Tayana 37 Bowsprit (Repair or Replace)

[Rayfield]

Hi All

My Tayana 37 unfortunately after a storm my Bowsprit hit the marines walk way and damaging it.

My question is can this be fixed after reviewing the images. If this can be repaired what is the best way so to keep the strength.
If I need to replace this what is the best wood to use and process? I've seen a few You tube videos but I'm not doing the work the yard will be but I would like the knowledge so I know what they will do.

I've attached 6 images so hopefully they show
Thanks In advance

Ray

[neilpride]

The wood would be the least of it, but the bobstay is fried....

[neilpride]

Sitka Spruce will be great, Douglas Fir 2 option maybe, laminated teak if $$$ is not a problem.

[Rayfield]

Originally Posted by neilpride

The wood would be the least of it, but the bobstay is fried....

Hi neilpride

Thanks for your reply. The boat is getting new jewelry so not an issue. Looking at the best way to fix or process of getting the bowsprit replaced. The vessel is located in Cyprus so trying to make sure they have the wood that is required and hopefully not ship wood out.

[Rayfield]

Originally Posted by neilpride

Sitka Spruce will be great, Douglas Fir 2 option maybe, laminated teak if $$$ is not a problem.

Thanks

Will see if Cyprus has this would. Is it best to laminate wood together or try and get a solid piece.

[neilpride]

Beautiful stuff, bronze forever...

[neilpride]

I would laminate the piece of wood, a little more flexible, solid piece if it wants to break it breaks at once, anyway your bowsprit is not exaggeratedly long and is well supported.

[Cheechako]

Can't tell too much from the photos but it appears only the end is heavily damaged? If it is not split inside the collar, it appears you could cut off excess and round the end. And/or glue any minor split.

If you have to replace the bowsprit, I would not use Spruce. Having done that once from a genuine Spruce CVG propellor blank, I can tell you it's nice light wood, but VERY soft. Being a bowsprit, they get banged by anchors, chain etc and spruce suffers big dents etc and is difficult to keep any protectant like varnish on in that location.

CVG Fir would be a better choice, Teak better yet.

[Bowdrie]

Easy to see that the turnbuckle for the bobstay is toast.
Replace with an open-body turnbuckle, those closed body ones are the devils plaything.
At the same time, give some thought to using heavy chain for the bobstay, it is superior to wire/wire fittings in more ways than one.
Agree with CVG Fir for bowsprit.
Teak is nice but very expensive, a good substitute for teak would be Afrormosia.

[Fortytwo]

In what ways is chain superior to wire for the bobstay?

[Bowdrie]

Originally Posted by Fortytwo

In what ways is chain superior to wire for the bobstay?

On boats with bowsprits the most common cause of rig failure is failure of the bobstay, and the most common failure point of a bobstay is at the stem fitting.
No matter whether a swedge or a Sta-lok is used, having such fittings/termination constantly immersed in salt water is not condusive to a long life.
A simple force diagram will show that the bobstay is the most heavily loaded part of the rigging due to its acute angle, it carries much more load than the jibstay.
Chain eliminates any mechanically applied terminations and can easily be inspected and replaced if necessary.
Chain also has a bit of elasticity that wire lacks, it will absorb some shock loading, wire just transfers the shock into the swedge/Sta-loc fittings.
Chain has another factor, one that has a potentially life saving feature.
There have been reports of people dying alongside their boat because they had no way to climb back aboard.
It's extremely difficult, if not almost impossible to hold on to, or climb up a piece of wire to get back aboard, add some hypothermia and it is impossible.
Chain offers a grip, you can grasp it and save yourself.
Chain offers a good "tiedown" point when needed, (like for a dinghy).
Oh, and if the whisker stays are also chain you now have the perfect arrangement for rigging some netting.
Last, but perhaps not least, chain looks cool.

[Cheechako]

Originally Posted by Fortytwo

In what ways is chain superior to wire for the bobstay?

I doubt it is superior. Not that it is "bad".

- Chain is heavier per foot by a factor of about 6.
(3/8" 1x19 cable is about .26 lb/ft. 3/8" G40 chain is about 1.5 lb/ft)
+Chain has the advantage of no threads/crevices for corrosion.
-Chain has a coating, that is 'wearable'. Many chain bobstay's you see are rusty somewhere.
-You still need a turnbuckle of some sort.
-Chain mixed with SS boat fittings or turnbuckle is a disadvantage due to corrosion.
-Wire however, has plenty of crevices to invite corrosion.
+A SS rod, end threaded is another option.
Maybe SS chain?
Wire or chain in the same size are comparable strength, wire being maybe 8% less.

[Jim Cate]

Last, but perhaps not least, chain looks cool agricultural.

There... fixed it for you!

Jim

[Bowdrie]

Originally Posted by Cheechako

I doubt it is superior. Not that it is "bad".

- Chain is heavier per foot by a factor of about 6.
(3/8" 1x19 cable is about .26 lb/ft. 3/8" G40 chain is about 1.5 lb/ft)
+Chain has the advantage of no threads/crevices for corrosion.
-Chain has a coating, that is 'wearable'. Many chain bobstay's you see are rusty somewhere.
-You still need a turnbuckle of some sort.
-Chain mixed with SS boat fittings or turnbuckle is a disadvantage due to corrosion.
-Wire however, has plenty of crevices to invite corrosion.
+A SS rod, end threaded is another option.
Maybe SS chain?
Wire or chain in the same size are comparable strength, wire being maybe 8% less.

With the length of bobstays, a few lbs. is of little concern, especially on the types of boats that generally use bowsprits, (heavy displacement cruisers).
Turnbuckle? Of course, you have it at the upper end, and a good forged open body turnbuckle gets along quite nicely with the chain.
A stainless rod has ZERO shock absorbing ability, and again, is impossible to hold on to pull yourself out of the water.
Under impact they can get a kink, now they're toast.
While we're talking about bowsprits/bobstays/stem fittings, the typical stem fitting is a piece of flat stock that's welded to a piece of angle.
A slot is cut in the fiberglass, the fitting inserted thru the slot from inside, and then glassed over.
It's a perfect "witches brew", under water on many boats, an open invitation for water to get past the sealant and start corroding the weld inside a glassed over pocket, impossible to inspect, disaster in waiting.
Much better is an externally bolted fitting which can be inspected and removed/re-bedded without drama, and which contributes mightily to peace of mind.

[TrentePieds]

neilpride sez: "I would laminate the piece of wood, a little more flexible, solid piece if it wants to break it breaks at once, anyway your bowsprit is not exaggeratedly long and is well supported."

I agree. But these days, and particularly in places like Cyprus, there is no profit in being too particular about the species of wood. The more exotic stuff just can't be bought for love or money. There is simply no supply.

Douglas fir, however, is still commonly available, though not, perhaps, from yer neighbourhood lumberyard/building supply store. What building supply stores sell is, here in Canada whence it comes, building lumber and is marked S-F-H, meaning Spruce-Fir-Hemlock and, dollars to doughnuts, what you get is hemlock. What my Old Man called "shitewood".

Douglas Fir is still available at reasonable prices either as raw 2 x 12 planks or as "S4S" meaning "sanded four sides". As you cannot build a sprit, or any kinda spar, unless you have a thickness planer, there is no sense in buying anything other than "raw" unless only S4S is available.

Sprits are in pure compression unless they get abused for some reason, so flexibility is a minor consideration. The stays, bob and whiskers, absorb all flexing loads.

Traditionally the blank is left square where it is inboard of the "gammoning", the metal fitting that holds the sprit onto the stemhead. Outboard of the gammoning as far as the cranse iron to which the stays attach, the cross section of the sprit is made octagonal. From cranse to tip the section is circular.

Making up the blank is the tough part. You will need a solid table saw to rip the raw plank. You can, if your blade will reach fully across the wide dimension of a plank, fair the faying (glue) surfaces with a "planer blade" in the table saw. If the blade will not reach clear across, you'll need the thickness planer. Enough clamps of sufficient opening for the dimensions of the laminated blank are needed to place a clamp every foot or so along its length.

Spend the money of a good epoxy glue. Particularly if you have faired the faying surfaces with a planer blade in the saw :-)

Shaping the transition from square to octagonal section can be done with care using a wide, really sharp chisel.

Bonne chance!

TrentePieds