Yeah. STILL Working on the Chainplates


While the mast is being made, and we do not have to worry about disconnecting something that will make the whole rigging crash to the ground, it's a great time to replace our thirty-year-old chainplates.  We had looked at them during our buyer's survey last year, and saw some potential problems. Point-loading, crevice corrosion, water intrusion, and actual rust. 



We also heard that replacing chainplates is a difficult task, especially if you are a do-it-yourselfer. 



A third thing we heard was that new boat owners often get too deep into repairs, and never leave the boat yard.  One quote was "the St-John River is a place where dreams go to die."


Our chainplates had lasted thirty years, and there was no reason to think they might not last another ten, so we set off and sailed about 7000 nautical miles in our first year. From South Carolina to Key West, to the Bahamas, up the East Coast to the Canadian border, down to Long Island Sound and the Chesapeake, and when the mast broke we were in the Atlantic, on our way to the USVI. 


Since we have now lost a mast, and found out how catastrophic the event can be, we are digging deep and trying to do our chainplates ourselves. 



We may even be taking the DIY thing too far.  Ever polish 316L stainless steel from a raw cutout of a chainplate? Yeah, neither had we...




 

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