Recently sent some patterns off to have cast in highly alloyed manganese bronze by a highly respected outfit. These were of my own design - including a beefed up version of the Pearson stemhead (headstay) fitting. Also two tangs for a split backstay and a bobstay!!! fitting. Don't ask.
These WHATIF'S came up in conversation with the extraordinary oldsalt looking after my toys:
What if you needed a new ruddershoe and for the price of the casting and your choice of air or ground it was just a few days away, instead of weeks or months?
What if the holes in your stemhead fitting have elongated and you want to replace it and the bolts too?
Suppose you're finally going to do something about the aluminum ports and the frozen broken toggles and you could replace them with a nice bronze copy?
Suppose you could replace the chain plates with the same proper alloy bronze but of the correct length?
What if the patterns all existed and all you had to do was negociate the price for casting?
What if the aluminum window frames were available in bronze. Maybe even triple nickle/chrome plated, knock yer topsiders off.
Well, you'ld have to have a pattern bank. And you'ld have to figure out a way so that you and any member of the Ariel/Commander Association would have the ability to replace any fitting with original spec alloy and casting. Wouldn't that be grand?
Do you know your original rudder shaft is probably made of tobin bronze (an alloy of copper, zinc and tin), a very stiff strong non work-hardening material that was originally supplied to Pearson in the 60's by the guy I talked with about my fittings. It does have that galvanic problem after a few decades in the rudder tube and not keeping up with the sacrificial zincs. Perhaps rudders also need replacing after a third of a century of loading.
What do you think?
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