Sealing Chain Plate

[CarlF]

I'm not convinced that the water isn't coming around your tape. Doesn't take much. To caulk chain plates:

1. Remove the shroud and the metal cover plate (obviously do this one at a time)
2. Dig out all the old caulk with small screwdrivers, awl, and bits of sandpaper.
3 Make the chain plate metal absolutely bright and oil free so the caulk will stick.
4. Get things dry. Use a heat gun (not too hot) and/or alcohol if necessary
4. Push the caulk way down

Another thing to try is Captain Tolley's Creeping Crack Cure (available at West Marine). This won't help the chain plates but might fix the teak if it's not moving around. I would also drill some holes through the teak for new screws. Put a bit of caulk on the screw. Cover the screw heads with glued bungs.

[DSDman]

Yep I did all that, sealed it with life caulk and then butyl tape. the aluminum tape was just to make sure it wasn't coming in from the top. so I think I couldn't get it far enough down in there so its coming in from the bottom. This weekend I may get motivated and do something drastic.

[belizesailor]

Man, what a pain, yet another case study for why thru-deck chain plates are a bad idea...

[DSDman]

That's an idea, what are the ramifications of me moving them outside the hull?

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by DSDman

That's an idea, what are the ramifications of me moving them outside the hull?

While, changing the lead angle of your side stays is not something to be taken lightly, yours do appear to be quite close close to the the edge of the hull anyway. And, you would be widening the lead angle (which would be less risky than making it more narrow).

I think part of the answer depends upon how long you plan to keep the boat. If you expect it to just be a few more season, then deal with the maintenance issue. If you plan to keep it longer term, then (carefully) consider making the change.

If you want to go down that path then I would engage a professional rigger to evaluate it in detail.

Some things to look at come to mind: will you need to make any changes to the spreaders (like extending them slightly)? Life line clearance? Attachment point for external chainplates to the hull -- can these be reasonably created? Interior access for the work -- will you need to rip out big chunks of interior wood work to do this?

This will be considerably more effort than resolving the current maintenance issue so again the question of is it worth it to you?

[cowelld]

Isn't that the toe rail the chain plates are bolted through? Aren't there any scuppers in the vicinity? The way it looks water will stand at the plates whenever the boat is heeled.
If it were my boat I'd remove the cracked toe rail section and create a scupper area on both sides of the chain plates then re-mount them directly to the deck/hull joint with a new stainless cover plate. Make sure to inspect any through hull bolts, the plates, and screws for cracking as your situation with water standing in contact is ripe for stainless attack.

[DSDman]

I just can't bring myself to cut out that section of teak. I sat there this weekend with saw in hand looking at it. So I'm going the least destructive route first. I started cleaning and sealing under the toe rail all the way around the boat with 4200. If that stops it, I'll start at the front and slowly epoxy the teak and seal it and then paint it. I like the look of teak, but I just don't have the time to properly maintain it, and it doesn't get exposed to salt water enough to take care of itself. Just gets rained on a bunch. I see what you mean about moisture staying around the chain plate where the wood surrounds it, I'll have to ponder on that for awhile.

[GaryMayo]

Boiling wood in wax will petrify it. Makes it very very strong. While not boiling in this example, I would think this would protect the wood. I would let everything get bone dry first.

Originally Posted by vientoman

or.......let it all dry out, get a block of bees wax and a propane torch then warm the chainplates up enough to allow the bees wax to seep down in the cracks where water would want to go.

This is an unconventional technique and I'm sure your going to get fifty post saying that I'm an idiot but that's how I would handle it. Like they say in the medical profession,....do no harm and I don't think this would.

As for teak, people worry too much about the stuff. I met a guy in key west who located a teak chinese junk that had been submerged for over 500 years and he hauled it up on land, repaired it and its out there on top of the water sailing again.

[GaryMayo]

Originally Posted by belizesailor

Man, what a pain, yet another case study for why thru-deck chain plates are a bad idea...

Amen!

[DSDman]

Just an update, after sealing under the rail from the bow to aft of the chain plates it appears that solved the leak. Still pondering the best way to seal up the teak. Anyone every thought about covering it with something like Line X. I wonder if it would stick... sure would be no skid. I put the stuff in my truck bed ten years ago and it is still there after much, much abuse.