Questionable issues with the chain plate

[Lazerbrains]

If your mast is keel stepped it will be ok when you loosen the shrouds. If not, you can use the halyards and/or topping lift to tie it down to each side before you loosen the shrouds. The fore and aft stays will help to keep it in place also.

It would be wise to carefully inspect the chainplates themselves once you get them off - look for micro cracks. As for the wood itself, why reinvent the wheel? Just get some good marine ply and do it the same way. The failure is not because of the type of wood used, it is because of long-term water damage. Plywood is stronger than solid wood anyway in this application.

[DefinitelyMe]

Looking at the latest photos it actually doesn’t look that bad. You’ve got nearly full access to both sides of the bulkhead and probably don’t even need to remove the cabinetry on the lower part of one side. Cut through the fibreglass tabbing where it’s accessible, rip out the rotten wood, cut through the rest of the tabbing, grind back a decent portion, cut and install a new bulkhead and tab in place. A bit fiddly working through the cupboard but manageable. Drill holes for (probably new) chainplate. Job done. If you’re not good with glasswork then you can get someone else to do that bit. No more than a day and a half of labour. I just did a much bigger one in 2 1/2 days including the removal of a fridge box and all the associated insulation. In my opinion this is a very important job but not necessarily a super-expensive or complicated one.

[johnn33]

Hi
It would be worth I think a strong torch and mirror for the Forestay and Backstay and Runners.
John

[Peregrinata]

I know this is a dated post, but one item that I believe no one has mentioned is that the chainplate is attached to a non-structural component. The chainplate needs to transmit the rigging load to the hull. In this case, it looks like there are two shrouds attached to the chainplate and the large piece of triangular cupboard is nothing more than a large backing plate (even when in perfect condition). The hull tabbing is minimal and who knows what kind of bonding it has to the hull. This would lead to deck flexing and then allow water ingress, which is likely the root cause of the wood rot.