Stainless Steel Rigging on a steel yacht

[MicHughV]

One last tip to consider if replacing tangs.

On my boat, all the metal tangs were first welded to a 3/8" thick steel plate about 3" wide x 4" long. This allowed me to have the tangs deep welded to the plate into a slot I had burned there for the tang, so the tang was welded to the plate on top and bottom.

This also allowed me to give the tang an appropriate angle on the plate to allow for a near as dammit perfect alignment with each particular stay or shroud. The corners and edges of the plate had rounded edges.

Then the entire plate was welded to the deck.

Doing it this way offers the possibility of welding the tang "plate" to the deck, instead of just the tang. The plate perimeter offers a strong connection as it as it around the tang ( the tang already being welded to the plate) and may allow welding in an area which offers better "weldability" for want of a better word.

[RaymondR]

The easiest way to stop corrosion around holes in carbon steel is to run a bead with an SS rod around the edge of the hole then grind the top of the weld flat leaving a slightly raised ring around the edge of the hole. The SS prevents rust from forming at the steel to paint interface and progressing away from the hole under the coating.

Remove the rigging fitting, belt the hell out of the tang to remove the rust and post another image so we can give you better opinions of the state of the tang.

[Wideocean7]

Thanks to all recent posters for your comments and suggestions. I withdrew my offer for the yacht in question because repairs needed were mounting up way beyond what was economical. I’m still on the lookout for a steel yacht though so this information will come in very handy. Cheers and Happy New Year!

[fred4936]

Pulling the mast sounds best. I agree that the mast step will probably be stuck to the mast. The old step can be cut out if you are careful. This was done on 2 boats I have had. The masts were OK. You will know once you have things apart. You may want to call Yacht Services in Amityville, on the Great South Bay. From what I hear they are good at that kind of work. But definitely assess the corrosion, both damage and root cause.

[Patrigo]

I bought my steel Adams 28 in 1989. The ss shrouds are turnbuckled to ss tangs at the inboard edge of the side deck. These tangs are welded through the mild steel deck plate to the substantial mild steel frames welded to the hull and deck below. Nothing moves, wears or rusts. It is something I will inspect about every 20 years.

[Fore and Aft]

I think it is getting harder and harder to find a good steel yacht here in Australia? How many steel yachts have been built here after 2000? Not to mention that sand blasting and yard costs have got all out of proportion to the value of a lot of steel boats.
I am not knocking steel but a fair few steel yachts I survey usually need some sort of work and the costs ad up real quick. The other issue with steel is unless you are a competent welder and have access to sand blasting equipment you are going to have to pay someone to repair your boat.
Chain plate repair is really not that hard on a glass boat. The other issue with replacing these chain plates on a steely is that the paint on the hull is bound to blister from the welding. So that’s going to need spot blasting then painting again.....
Cheers