Chainplate replacement - Rotten and water soaked Knees under my chainplates

[Stumble]

Alaskan,

I would highly recommend going to http://www.boatdesign.net/forums/sailboats/ and asking there, include pictures, and a rough idea of what you are planning on doing. While this forum is great, boatdesign.net has a pretty high concentration of designers that are happy to help actually do load calculations. Pay particular attention to Par.

Without comment on them, you might also want to look into composite chainplates. They eliminate holes in the deck compleatly, which in my eyes is always a good thing.

[Ian McColgin]

Second the above. You need to know if this is a cored hull with a massive and dangerous structural problem or if this is localized wood that can be readily replaced.

It is possible to locally recore. Some work from the inside and some from the out, but whichever way you find easier it means taking the glass structure on one side away, googing out the soaked core, scarfing in new core, and then rebuilding the glass to original. Not by any means trivial as the problem can easily run well below the chainplates and can run fore and aft quite a way. But doable for those with the guts.

G'luck

[alaskanviking]

Thank you for all the help. i thought about composite chain plates, i really like the idea of no leaks and glassing directly to the hull and deck, however i believe that with design work and having someone else come in to install them it would be too cost prohibitive. i like the idea of sustainability, once i head out cruising. there is always a chance of something breaking, and composite chainplates and titanium are not in use extensively to 100% garuantee anything (althou i suspect its close). i like the idea that in the slim chance that something did break/crack/bend/get damaged/ect i could have bolt on spares or limp to the next port and have a temporary stainless or bronze chainplate made from drawings or cad file. or even have something shipped out if need be. while i would keep some mas or west system epoxy on board and i could technically make a repair if need be, i could no longer garauntee that the plate would be ok. to change it out id have to regrind everything out, which would be even more fun with the carbon. i am definately tempted, but that slight risk holds me back. the same would go with encapsilating titanium into place. while it is unlikely, anything is possible, and so i think i would prefer to bolt on. i believe that area is solid and not cored, i will be able to find out when i remove the rubrail and get the single bolt out. currently i am planning on continuing with g10 fiberglass plates glassed together for the knee, and internal titanium chainplates throu bolted to exterior sister plates. i believe that this may be my best solution while balancing corrosion and water resistance, cost, and sustainability/ease of repair. i am also posting this question to the boat design forum before i pull any trigger. ill forward any findings.

V/R

Robert

[rockfordwoods]

http://www.rodiponer.com/sail/001-Re...a_Passport_42/