[Kcoplan]

Hi all -- I am new to this forum, but have really benefited from perusing the threads here. I have a 1983 Wauquiez Hood 38 (38', 21,0000 lbs) which we routinely sail offshore. This winter, I have the mast down and am performing appropriate maintenance and upgrade. One major project is to replace the 30 year stainless steel shroud chainplates. I looked into getting them inspected and decided it wouldnt be that much more trouble or expense to replace them, and I want to replace them with titanium so that I will never lose sleep about crevice corrosion in dark places.

The chainplates are glassed in to massive fiberglass knees that bolt on to the main bulkheads. The good news is that you can remove the knee-chainplate assemblies, so I can work on this is my partly heated cellar rather than on the cold boat.

I am grinding out the knees from the inside to expose the chainplates, and am most of the way there on the port chainplate. The chainplate has a glassed-in stainless steel "root" (I dont know what the rigging term is for it). The root, which is welded to to through-deck chainplate, consists of a series of plates of different sizes that are overlapped and welded to each other -- presumably to give the glassed in chainplate some bite in the fiberglass.

Looking ahead, once I get the entire face of the chainplate and root exposed, I am going to have to pop it out of the knee. While the polyester-stainless bond cant be that strong, from my grinding and chiseling so far on the exposed face, I'd say its strong enough.

Any thoughts on the best way to pop the steel out without destroying the gelcoat side of the knee? I was wonder whether running a torch up and down the steel might break the bond, at least by making the steel expand compared to the glass.

Advice from someone who has already done this would be greatly appreciated! I saw the link for the "China Doll" chainplate project, so I see some people have been bold enough to grind chainplates out of the hull proper -- removing them from removable knees has got to be an easier task!

Thanks in advance,

Karl
S/V Mabel Rose