Bow Steel Chainplate Rust....

[adamganz]

Like many other CDs, my CD28 has a rusted steel chainplate(ish) thing in the bow that needs attention. I forgot that the condition of this thing was part of my negotiating leverage when I bought the boat. Even if I had time to do this work I'm not sure I'd take it on myself. There is not a single post on the internet that claims this is an easy or enjoyable, or even rewarding project.

I have read many if not all the postings on this site describing solutions. As I look for a qualified helper, I have a few questions:

Can this repair be completed without removing all of the existing steel?

Can this project be done without removing the bowsprit?

I read a post where the user's solution was to pierce the boat with a threaded rod (from the deck through the bowsprit and anchor locker, and then come out the front center of the bow/hull, with washers and nuts on either end of the rod). Has anyone else considered this option?

Adam

[Jim Walsh]

I'd start the process by determining the extent of the corrosion. You may have to do some exploratory surgery but you want to determine whether to proceed with a full scale removal and replacement/re-engineering, or if some minor work with a wire brush will reveal healthy metal. Hopefully you are pleasantly surprised.

[Zeida]

Adam... I also suggest you send a PM to member #24 John R. - you will find him under "Members". He has been doing a major refurbishing of his CD30 and will be able to give you some useful tips on this. Don't remove anything until talking to him. Get a photo of the current corrosion and rusted area and send it to him. It will help.

zeida

[Paul D.]

I second the idea of checking out the extent of the corrosion. Try a wire brush, wire wheel on a drill if you can fit it in there, or even some wet or dry paper on it. Things may look quite a bit worse than they are. Good luck,

[Doug Jesseman]

Adam, I replaced the rusted mild steel backing plate on my CD 36 with a 3/8 inch thick stainless steel one. Yes, it was rewarding in knowing that it would never fail. The #2 rebar that Cape Dory used in the bow was replaced with a 3/8 inch stainless steel rod welded to the new backing plate. You don't have to remove the bowsprit, which is glued down to the point it really can't be removed, but the bolts going through it and teak cover plugs do have to come out. It really isn't that bad. I have no idea why Cape Dory cut corners on that backing plate. I would be happy to discuss it with you, PM.

[paul marko]

Rust on the bow plate c/d 28


use a small ball pin hammer, put on some protective glasses, dust mask . Then beat the hell out horizontal, vertical plates, and the associated rebar inside the anchor locker, shop vac out mess,see how much thickness is left on plates. At this point if your satisfied with the integrity of the metal, phosphore,prime and paint. I bought my C/D 28 new 1977 and I do the above once every 2 years. It is almost as good as the day I bought the boat. The root cause here are leaks from the bow sprit and toe rail.

Paul Marko C/D28 xcatl

[Ken Cave]

If you really knew how thick that plate is, I don't think you need to worry about it in your
lifetime. My showed rust, and I cleaned if off with a scraper. I then painted it with Rustoleum
and that did the trick.

How thick is it? When I installed my anchor lock, it took me a LONG time to drill the four holes
through the plate and totaled two bits in the process.

Hope this helps

Ken Cave
CD 28 #227