In preparation for a mast re-raising in the not-too-distant future, I thought I'd at last pull and inspect the chainplates. As discussed before, I want to replace the original bronze thru-deck plates with some hull-mounted stainless steel plates.
Imagine my surprise when I realized that these chainplates aren't bronze at all, even though they are in fact Original from the factory. Evidenced by having the same paint on them as the rest of the hull interior, and the same as what was inside the ex-hanging locker, where this plate was installed...
I did a search prior to posting, but found no reference to OEM stainless plates. Maybe this was a late-production run modification...