Ta Chiao Inner Forestay Chainplate

[Match]

Hello everyone!

We purchased our Ta Chiao CT 47 last summer. She is a cutter rigged sloop, but previous owner removed the inner forestay and running back stays. Inspection of the chainplate reveals it is nearly rusted through. Do any of you have any experience replacing the inner forestay chainplate?

Thanks!

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, Match.

[Suijin]

Is it secured to the forward anchor locker bulkhead or similar? A photo would be helpful.

In general, just remove trim and panels as necessary to get to the bolts. If the nuts are corroded on and won't budge with some PB Blaster then either just torque the nuts off with a socket, breaking the bolts if necessary, or split the nuts. Use a drift to pound out the bolts. Depending on how it's bedded you might need some leverage to pull it out through the deck. A small bottle jack placed on a large stiff board (to distribute the load) can help.

[Match]

Sorry, haven't figured out how to add photo yet. Working on it.

The inner forestay chainplate is embedded in fiberglass at the bow below the waterline. It isn't like the chainplates for the shrouds.

Match

[Match]

]Chainplate - Ta Chiao inner forestay chainplate Cruisers & Sailing Photo Gallery[/url][/IMG]

[Suijin]

You're going to have to grind out the glass to get it out. Cut sections progressively from the center on out until you find the extent of the embedded plate. A Fein tool and angle grinder would be your friends for this.

You're going to have to have a new one fabricated, obviously. Given it's location (looks like its in your chain locker) and how it's embedded it might pay to have the new one made from titanium.

[Cheechako]

Are you sure it's below the waterline? At any rate that's a bit strange, I see some "Shelving" in the hull there, is your hull cored or is that how they distributed the load for that chainplate, is it really that big under the glass?
So it would be a V shaped plate with a chainplate welded and then glassed in? If that's the case then I would guess grinding the edges at the shelf would let it all come out. Then duplicate it in 316 stainless, cast bronze or Titanium as mentioned!
The boat drawing appears that the place it hits the bow would be above water. If that's the case the other option is to add a fitting outside the hull that penetrates inside (like a bow sprit fitting)

[michaeld]

I have 1985 Kaufman 47 cutter rig. My configuration is very similar to yours. While my inner forestay chain plate looks pretty good, I will be curious to know what you end up doing to replace yours. I hope you will post photos and dialogue that details this project.

[TeddyDiver]

Forget the old one and leave it as it is. Best way (easiest) is to make a new composite chainplate close to the old one. Use excisting or add a new bulkhead inside the anchor locker and laminate a carbon fibre chainplate on it.

BR Teddy

[Match]

A bow thruster was added by the PO and along with that some shelving was added to the anchor locker (another issue!). I don't know why the problem wasn't addressed at that time. I am estimating the 'below waterline location' by looking at the extension of the mast tang to the deck fitting. If it isn't below it is very close. No external fittings on the bow.

Grinding it out of the glass, manufacturing a replacement out of titanium, and then re-embedding it sounds expensive. I like Teddy's idea of adding a new bulkhead. I wonder, however, about the structural soundness of a bulkhead under tension.

Thanks for all your thoughts!

[Cheechako]

Redoing it in SS will work another 30 years. A bulkhead is used in many boats but is usually under the deck which supports the bulkhead to the overhead as well as being glassed to the hull all around.. That's the way my CT44 was (avatar).
Another option is to make nice big beam to attach under the deck overhead and just have the chainplate on it.

[Don C L]

Well, my own inclination would be to grind the old one flat and have a an upside down “A” chainplate fabricated to fit in there that would be through-bolted through the hull on each side. Yes, you’d have a couple bolt heads showing on each side of the bow down low, but I think that would be a strong solution. But I ain’t no engineer!
On edit, just a thought, I used to sail a big boat that had a fitting at the waterline at the bow for the snubber which I liked since it brought the pivot point for the rode down low. I could see incorporating something like that with this chainplate inside, something beefy inside and out. That’s what I’d do. But some folks think I’m crazy.

[Jim Cate]

On edit, just a thought, I used to sail a big boat that had a fitting at the waterline at the bow for the snubber which I liked since it brought the pivot point for the rode down low. I could see incorporating something like that with this chainplate inside, something beefy inside and out. That’s what I’d do. But some folks think I’m crazy.

Interesting... that's exactly what I did on our previous boat when I put in an inner forestay. In that case, I used a short bit of wire and a rigging screw in between the bow fitting and the bottom of the chainplate because it ran right through the V berth. Only rigged it when going to sea... never slept forward at sea on that boat.

Worked well for many years.

Jim

[TeddyDiver]

Originally Posted by Match

I wonder, however, about the structural soundness of a bulkhead under tension.

A couple of shots how they are done on the side below and above the deck. In this case there's no joint between the hull and deck as they are structurally one piece.

Teddy

[Cheechako]

Originally Posted by Don C L

Well, my own inclination would be to grind the old one flat and have a an upside down “A” chainplate fabricated to fit in there that would be through-bolted through the hull on each side. Yes, you’d have a couple bolt heads showing on each side of the bow down low, but I think that would be a strong solution. But I ain’t no engineer!
On edit, just a thought, I used to sail a big boat that had a fitting at the waterline at the bow for the snubber which I liked since it brought the pivot point for the rode down low. I could see incorporating something like that with this chainplate inside, something beefy inside and out. That’s what I’d do. But some folks think I’m crazy.

That's what I was saying in the end of post #7... poorly!