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New Chain Plate

msc1212

Member II
I was sailing on lake Ontario this past weekend in a 30 mile single handed race in a monster wind -25 to 30 knots true. The race was all downwind and early on I had an accidental jibe and crashed on a huge following wave. I was amazed given the conditions that the rig stayed up. At the end of the day I noticed that the starboard chainplate had moved upwards out of the deck and had a crack in it. I think I can figure out how to replace the chainplate thanks to this site but I don't know where to get a new chainplate - is this something you can buy off the shelf or do you have to have it custom made? I sail a 35 mk 11. As always any help would be appreciated.

ps: I came fifth in the race. A Beneteau 36.7 won. Sigh.
 

Chris Miller

Sustaining Member
There is a metals company that has a lot of the original drawings for this stuff that they built for the factory back in the day... the guy posted here a couple of times, check a search on chainplates and it should come up.
Chris
 

Steve Swann

Member III
Be suspicious of them all...

I might suggest removing and checking all your chainplates for cracks. I used an aircraft dye a mine (a benefit of haiving another expensive hobby) and found two with cracks. Of course, any elongated holes are automatic replacement candidates as well. I replaced all of mine and kept two that seemed to be OK. I had them re-elctro-polished and I keep them for spares. I also epoxy glassed underneath my chainplates onto and area on my bulkheads and re-drilled my bolt holes. This is now a lot tougher substrate as a result. I also routed out of sight grounding wires to the bilge. Inspecting all the thru-deck holes and properly re-bedding them was also a plus.

I know, I only have a 25, but I like making each project better than when it left the factory.
 

sleather

Sustaining Member
Bulkhead

Steve, the epoxy idea is GOOD! In 2002 I had to repair my PORT bulkhead due to water damage and if I had done the inspection as you suggest a few years earlier I may have caught it in time. The epoxy treatment will also "prevent" future water damage.

It's much easier "preventing" a problem than it is "fixing" a problem. Pulling the chainplates in the fall is a pretty easy thing to do, on most boats, and should be done occasionally.

So all of you out there w/ 25+ yr. old boats(most of us) take note and save yourself "trouble" down the line. Be it a costly repair or a catastrophic failure. Some of the "chainplate" photos I've seen make my "sphincter twitch".

P.S. I don't think msc1212 has discovered all his problems YET.
 
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Joe

Member II
Steve: Your comment above is really fortuitous: I was on the point of reinstalling a E25 CB bulkhead. I had just finished soaking the edges/surface with 105/207 and placing McMaster-Carr's Vinyl/Buna-N foam rubber strips along the edges. Then I noticed you saying: "I also routed out of sight grounding wires to the bilge" -- I had assumed I would address the lightning issue when I rewired the mast, but you made me realize that a grounding via the chainplates/shrouds is probably another way to go. What have you done with these grounding wires once they reach the bilge?

Thanks!
 

gareth harris

Sustaining Member
I might suggest removing and checking all your chainplates for cracks. I used an aircraft dye a mine (a benefit of haiving another expensive hobby) and found two with cracks. Of course, any elongated holes are automatic replacement candidates as well. I replaced all of mine and kept two that seemed to be OK. I had them re-elctro-polished and I keep them for spares. I also epoxy glassed underneath my chainplates onto and area on my bulkheads and re-drilled my bolt holes. This is now a lot tougher substrate as a result. I also routed out of sight grounding wires to the bilge. Inspecting all the thru-deck holes and properly re-bedding them was also a plus.

I know, I only have a 25, but I like making each project better than when it left the factory.

If I may add to that:

When I enquired into the cost of having my chainplates dyed and inspected, it was just over half the cost of replacing them, so I skipped that step. I got a local machine shop to make up new ones, modelled on the old with one change: the are of uniform thickness. I am not sure why the old ones were cut thinner below the deck, but since I had to pay for the steel plate at the maximum thickness, I used it for the whole chainplate, eliminating a stress point in the process. They were $60 each (or maybe together, I forget), but the price of quality stainless fluctuates highly depending on the Chinese economy.

The wooden covers over the chainplates in the 35-2 always struck me as stupid, by trapping water and making inspection impossible; so I got rid of them in addition to glassing the bulkhead as you describe. I think shiny chainplates look good in the cabin.

There are two schools of thought on grounding shrouds/stays for lightning. The mast needs to be grounded no matter what. If you also ground the shrouds/stays, it may encourage the charge away from the mast, and increase the chance of rig failure in a strike. But if done properly, it will also create a Faraday cage around the boat, protecting the crew inside.

Gareth
Freyja E35 #241 1972
 
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Steve Swann

Member III
Lightening Grounding

Hi all,

If you don't know what you are doing, you need to get a book that diagrams essentially what NOT to do. If you don't know what you are doing, you can make your boat a great big battery and you'll chew up some really important and expensive stuff attached to your boat hanging in the water.

I just followed Don Casey's book about grounding the major parts of my rig. Since about everything on a 25' sailboat rig is within 6' of the mast, I grounded it all. According to Casey, this is an important distance.

I have an inboard engine, so the electronics and engine are separated from the mast grounding system to minimize electrolysis. I am mostly in fresh water with this boat but it is still the right thing to do. Unless we are actually staying on the boat, the mast is always unstepped and the boat sits on its trailer.

There are obviously Ericson owners perusing this site that can give you loads more good information than I can. Listen to them is probably my best advice I can give!
 

sleather

Sustaining Member
Chain Plate Pic

I was amazed given the conditions that the rig stayed up. At the end of the day I noticed that the starboard chainplate had moved upwards out of the deck and had a crack in it.

Michael, Get us a picture of that chain plate if you can!
 

Captain Crunch

Member II
Chain plate inspection

What is the best way of inspecting the chainplates on an E35-2? They are incassed in wood then glassed in? Are they usually sitting in water where they are glassed into the boat? Also, can you tear out all the old glass and wood , inspect the chainplates and if all looks good replace the glass or should you just replace them if your digging in there anyways?
 
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