Cranse iron and bowsprit collar

[shantycrew]

We have a 1978 Hardin sea wolf and have discovered a crack in the tang that supports the fore stay/ genoa furling. We have removed it and are looking for a replacement. To remove it we had to saw through a bronze collar that was forward of the cranse iron. It is about 2 inches wide and approx 1/16 of an inch thick and is seemingly there to prevent the wood from splitting. We would like to source a new collar but not sure what the correct name would be for this. Does anybody know what the right terminology would be for this so we could search for one on the net. Also although we have found a potential supplier for the Cranse iron in the UK we would be interested to find a supplier in the US as we are at the moment in Puerto Rico.

[uncle stinkybob]

I don't have the answer but I bet these guys do. good luck!
Port Townsend Foundry in Washington

[leftbrainstuff]

Silicon bronze is the obvious choice. Fabrication is tricky. Options are casting, forging or fabricate and weld.

+1 for the Port Townsend foundry. I think sv Prism sourced their bronze chainplate stock there. Good Youtube video of their fabrication challenges in Mexico.

I've seen a few cranse iron adds on ebay. You might get lucky.

[bvander]

Check with Monkey Fist in GCS, they salvaged a CT last fall.

[FSMike]

If you're in Puerto Rico or the D.R. why not try the old fashioned way and look for a good blacksmith?

[Briandownsouth]

I had a new cranse iron, along with some other bits, fabricated for my CT-41 a couple of years ago in San Diego. So far so good, looks stronger than the original parts.

[zeehag]

as hardins and formosas and their ilk are each and every one different, it may behoove you to have one fabricated. it is not a huge job and can be a lot less pricey created for the particular boat.
have fun.

[Rigdaddy]

Originally Posted by leftbrainstuff

Silicon bronze is the obvious choice. Fabrication is tricky. Options are casting, forging or fabricate and weld.

+1 for the Port Townsend foundry. I think sv Prism sourced their bronze chainplate stock there. Good Youtube video of their fabrication challenges in Mexico.

I've seen a few cranse iron adds on ebay. You might get lucky.

+1 for fabricated, welded silicon bronze.

I also think FSMIke's suggestion is valid. Depending on how clean a job you did on cutting the old one, could you have it braised and re-installed with an interference fit.

[UNCIVILIZED]

The fab’ shouldn’t be all that tough, & there are numerous ways to make one. Ditto on the choice of materials Many of them mentioned already. Though for the band itself (not the cranse iron) lathe turning wasn’t, & possibly old school smithery. Especially since the collar/band won’t see any serious loads. And you could even fit a Spectra/Dyneema Turk’s Head (or lashing) instead. Which it’d be stronger than the former thin metal one. Even if you just used 5-6mm Dacron cord.

If you’re set on metal, aside from the mentioned PT Foundry, check with any of the wooden boat schools on either coast. Port Townsend WA, Maine, Newport RI, Mystic CT. Ditto Canada on both coasts. Port Townsend (WA) wooden boat center/foundation, ditto in Seattle, etc.

Also, know that you could use just about any metal you like. And that there’s little enough out there that hasn’t been tried & worked well. Even various ferrous alloys, & wrought iron. Though with some you’d be well served to make it truly impervious to corrosion, by having most steel alloys salt bath nitrided. Including stainless if you like.

[Midnight Son]

Lunenburg Industrial Foundry & Engineering - Home
This outfit has done work on numerous new and old ships and boats. Based in Lunenburg Nova Scotia Canada.

[UNCIVILIZED]

PS: I forgot to mention that this is a question worth asking over on the Wooden Boat forums. Along with looking at the advertisements in Wooden Boat magazine. As it's common to see specialty hardware vendors listed in there.

[shantycrew]

Thanks for your advice everybody, we contacted PT foundry in washington and also a company in the UK. Both can supply although a bit pricey. It has been suggested that we could have one fabricated here in Puerto Rico from stainless steel. Just wondered what your opinion would be on this. We're a bit pushed for time here as our visas expire soon and the companies that could fabricate the real thing may not be able to come through in time. But still looking will check that wooden link.

[UNCIVILIZED]

You might try contacting some of the bigger, or well known rigging shops. As they're bound to have links to many, many sources for such items. Whether it be Brion Toss's shop, or a big one in Florida, or California, etc. And by contact, I mean live, on the phone at a minimum, so that you get questions answered in real time, including one's you'd not yet thought of. Where with doing that kind of thing via email, a lot of opportunities (or key/great questions) never get birthed, nor answered. Plus, when you contact a place, if you can get the guy on the phone who's worked there for 20-40yrs & establish a rapport with him, then you're much more likely to find successfully find the part(s) in question.

As to making a Cranse Iron out of stainless, I don't see why it wouldn't work. And scantlings for it should be fairly easy to turn up. However, I'm thinking that making one out of stainless would entail welding the 4 tangs onto the collar. And this would have to be done very carefully, since you'll be pulling directly on the welded bits. Which generally is a no, no. Though some variations on slot welding do work satisfactorily for this. But as to the details of such, contact a few professionals; both welders, & riggers, so that it's done right. Including some NDT/NDI of the part once it's done, prior to mounting it & subjecting it to loadings.

Note that theres some info on scantlings for chainplates in the Dashew's Offshore Cruising Encyclopedia, vol. II. Which you can download gratis. Also, there's info on such things in Brion Toss's book The Rigger's Apprentice, & in Skene's Elements of Yacht Design (I think).
SetSail FPB » Free Books

[zeehag]

the cranse irons on my formosa are stainless. each is individually created. they are easily enough fabricated even in mexican shops of small size and "questionable" service
take old one in for rewelding and have new one made from measurements off old one.
i have had many irreplaceable parts fabbed her in mexico without difficulty. i take old one into shop and have new one made as well as old one repaired.
there is nothing difficult in doing this. mebbe some walking involved to find shop--they are not in the well travelled touristy parts of towns, so they may be missed of overlooked.

[Wind River]

Other than worn out holes where the rigging attaches, what makes for a bad cranse iron?
Mine appears to be stretched a little. Is this cause for replacement? I don't know for sure the end of the bowsprit is perfectly round, but should the gaps at the top and bottom be of any concern?