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E 39 Soft Iron cabin sole braces

mmackof

Member II
It would appear that there are two 1/2" thick soft iron braces/brackets/crescents (I'm certain that there is a proper word for these structures but the mind fails me at the moment) that are glassed into the hull spanning the cabin sole. One is below the bulkhead separating the galley from the settee area and one is aft of the mast step. They are intersected by a welded triangle in the center going forward, creating a base of support. I haven't looked under the glass that covers the base to see what else is there.


The aft piece sits too close to the monel tank to allow maintenance access. The iron is woefully rusted. So the question...are these included to support the cabin sole or is there some other greater purpose to their existence. I'm prone to cutting them out and replacing them with a g10 mockuip of similar design but positioning the rear one in slightly more favorable location; an inch or two forward from their present location.

Has anybody been here before?

Thoughts?
Illumination?

Thanks,
 

Martin King

Sustaining Member
Blogs Author
Mort,

Those steel beams were an early attempt at increasing ridgidity in the boat. If I recall, the bulkheads are tied into the beams, and they
should be considered structural, not just as supports for the cabin sole. This whole business was replaced in the 80's boats with the
tri-axial force grid which was built out of glass. Nobody at the time was thinking about the poor owner 30 years later having to deal
with rotting beams, and blown water tanks sealed up under the glassed in sole. I know of one 39 owner who when faced with these
problems, cut out much of the sole to address these very issues, and then completely rebuilt it with proper access.

Martin
 

mmackof

Member II
are there drawings?

Do u have any contact info?Any details eg he cut around the beams and left them or replaced them?Thanks.Hope your.feeling well.
 

Loren Beach

O34 - Portland, OR
Senior Moderator
Blogs Author
comes around, goes around....

Mort,

Those steel beams were an early attempt at increasing ridgidity in the boat. If I recall, the bulkheads are tied into the beams, and they
should be considered structural, not just as supports for the cabin sole. This whole business was replaced in the 80's boats with the
tri-axial force grid which was built out of glass. Nobody at the time was thinking about the poor owner 30 years later having to deal
with rotting beams, and blown water tanks sealed up under the glassed in sole. I know of one 39 owner who when faced with these
problems, cut out much of the sole to address these very issues, and then completely rebuilt it with proper access.

Martin

"Nothing new under the sun" as the saying goes....
Here's that metal backbone idea again, only this version in SS, per the ad.

Salona 37 - Specifications
A new entry-level Salona features the concept of previous models. Large cockpit area, removable stern bench, modern anchoring & mooring systems and high-quality deck equipment allow a true sailing adventure.
A stainless steel frame is bonded in the bottom structure to carry both, the enormous loads of keel and shrouds. Modern glass fiber construction is optimized to give high strength structure with minimal weight ratio.
The new Salona 37 combines exceptional sailing performances with the greatest possible comfort for the crew.


http://www.salona-yachts.co.uk/yachts/salona_37.aspx

And so it goes.... and out there in the future someone will have to repair these new modern marvels! :rolleyes:

Cheers,
Loren
 
Last edited:

HughHarv

Hugh
Steel Floors

As I recall, someone else posted about using g-10 to replace the soft steel floors in their own E-39. As I have removed the one very rusty one forward of the mast step I can tell you there was nothing more than a flat plate resting on top of the keel below the triangle stiffener you mentioned. This plate extended back towards the mast step about one foot and was lagged to the keel with four lags and glassed over. I used a sawz-all to cut the steel each side of the stiffener then a wood chisel to cut around the glass and pryed if off of the bottom plate.

FWIW, the forward plate on my boat was truncated on the starboard side from the factory and could not reach a bulkhead on that side, and the holes were never bored and no bolts ever inserted on the port side. I have the factory fiberglass pan floor and the head's bulkhead is screwed to that. This boat was sailed and raced around Lake Michigan for at least three decades like this without issues, makes me wonder if it is really necessary in my boat.

The aft steel floor is different, looks a bit stronger and is tied to bulkheads on either side. I don't question that it is supporting some loads in that area.
 
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