William Knape
10/19/2017 6:56 AM
The chain plates on my 2000 E scow that was converted and the sidestays moved aft are pulling up a little bit and have separated the deck by about 1/8 of an inch. This is on both sides. Are the gusset reinforcements available? Any suggestions on how to do it? I have a local fiberglass shop planning to do it and they are very good but they have not done this work before.
Bill Knape SL 3
Chris Fretz
11/14/2017 1:42 PM
Melges had a kit which worked well. The gussets were easy to glass in and has a bolt that went through the deck chain plate and gusset to tie everything together.
If its not available you essentially need a large backing plate to spread the load out under the lip of the hull to deck joint. You will have to use a through bolt from above and remove the core so that the bolt head is contacting the metal of the chainplate not the core of the deck. you can fill the hole with caulk when done.
It sounds messy but its really simple. Good luck!