Standing Rigging

[frank durant]

Bill...you sure know this site !! Yep. thats what I was thinking. Couldn"t be that hard and would end problems . He did a nice 'heavy' job.I think a couple of layers of cloth/epoxy behind would be in order 'just in case'

[ElBeethoven]

Since I'm considering buying an Ariel AND taking her across oceans, this thread has been a huge help. I'm still a little fuzzy on exactly WHICH Sta-lok pieces I need (there are around 8 million), but the prices quoted here are encouraging. I figure I can have a first-class rig and super-duper ground tackle if I live on Ramen noodles.

But does anyone know about how much a decent machine shop charges to make new 316 chainplates? Internal or external?

Many thanks!

Jeremy

[ebb]

Decided to go external with the chainplates, myself. Naturally I find all kinds of issues real and imagined. One of them is that the set of 3 is probably going to go on aft of the bulkhead(s) and therefor 'off' the original lines. I'm not too worried because there is a little room to move the mast back the required (I estimate) 1 1/2".

[Moving the mast back takes it even further off the bearing bulkhead inside. It's already only half on the beam by my estimation.]

Assume that you absolutely have to have the upper shroud 'splitting the mast' as shown on sail plans. I think Geoff told me his plates were aft. But didn't ask him to line up his mast for me. Heavily beefed up the knees for the lowers - doubled their thickness and terminated all four on the hull, faired to the hull.) Now, I believe, will have to glass in backing by building up layers of ply. How strong is strong?

Building up thickness to back the plates brings the resulting longer holes in and away slightly from the bulkheads. Allows the bolts larger washers and maybe a little tighter to the original location.

Going with 655 bronze and siliconbronze stud bolts. Stud bolts because I thought they were cool. They look like giant machine screws with slotted head. The ones I found from Glen, I think, still have an unmachined shank, so they don't fit a half inch hole, too large. For cryin-out-loud! So I'm going to have to machine the shoulders down. Got these fastners because of their deep shoulders, to avoid having threads in the hull and backing ply - thinking solid metal in tight holes would never shift and would be less likely to leak. Not a s.s. fan. Costly snobbery.

[CapnK]

Ebb -

One of my favorite books (I think I've mentioned it on here before Edit: Yes Link ) is Griffiths "Bluewater" (written by a 5+ time circumnavigator who owned a 60' cutter with a very Ariel-like shape to her). On his boat Awahnee, he described a bar mounted above/at the top of his external chainplates, and the shrouds attached to this bar. The same bar was also handy as a place to hang fenders, sidelights, etc, while serving to protect the lower ends of the shrouds when lying alongside docks or other vessels.

Anyway, we could use this idea to mount external chainplates slightly aft of the current bulkhead locations, and then attach the shrouds to the bar in their proper locations, so as not to have to shift the mast.

Sounds OK to me, but what say y'all to the idea?

BTW - Have a sweet job for a few days yet - tending this boat (below) for the owners - very sweet boat, and super nice people! All because curiosity and coffee got the better of me when I saw them tied up in our marina yesterday. (She's a doll, but I still like my Ariel... )

They said they knew a girl named "Darcy" who had a boat much like an Ariel, she sailed all around the NE until getting married to a fellow with a larger boat. Anyone know of or ever hear of her? Just wondering...

Article link

[ebb]

Kurt,
That is a great idea!

Remainder of brain working.... Well yas, particularly in 338's case because I'm still going to have a modest mahogany toerail on top of the molded one. Which means the plates are longer (looking at 15 1/4" top to bottom), and the top bolt is (forget) like five inches down from the pin hole. And bronze ain't stiff like s.s. So...

So linking them together makes them stiffer and stronger. And because they are tied together isn't this an opportunity also to lighten up on the backing? Loads on each shroud are shared, really sounds right! Have to think about it, run it by some more folks.

Possible cons: Adding weight, adding connection points, aesthetics.

But... haven't let the cat out of the bag yet... you may have solved a real weight problem, because I've seriously been considering the addition of a solent stay, that might have required another chainplate per side, just abaft the rear lower. This looks like an opportunity to skip the extra chainplate completely and put the 4th shroud's pin hole in the connecting bar. The extra plate is an attempt to avoid runners. Did have an architect run numbers - he said it was possible to add the extra shrouds from the "3/4" position on the mast where the new stay would terminate - instead of adding runners back to the cockpit because of the Ariel's strong mast. But a well known rigger didn't think so and pointed out the runners could be lighter no stretch line and cool 4 part blocks to an eyebolt in the deck. Anyway...

[mbd]

Just curious if Ebb has attached his external chainplates yet or Kurt or TonyG have looked into it further? Mine have been removed and I'm taking them in soon to be inspected. The knees seem to be in pretty good shape too, so there'll be no serious rebuilding in there - so far.

With an ongoing recore mostly as a result of leaking chainplates, and the chainplates removed, it seems like a good time to at least consider the external chainplate setup.

Not to worry - it's not blood. This was the drop cloth from a house painting project.

[mbd]

In addition to the strongback reinforcement, I'm guessing I'll need at least 2 chainplates remade. Here's why. These are the "mids". Not sure what or if there should even be a "bend".