Bulkhead Water Damage at Chianplate . . .

[otherthan]

Originally Posted by At sea

A quarter inch is well adequate for that size craft imo. And yes, sometimes chainplates are bent like that by design. Without knowing the boat, but knowing it's 1/4" stainless plate, I'd say that is the case here. Put it back and don't worry is my suggestion.

reading about the later model 65 66 67 68 hinterhoeller 28...they are built with ridiculously small chainplates, iv seen them and would not put them on a dinghy...I will keep mine for sur.

i did the work on my damaged bulkhead and its better stronger then original...good to go an other 40 years

[smurphny]

"They did/do the "deck penetration thing" because it provides a potential 1/16 knot extra overall through better point performance. Nobody wants a slow boat. "

My old full keel IS slow compared to modern hull designs and surely, having drag produced by plates on the hull when heeled over creates some resistance. If the objective is racing then outboard plates are certainly a bad idea. If the objective is unhurried cruising, not very significant (although it could add up in a major crossing.) With balsa cored decks and plywood bulkheads at risk if water gets in, I think getting the plates outside makes more sense for cruising boats. Never again will I be ripping up decks and digging out rotted bulkheads or worrying about stuff in lockers getting wet after a close-hauled run. I monitored the old deck penetrations AFTER careful caulking a number of times but decided the SS just moves too much for caulking to remain adhered for long.

[s/v Jedi]

Outboard chain plates that "stick out" is a choice made by the designer. Our outboard plates are flush with the hull because the mold for the hull created pockets where they fit.

However, I think the other poster meant that one can point higher when the shrouds & stays are inboard because of the jib position. But that is a choice too because sheets can be lead on the inboard side of the stays and a sloop can become a cutter etc. Modern designs with self tacking jib often point very high and this type of jib is less than 100% (stays forward of the mast at all times).

I think it's often the designers wish for aesthetics combined with cost savings that lead to the flat plate cutting through the deck design. Aesthetics because they think an outboard plate doesn't look good, and cost savings because it is possible to create inboard shroud attachments that do not penetrate the deck (complex mold or time consuming manual labour) or even carbon fiber molded ones

cheers,
Nick.

[Nicholson58]

Originally Posted by otherthan

is it normal for this chainplate to have a bend?
should I make a thicker and larger chainplate...I dont know to me it looks small and fragile??
its only 1/4in thick

The bend is probably to accomodate alignment of the shroud cable so the cable is not bent. You probably have a left and right opposite.

More importanly, PLEASE polish the line I see at the deck interface. You might want to be very critical regarding a microcrack. That makes it a tear on the dotted line. Same thing at the bolt holes.

Look at my photos posted today. My plates are 1/2 X 2-1/2 X 24 and two per side. All had micro cracks at the deck. I replaced mine with grade 5 Titanium so that I would never need to disassemble my cabin again to inspect. Photos under Nicholson58 Member Galleries - Cruisers & Sailing Photo Gallery