bent stanchion

[Jack Long]

One of my lifeline stanchions is bent in a few degrees. It is a BAD IDEA to just bend it back while it is mounted to the boat right? I still don't have a good feel for the strength of fiberglass and feel like this would be bad for the deck... I thought I should remove it, find something solid to wedge it on and bend it out and reinstall- but then thought "its not THAT bent"...

Thanks,
J

[hellosailor]

Well, if you can find something like a big pipe wrench to immobilize the base while bending the top back, so it doesn't put more stress on the deck...

You'd still be better off removing it and reworking it. The bend may or may not pop out, if it is small you may just want to ignore it or look into a replacement (used from a chandlery like Sailorman) instead of the $75? $100? to replace it. I'm sure the average stainless shop would charge as much to straighten it (if it needed more than just bending) as replacing it.

[Jack Long]

Does weld bend? The tube does not look bent- I think it bent at the mount itself... Like it comes off the deck crooked.

Unless somebody has a an "ah ha" suggestion I will certainly just live with it for now.

[Pblais]

Unless somebody has a an "ah ha" suggestion I will certainly just live with it for now.

If you can live with it, I would not try to just bend it back. You really can't do that while it is attached to the boat. Just make sure you don't already have a leak. If it leaks then it has to come off to be re bedded and at that point you could straighten it, but don't do that while it is attached. The weld might be stronger than the fiberglass. That would be very bad.

[David M]

Instead of all that work, I would replace it and do things right. Metal is never as strong the second time you bend it plus you will never be able to get it exactly straight again. Replacement stanchions are cheap enough as well.

Check for watertight integrity around your stanchion base.

[Boracay]

I'd suggest putting it on the "to do" list.

A little research is needed to find and cost a replacement or if it can be straightened/rewelded.

Those really neat welds can be very thin.

A cantilevered stainless staunchion can put an enormous load on the fibreglass deck so it will almost certainly need to be removed for repair.

An of course you may need to address the reason why it got bent in the first place.

[Wotname]

Originally Posted by Jack Long

.....I still don't have a good feel for the strength of fiberglass and feel like this would be bad for the deck......

Originally Posted by David M

...Metal is never as strong the second time you bend it plus you will never be able to get it exactly straight again........Check for watertight integrity around your stanchion base.

Originally Posted by Boracay

I'd suggest putting it on the "to do" list.....
A cantilevered stainless staunchion can put an enormous load on the fibreglass deck so it will almost certainly need to be removed for repair.

As David says, the staunchion will NEVER be as strong and NEVER be exactly straight especially stainless due to the initial work harding when it first bent to say nothing of the re-bending attempt.

As to the deck, it has already been stressed when the staunchion was bent initially. Either don't worry about stressing it again or worry about the first stress consequences.

IMHO, either follow Boracay's advice and put it on the "to list" or rip it of now, check out the deck (and repair if necessary) and plonk a new staunchion on.

One way is easy, the other keeps everything "All Bristol and Shipshape fashion".

[starbolin]

It would take very little shim to correct the lean. Shim it.

[Liberty28]

Pull it and straighten it if the bend warrants it. I'd be much more concerned about the weld at the bottom of the stanchion, assuming it has one. Lifeline stanchions are meant to bend when shock-loaded. Much better than snapping off entirely. Tis the nature of the beast.

[SilentOption]

Post a photo. I'm sure there will be better suggestions once we can see the extent and nature of the problem.

[Spirit28]

I've got a couple of bent stanchions from the spinnaker brace which I have taken to a fabricator to get fixed - along with a couple of bases that need to be re welded.... While I'm at it I am getting all the other stanchions re polished & replacing all the old plastic coated wire and will re-bed and re-fasten all the other bases...

Will be interested to see how he goes straigtening them - fabricator said it will be no problem fixing. Would have bought new ones - but unfortunately they are nice tapered Ronstan ones that cost a bomb.... The cheapies have the hole for the lower lifeline in a different place.

Was interesting to see that each stanchion had a slight bend so it stood vertically.