stanchions

[charlie palumbo]

Hello all, hope all are well,

Seems to me that the original small screws that hold the stanchion into the base are inadequate. On an old post, someone (sorry I forget who) said that they had drilled a larger hole through the base and the stanchions, and placed a quarter inch bolt through with a locking nut. Sounded good to me.
Recently when discussing the same subject with a fairly knowledgeable fellow, his opinion was to drill a larger hall but not go through the stanchion, retread and install a larger setscrew.\
His reasoning was that in the event all hell broke loose, the setup with the locking nut would very likely pull up the deck, while his suggestion would not as the stanchion would give first.
What say you ?

Thanks
Charlie,

[Neil Gordon]

Stanchions should be bolted through the hull. If I was tossed against a lifeline, I'd prefer the stanchion to hold rather than fail in order to preserve the deck.

The post about drilling a larger hole probably relates to fixing leaks... you drill a larger hole, epoxy it and then drill a new hole through the epoxy. That way you're sealed the deck core.

[fenixrises]

Hi Charlie,

I think the only way to truly answer your question would be to have a engineer of some sort work out the load and stress calculations. And it would probably also require a physical test to determine the actual ultimate strength of the entire system.

That said, I think upping the size of the machine screw used to hold the stantion in the base is fine. Just drill(#7 bit) and tap 1/4" X 20 thread. That is what I did on my last boat and I plan to do it on my current boat(CD 28). One other thing I do is use a standard hex head bolt, 1/2" long is fine, instead of a round head with either phillips or straight slot. Much easier to tighten or loosen that way. Also a dab of Locktite sure helps to keep the set screw from wiggling loose.

Surprisingly most common load placed on stantions and thier bases is from people helping to dock the boat. They push inboard on the stantions when trying to stop the boat. Much better to push on the rigging as it is far stronger and won't bend.

Happy sails,
Fred B.

[Steve Laume]

I pulled all my stanchions before covering for the winter. I plan to rebed the bases before I reinstall them. Those little screws were a pain to deal with and I questioned just how effective they are. I suppose it is good to have the flex in the attachment instead of the base. I am currently reading "UNDER SAIL Equipment for the Serious Sailor" edited by Tony Meisel. What he says about attachment to the bases is "Stanchions should be fitted into through-bolted stanchion bases and pinned in place with a cotter pin or split pin, not held in place with a grub screw." No wonder I didn't like those nasty little screws! Who would want a GRUB SCREW on their beautiful boat? The cotter pin sounds like a good way to get a firm attachment that is easy to install and remove without removing too much metal. On the wings of airplanes they have stickers in some places that say NO STEP. Maybe we need little stickers on the stanchions that say NO PUSH. That woulds not instill a great deal of confidence in the thinking that those silly little post would keep you aboad if need be. I wonder how much the stanchions really do contribute to keeping you on board aside from holding the lifelines in the right possision to catch you. Highway gardrails are designed that way. The post are there to hold up the rails and are designed to break away. I don't believe our stanchions are ment to break away but it seems to me that the life lines attached to the bow and stern rails are doing most of the work. May we never need to find out, Steve.

[fenixrises]

Hi Steve,

As a tongue in cheek bit of humor I have often heard "lifelines" described as "deathlines". Many are only 24" high which is just about the perfect height to catch you behind the knees thereby catapulting you into a perfect backflip as you go overboard.

Happy sails,
Fred B.

[Steve Laume]

I look at life lines like the raingutter on a house roof. It is your last best chance of not going overboard but I would not count on it. I have only ever fallen off of one roof in my 51 years of life. Many of those years have been working on houses. The one time I "fell overboard" was due to my trust in a ladder that I had moved from on the roof when I was 15. Not a good practie and I would not recomend moving the ladder while you are on it either if you remember the movie Animal House. I guess the point is not to put too much faith in any of your safety gear. I was an active rock climber for a few years too but I always acted like a fall would be disasterous. Even if you are belayed or harnessed it is a good idea not to test fate. I have never fallen overboard on a boat but we used to jump of the stern at close to 50 MPH and it is amazing how far away the boat is by the time you quite skimming along or surface. I also got pushed overboard while running at speed in the middle of a sound sleep and it is amazing how fast you wake up. Okay I'm ready for winter to be over now, Steve.