Chain plate replacement

[Badsanta]

I am replacing my internal chainplates and I am wondering should I use carbon fibers insted of fiberglass strands? Thankyou

[Tailwheel]

What are you intending to do with the carbon fibers?

[Chotu]

Either is just fine, but it’s a pretty complex lamination and each will go a little differently from the other.

Do you have a lamination schedule for your boat for making composite chain plates?

Not a project I’d “wing it” on in any way.

[Badsanta]

Thanks for the info. Just thinking outloud. Never used carbon fiber. I saw a photo of a guy that used it. . Seems best just to stay with glass. Thanks

[a64pilot]

He’s talking encapsulated plates I believe and the chainplates are glassed in as opposed to being bolted in with glass strands over the T of the chainplate, like hanging a horses tail over it and glassing it in.
I would use glass, and I’d think about adding a dye to the resin so you can easily be sure it’s all wetted out.

However if you plan on keeping the boat for a long time etc. I’d look into what having them made from a titanium costs, for mine it was only a couple of hundred dollars more than SS and the Ti has essentially an infinite life limit.
On my design the majority of the strength was actually the hull to deck joint, the glass strands of course make it ever stronger, but going with Carbon wouldn’t do much.

Just saw you have an IP, do you know how much cabinetry your getting into? The six side chainplates are installed as one piece and need of be cut into three pieces to be removed and of course they go back as three individual pieces per side, it was easier when the boat was built to install as one piece but it’s an assembly aid, it doesn’t add any strength and you can’t go back as one piece without removing a bulkhead and you for sure don’t want to do that.

Have you seen this Video? Mack Sails no longer does it as Colin Mack has split from the company, he’s formed his own company now and does chainplates etc., but I think I’d find someone else maybe.
https://youtu.be/beuZV_xdQrk
The original video had an error in the way the chainplates were glassed in, I asked about that and they used my boat to correct the video, but the only part is where they are sticking in the chainplate, where it says optional titanium chainplates.

[Tailwheel]

Thanks a64. I'd never seen a glassed-in chainplate.

[RaymondR]

Different modulus of elasticity (stretchines) might cause problems.