plate/padeye.. I read of one guy on the forum using carbon fiber . it's all in the archives.
Thanks, JD-MDR. I'll be checking out more of the archives. That G-10 seems like the way to go, but not a small job in the least. I assume you're feeling very confident in your plates now.
SVFayaway wrote:I'm the one who opted for carbon fiber. In retrospect I would use regular glass since carbon fiber is stiffer than the e-glass used in the hull and so it will take the full load of the chainplates first making it more susceptible to fatigue. That said, I think what I did was a little overkill and I don't expect to have any problems with it. I plan to keep an eye on the situation and if it develops problems (failure of the carbon fiber at the hull-deck joint) I'll install G10 knees. Honestly I think that a simple fiberglass reinforcement using a heavy cloth like 1708 in staggered layers, with a full length G10 backing plate replacing the steel plate, would be ample for a smaller Cape Dory.
Thanks for this insight, SVFayaway.
Jim Walsh wrote:If you have no plans to cruise extensively or offshore you may want to leave the backing plates/assembly in place and coat the exposed area with a rust converter.
Jim,
Being that this upcoming year will be my first season on JuJu, I'm hesitant to have any solid plans with this boat, but I do foresee wanting to get it ready for some bluewater (potentially singlehanded) cruising in the not too distant future. I have said that I'd like to shove off when I turn 50. I have 3 more years to prepare before said shoving off.
Is there a standard rust converter recommended for this situation?
fmueller wrote:
I would suggest a couple of pilot holes drilled thru your plates in a few spots. That way you can determine the extent of oxidation - ie surface or more serious. That will inform you if you actually have an unavoidable as opposed to elective replacement problem. In the event you discover you have most of the original mild steel intact and that the oxidation is mostly surface, you could then choose to leave well enough alone.
I like the pilot hole idea, Fred, but I'm not quite sure how to go about it. There is very little access where the rustiest looking spots are (actually very little access to the entire plate really, as I'm sure you know). I took those pics by blindly sticking my phone through a 3-4" dia. access hole. Would you suggest cutting out a larger hole to perform this? How large/deep of a pilot hole and how many are safe to drill without weakening the plate? I would aim for the rustiest areas. Should I then cover them with rust converter and fill with epoxy, or something else?
fmueller wrote:Except you would then want to make absolutely sure you have no moisture ingress from your chain plates. You should re-bed them. That’s something that should be done anyway on a boat of this vintage.
I did exactly this on my 27. My backing plates looked a little better than yours but still when I first laid eyes on them I thought they were trashed, but that was just not the case. The OEM finish is really messy and does not inspire superficial confidence. Add surface rust and it looks like a disaster. But I actually think it’s pretty robust. My chain plates have since been re-beded and there has never been a hint of leaking. I also replaced my original standing rigging and now don’t worry about that aspect of my boat anymore.
I'll wait and see how the pilot holes go, but I can definitely see doing the G-10 replacement at some point before doing any heavy duty long-term cruising in this boat. Do you happen to have photos of what yours look like now?
Thanks again, everyone, for your posts.