Rebedding Chainplates

[Roger Blake]

I need to rebed the chainplates...I put it off last season because during the sailing season I sail (as in...no rebedding because on the good days I sail...) and only 2 leaked (minor). I haven't rebedded during the winter while on the hard (Chesapeake Bay) because I've been concerned that the hull misshapes and may break or weaken the seal when I launch in the spring. So, the question is: is my concern unwarranted? Has anyone rebedded their chainplates while on the hard during winter, and if so, where there any problems later? Do I need to wait until the boat is launched and the hull resumes its shape?

[Jon Schneider]

There's no problem with doing this in the winter at all.  Just pick the warmest, driest day possible. I would try to avoid anything below 45 degrees.  Remove the chainplates now and seal the holes at the top so they can dry a bit before you re-seal.  If you've had leaks, make sure you don't have any rot.  If you do, follow Don Casey's advice on excavating the cavity and re-sealing with epoxy.  When you re-bed, pick a two-day period when it will be warmish and dry.  Fill the holes with Life Seal Sealant (not Life Seal Calk).  I like to slightly overfill the cavity, and let it dry overnight (or through the course of the day might be enough.  Then I put a thin layer of sealant on top again and tighten down the covers.  The more common practice, however, is simply to slightly overfill the hole and put the cover plate on top without tightening it down until the next day. 

[Ron Hill]

Roger : I'd wait until spring and the WX warms up to the 40's. 
Look in Projects and Mike Vaccaro wrote up a great article on re-bedding chain plates.   

[Roger Blake]

Thanks all...looks like I'll be doing this project when it gets a little warmer...but before Apr 2008.

Ron--I couldn't find the article by Mike in the Projects...even after doing a search. Do you have a link you can post?

I've read Bruce Landsberg's posting (C36) on rebedding and it seems straight forward. There seems to be two camps...one which says to wait to tighten the bolts until after the caulk has cured (about 1 day) and others that say that waiting for it to cure, and then tightening,  will cause the caulk around the bolts to leak...is this one of those owner choices? Anyone who tightened after curing and regretted it?

[Jon Schneider]

Here's the link to the November 2002 Tech Notes write-up: http://www.c34.org/mainsheet/pdf/Mainsheet_Nov_2002.pdf.  You might try downloading the "knowledgebase" spreadsheet; I think it's an easier way of searching the site's content, because it only provides links to projects, tech notes, and FAQs.  The reason I do what I do (described earlier in this thread) is because of the possible breaking of the seal from leaving the sealant to dry for a day.  That said, I don't think breaking the seal is too much of a problem really, because it takes longer than 12 hours (which is about as long as I'd wait) for the sealant trapped under the cover to fully cure. 

[Jon Schneider]

PS, there's also a good write-up in the FAQ section: http://c34.org/faq-pages/faq-chainplate-leaks.html

[Ron Hill]

Roger : Sorry, I just found out that Mike's article has yet to be put into our projects page!!  I see that Stu just sent it to Mark for inclusion. 
Wait a day or two if you don't see it in projects let me know and I'll send to a copy.   

[John Sheehan]

When you re-tighten the chainplates only turn the nut and keep the screw motionless. That way there is no tendency for the seal to be broken around the screw.  I had to learn this the hard way.

[Mark Elkin]

Mike Vaccaro's rebedding project has been posted on the Project's page.  (Just fair warning, it's got lots of pictures so if your download speed is slow, start the download and then go fetch/make your favorite beverage and come back after awhile.)

[Roger Blake]

Thanks to all. Mike V--Nice write up and good pictures...should make my fix easier.

[Steve McGill]

Mike,

Fantastic writeup for the projects (this site is great! ).

I understand that the bolt holes were re-drilled once the epoxy had cured.  For the portion
of the chain plates that passes through the deck do you have any tips on the best way
remove this portion of the cured epoxy?

Thanks,

Steve

[Mike Vaccaro]

Steve,

I just drilled some large holes through the epoxy and then used a vixen (body) file to remove most of it.  Then I finished the edges with files.  I chamfered the top and bottom slightly to improve the bedding surface.  A small jig saw blade would probably work as well, but I prefer to work by hand to avoid over-cutting.

Cheers,

Mike