I am just posting this so anyone with a similar design knows to look out for this...

after sailing for hours in 20-25 (double trapped).. after being parked in the Lea of an island for about an hour.. we were just about to pull off when my crew freaked out and jumped on my dangling side stay. my friends all helped hold the stay as we tried to secure it... no go... we had to drop the mast and i was towed in... it seems that after 15 years.. the side stay (chain plate) gave way.



upon inspection ... it corroded where the water puddles on it and it was 60% (est) gone.



I was extremely lucky that i had taken some pictures of the inside of my friends Mystere hulls when he had to do surgery and i had a good idea what i was dealing with.



I thought i had to go through the deck to access it... but amazingly my friend was able to go through my bow ports (after cutting a hole in an internal bulkhead) with a 4' pole with a wrench taped to it. He was able to get the wrench on the nuts so i could unscrew the bolts from the outside.


we were able to remove the side stay assembly (just a chain plate with a "T" welded to disperse the loads with a ball-peen hammer (it hurt me deep to hit my boat)


upon further inspection.. the other side was cracked as well and we removed it.

Now to get new ones made and then we will see if we can be smart enough to get em back in without more surgery (decks).


THE MORAL of this story is:
check your chain plates for cracks. This could have just as easily happened parked on the beach... and who knows who would have been parked/standing withing 30' of my boat when it came down...

Wow, thanks for sharing, glad no one was hurt.

New Years Resolution, check those parts!

--
Damon Linkous
1992 Hobie 18
Memphis, TN

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i am soooooo happy it didn't happen on the beach.. i really dont want to kill anyone (not yet at least)

Yes, really look close with a magnifyer... bow tangs too!!!!

As i am sure you know Damon, Hobie's fail at the chain plate bolt often (i was informed this JUST AFTER my H18 broke there)

nothing like a 25 knot wind to test all those parts either! you go from having the best time ever to bummer in one second. glad everyone ok, keep us posted(pics) on repairs. i "de-masted" back in october just 100 yards shy of horn island with the winds at 25 knots blowing us back into the sound(seas 3-5ft.). luckily, it was the bridal for the forestay and was able to use jib halyard to tie off and raise mast/main. sailed home at warp speed with only main and w/waves. before the stay broke, we were flying hull the whole way out, jumping through and over the 3-5ft rollers, it was AWESOME!!!! then, "BANG!". its amazing what you can do when you try, especially when there is a big "OH S#*T" to kick it off!! needless to say, thats what started our "re-furbishing" program. yeah, check all the hardware, those mast come down fast!

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bill harris
hattiesburg, mississippi
prindle 16- "BLUE RIBBON"
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nothing like a 25 knot wind to test all those parts either! you

It really wasnt the wind that finished it.. we were in a windless area atthe time... it was 15 years of water puddling on that part.

I am one of the only people who gives his boat a fresh water bath after a sail (when i leave it on the beach)... guess that didnt help

WOW... Looks like major work!!!! and that was after a fresh water wash~~ sucks when water pools. Good thing no one got hurt. This made me raise my eyebrows about mine, can't do it now.... too much snow, cold to. Keep us posted

--
~ Vietnam Vet 69-71~ 17 Hobie w/big jib, ~18 Hobie mag,~DN Ice sailor,
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~~ I live in NY state on the north shore of Oneida lake in
Bernhards Bay. ~~~~~~
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I have replaced the same part on a P-19 and the parts look identical. A friend is now replacing them on his P-19 and ordered them from Performance. If you call the company ask for Jack and maybe you won't have to have them made.

HULLFLYER

I have replaced the same part on a P-19 and the parts look identical. A friend is now replacing them on his P-19 and ordered them from Performance. If you call the company ask for Jack and maybe you won't have to have them made.

Thanks for the info Hullflyer, but i have a great friend who is a marine welder and works in a spar shop. He already has both tangs (and 2 blanks i got yesterday) and is already working on new ones.

All he has to do is drill 3 holes... weld the little SS T rod on top. Thats cakewalk for him. Plus i would rather support his company than Performance (nothing against performance, but i'd rather support his company which has done work for me)


The only extra time will be spent welding the nuts on the chainplates so we dont have to worry about getting them back on with the 4' extension.. that would be a nightmare.

Can i ask.. how did you access your tangs? through the deck? or removal of the deck?

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This made me raise my eyebrows about mine, can't do it now.... too much snow, cold to. Keep us posted

Come on man... if you can go (or want to) ice sailing... you can burrow through 10' of snow... in -5*.. durring a blizard... in your skivvies !

hahah

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WOW... Looks like major work!!!!

actually so far.. not so bad.. i was ready/willing to cut up the deck lids.. but we didnt have to.. dont get me wrong.. i would rather be sailing.. but its a 15 year old cat.. its gonna break. (oh yea, its freakin freezing here the past week.. so at least it happened when i wouldnt be sailing anyway.. BOY was a bored this past weekend)

i just hope the bow tangs never fail... as they will be a different story to access..

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oh yea, its freakin freezing here the past week.. so at least it happened when i wouldnt be sailing anyway

I thought it was year around sailing down there.


--
Scott,
‘92 H18 w/SX wings
‘95 Hobie Funseeker 12 (Holder 12)
‘96/‘01/‘14 Hobie Waves
--

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I thought it was year around sailing down there.

Me too! i want my money back!

haha.. well if i had a dry suit, and a space heater on my boat.. i could but the high today is 45* (25 below avg) and the lows have been below 32. Damn this global warming is freezing

yeah, this global warming keeps up i'll be looking into ice sailing in south mississippi!!

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bill harris
hattiesburg, mississippi
prindle 16- "BLUE RIBBON"
--

WOW!

First off, I'm really sorry for the problem. But I'm very glad, as you said, that it didn't happen on the beach, or that anyone was hurt. I will use it as valuable lesson on my end to really check those parts...even though they are still shiny, and look "ok" from a distance. If its the worst thing that happens this year...then at least its half behind you!

turtlecat

WOW!

First off, I'm really sorry for the problem.

If its the worst thing that happens this year...then at least its half behind you!

Thanks Culley...

Andrew,
Mine has a bead of 5200 around the tang to keep water out and from pooling. Did yours have the same, if so was the seal broken?
Jeff

no it didnt. there was a little "box" of jellcoat that catman and i drimmelled out.. but there was nothing stopping water from pooling or creeping in

Glad to hear no bodily damage. I heard it was bloody cold. We just came home today from Santiago de Cuba, & heard even Veradero got down to +6C, (42F)that is cold for the Cubans. We tend to hang on he south east coast of Cuba as they are far enough not to experience those strong cold fronts we Canadians send you once in a while.
I've had to do the 4' pole thing too. I removed a part from one of my boat lifts, in order to add a small flange. To late, just as the last thread was undone & the nut fell to the bottom of the leg, did I realize it was going to be a bitch to hold that nut in place.
We used a long stick with a box end wrench duct taped to the end to reach the end of the bolt. I secured the nut into the box end of the wrench with a dab of gorilla snot. It secured the nut from falling out before the threads started, yet was easy to release from the wrench by pushing another stick down the leg, & wedging it off.
Taping them in place on the chainplate also works, the bolt will push right through scotch tape, although if you have a SS welder for cheap that's a good solution.

--
Hobie 18 Magnum
Dart 15
Mystere 6.0XL Sold Was a handful solo
Nacra 5.7
Nacra 5.0
Bombardier Invitation (Now officially DEAD)
Various other Dock cluttering WaterCrap
--

well when it broke (x-mas eve day)... it was sunny and 63* (ish) not bad with gear. but it got chili after that. we got a break for new years eve day and again 60's and sun but that was the last day of warm.

our new years hangover regatta was cancelled due to cold and rain (and 50knot gusts). we haven't had a warm day since.

If i gotta break.. glad it happened when i cant sail anyway..

Hows the fix going?

What the F......? Why don't they make those things out of stainless? Course metal fatigue would still get you.

They are made of stainless, stainless means stain less not stain free. What a lot of cat sailors expect is somethings that are on the boat to last forever. Age is truly a factor and 15 plus years is a long time for a part under the kind of loads as a shroud anchor point to last. Some of the earlier model cats you were able to check and replace these parts, such as H-16, P-16, P-18 and others.

the repairs are waiting on my welder friend to create the new parts. it has been to cold to work outdoors anyway. i hope to get this wrapped up this week but not sure when he will be done creating the parts.

Larry, i agree with Hullflier that no part will last indefinitely.. and this is where water was pooling. Jeff mentioned above that his were sealed in 5200.. i am not sure that will help. it seems to be worst where there is no oxygen (just like the h16/18 side stay bolts that break all the time.. it happens in the part that is threaded and gets no air).

Hey ... Boat ownership means repairs.. its part of the deal.. even brand new boats break, and parts fail..

andrewscott

Hey ... Boat ownership means repairs... its part of the deal...

Yep. Its a good thing I find working on my boat as cathardic as sailing it. Well, almost. If it weren't for the whole monetary ding that seems to go with it...

Sounds like once the parts are in hand the fix will be prompt.

New parts are done....
i get em tomorrow and hope to put em in this weekend

Awesome...congrats.

I think its really amazing these cats last as long as they do considering how non-serviceable parts like these are from the factory.

--
Rob
OKC
Pile of Nacra parts..
--

yea... amazing how a few $1000 a year will keep ya afloat :)

well i should work on my boat this afternoon.. but its the first day this year (for real) where its above 40* in the morning. Calling for 75 and sunny (with 10knots) ... so instead i am crewing on my friends 6.0.

we will work on it sunday after the front comes through

Fixed.. (not tested)

Pics arent posting.. i will get up on monday


ended up a great learning exp. in the end it wasn't so hard.





edited by: andrewscott, Jan 17, 2010 - 07:49 AM

New part dry fitted


new part epoxied inside the hull


a dab of Gelcoat


now i just let it cure for a week or so... and then i can test it :)



edited by: andrewscott, Jan 18, 2010 - 01:13 PM

Looks good man. Glad you will be on the water soon. Hey when you epoxied that part, that was just around the top right?

i sailed last fri on a mystere 6.0 :) and sunday on a Hunter25.. next sat i race on a daysailor.. this little hickup didnt stop my sailing.. just my cat.

we snotted the heck out of the area (inside the hull) by pushing a good amount of epoxy (with microfibers) through that whole.. and shmmmmeared it with an extension pole.

we also snotted the T on the chain plate.. we didn't epoxy the actual chain plate (what if we have to remove it again for any reason).. the reason we snottted the T up was we wanted it to create a seat (seal) to the deck/hull so it would give support all along the T.. we didnt want any parts not supporting (in fear of the part that was supporting) pushing through the deck..

Good to hear you are back in action. Will the fitting flex at all where it exits the hull? That gel coat being tight against the fitting might crack. You could dremel an 1/8" around the fitting, to allow some room for movement, then use a bead of high quality marine silicon to seal it, but still be flexible.
I've just about got all the little parts I need for my 5.7, now if global warming will kick in with a vengeance...
I'm thinking of looking into a sailing school that has performance cats & going down to FLorida, or somewhere warm for a couple of days, just to get an idea of how they sail. It's damn frustrating knowing I can't put mine in the water til th end of April, Grrrrrrr

--
Hobie 18 Magnum
Dart 15
Mystere 6.0XL Sold Was a handful solo
Nacra 5.7
Nacra 5.0
Bombardier Invitation (Now officially DEAD)
Various other Dock cluttering WaterCrap
--

Thanks for the input E C.
It will probably bend slightly to find center when the stays/mast are put on but to be honest.. i dont really care if it cracks a little.. i can fill it with 5200 or similar...

As per your school.. Rick White has sailing camps in florida and he is an expert sailor/racer/teacher. i would contact him at catsailor.com (please tell him i recommended him if u do talk with him).