Removing Chainplates

[lifeofreilly57]

I'm currently stripping the deck on my boat and removing all the deck hardware, the chainplates appear to be glassed in at the deck level.
I have unbolted them from the the inside where they bolt to the buklheads in the hull, but it appears they have a 2" by 4" block of resin and glass fiber where they come through the deck, it appears a whole that size was cut into the deck there and after the chainplates were fitted the resin and glass fiber mix was poured in.
Any advice on tricks to remove them?
I've thought of a thin cutting tool to cut the glass around the chainplates.
Anyone here done this before?
The photos show the Glass block, which goes into the deck and is raised about a half inch, it appears to go into the deck, which is about 1-1/4" thick.

[Ziggy]

Do you really need to take them out? Seems like it's a case for "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" approach.

[Sailmonkey]

I’ve never seen anything quite like that!

I’d chisel/cut/drill, whatever, to get them out, clean off the “stuff” and make sure they’re not cracked under it.

[Don C L]

Yeah my friend with a Cheoy Lee 30 has something similar. Are you SURE they need to come out? Are they leaking? Are you putting new chainplates in?

[Suijin]

Well there is no way to check them without pulling them out. All it would take is a small leak down between the stainless and epoxy to invite crevice corrosion. There are almost invariably side loads on chain plates that over time detach them from their bedding. Do you know how old they are?

I would probably attack them first with a quality multi tool like a Fein. You’ll need something with some real horsepower. Consider the whole epoxy block to be sacrificial.

My chain plates were bedded in 2” of 5200. I got them out by rigging up a lifting jig with a car jack and just horsed them out. Might work in your case if you can get the force perfectly aligned vertically with your plates, and a broad enough base to distribute the load on the deck.

[roverhi]

What do you see under the deck?? Looks like a pad was welded on to the chainplates above deck. If you have a slot cut in the deck visible from underneath and the chainplates bolted to a bulkhead or knee, it's a matter of busting them loose from whatever sealant there is and pulling them out. Heat may soften the caullk making it easy to pull them though you'll probably need someway to gain a mechanical advantage to pull them. A rod/long screw driver through pin eye and a block of wood on the other side would give you a lever for a limited range of force. Using a halyard attached to the eye and a winch cranked as tight as you can get it is another possible solution. Have found that constant steady pull will usually break apart even 5200 bonded parts. Suljin's car jack would work as well. Of course there is also a bigger hammer to try and move the chainplate around and break whatever bond is holding it in place. Last but not least, there is some stuff called debond for dissolving 5200 and other sealants, might try that.

[lifeofreilly57]

The chainplates are original 1987 vintage. It looks like there was a box shaped relief in the deck where the chainplates go through and after installation chopped glass and resin was poured in around them. The top of that box is what you see in the picture. That's where the teak decking used to be.
I'm removing them to inspect them and will replace them if needed. I'm prepping the boat for an extended 3 to 5 year cruise and want the rig to be bullet proof.

[maelduin]

My chainplates were not leaking and through deck like yours and about 45 yrs. old. After chipping out some kind of very hard and brittle epoxy-like (?) substance and tapping them down into the inside of the boat I heard a sound like metal clanging. Both forward lowers were completely brown and flaky and in two pieces. They looked no worse than yours. If they are up there in age I would remove them. JS

[a64pilot]

Trust me, if you go through all the trouble to remove them, replace them.
Water has most likely gotten through, there has to be some flex under load.
Old school idea was to try to make a solid impenetrable barrier as a seal, newer way of thinking is make a flexible barrier and inspect /replace it often.
You may if you intend to keep the Boat for a long time consider Titanium, it’s not as expensive as you likely think, you may be surprised

[geoleo]

Get a Fein Saw with a diamond coated blade, which is made for cutting fiberglass. Then you can cut exactly around the chain plate and leave the FG block in place every boat needs a Fein Saw anyway!

[CSY Man]

Chainplates should be replaced every 20years.
To take ‘em out to inspect and put back in would be the ultimate of foolishness

[TeddyDiver]

Heat.. As Suijin suggested pull and heat..

[Suijin]

If they ar in fact fully bedded in resin heat is not going to be much help. It’s either cut/grind them out or just pull. I agree that if you pull them, replace them. Penny wise and pound foolish to put the old ones back no matter how good they look as you don’t know the stress cycles they’ve endured.

So I would not worry about preserving them or the potting. If the resin potting is deep, it’s going to be a lot of grinding and cutting to get them out. If you can get a jack on them and the bond between the metal and resin breaks they may slip out fairly easily.

[lifeofreilly57]

Originally Posted by geoleo

Get a Fein Saw with a diamond coated blade, which is made for cutting fiberglass. Then you can cut exactly around the chain plate and leave the FG block in place every boat needs a Fein Saw anyway!

Funny you mentioned it, I was looking at mine in the shop last night and am going to buy some better blades this morning. The ones I have are for cutting into wood but blades are available for other applications.
As for replacing them, yeah, I'm going to pull them and inspect, I will most likely replace them and the bolts that secure them, just for my own peace of mind. The rigging on the mast was replaced 2 years before I bought the boat and has seen light duty since, but I can see the chainplates are original.
On my previous boat, which was a balsa cored racer/cruiser I found that good quality butyl rubber worked best on the chainplate seal area if replaced yearly, I haven't found another sealant that works better in that application, they usually set up and then separate when they come under any movement or flexing, sure, my racer/cruiser, although well built and sturdy, did flex more than this boat will, but all boats flex at some point.
Any feedback or recommendations or experience with sealants in this kind of application would be appreciated. I want to do this job once and not have to take several attempts at it.
All the hardware on the deck is coming off, the teak half gone and will be completely removed, holes filled and deck resealed before the anti-skid is applied and the deck hardware re-bedded.
So any suggestions on the different bedding compounds out there would be appreciated, it's been 10 years since I did this to my last boat (which I basically did every 5 years in rotation) so I'm sure some things have changed int he sealant world.
The process of getting the deck hardware off has a side benefit, I have to remove the interiors of the lockers to get at it, which gives me full access to the wiring.....
More on that later, I'm having way too much fun for one individual and my 6 and 8 year old boys are learning much about boat construction, or destruction. Thy're much better at that.
The one thing that's been reassuring is that so far the core in the deck is dry and solid, it's also 1-1/4" thick, the cleats, chainplate mounts, safety line base mounts and other assorted hardware all had backing plates and look to be in decent shape. It's a bit of work, but I'll feel better when out to sea with a solid rig and dry decks. It's the first time I've gone through this boat to this level, I usually like to know whats under my feet.
Any input from the community is appreciated.
Cheers.

[geoleo]

Originally Posted by lifeofreilly57

Funny you mentioned it, I was looking at mine in the shop last night and am going to buy some better blades this morning. The ones I have are for cutting into wood but blades are available for other applications.
As for replacing them, yeah, I'm going to pull them and inspect, I will most likely replace them and the bolts that secure them, just for my own peace of mind. The rigging on the mast was replaced 2 years before I bought the boat and has seen light duty since, but I can see the chainplates are original.
On my previous boat, which was a balsa cored racer/cruiser I found that good quality butyl rubber worked best on the chainplate seal area if replaced yearly, I haven't found another sealant that works better in that application, they usually set up and then separate when they come under any movement or flexing, sure, my racer/cruiser, although well built and sturdy, did flex more than this boat will, but all boats flex at some point.
Any feedback or recommendations or experience with sealants in this kind of application would be appreciated. I want to do this job once and not have to take several attempts at it.
All the hardware on the deck is coming off, the teak half gone and will be completely removed, holes filled and deck resealed before the anti-skid is applied and the deck hardware re-bedded.
So any suggestions on the different bedding compounds out there would be appreciated, it's been 10 years since I did this to my last boat (which I basically did every 5 years in rotation) so I'm sure some things have changed int he sealant world.
The process of getting the deck hardware off has a side benefit, I have to remove the interiors of the lockers to get at it, which gives me full access to the wiring.....
More on that later, I'm having way too much fun for one individual and my 6 and 8 year old boys are learning much about boat construction, or destruction. Thy're much better at that.
The one thing that's been reassuring is that so far the core in the deck is dry and solid, it's also 1-1/4" thick, the cleats, chainplate mounts, safety line base mounts and other assorted hardware all had backing plates and look to be in decent shape. It's a bit of work, but I'll feel better when out to sea with a solid rig and dry decks. It's the first time I've gone through this boat to this level, I usually like to know whats under my feet.
Any input from the community is appreciated.
Cheers.

Since you are into 'it' I suggest replacing all the bolts with ss type 316R (cleats etc.). There are many sealants that are good for boats that are not sold for marine use. Dow Corning Structural Silicone 795 being one, Duralink 50 Sealant --being another