[C38] Cracks by Stem Fitting
littlebreeze@comcast.net
littlebreeze at comcast.net
Fri Sep 6 13:56:26 EDT 2013
Ray, can you send photos to the email addresses of the guys who responded to your post. Don't sent them to the list serve.
Kerry
Littlebreeze, 139
Sent from the San Francisco Bay, home of the 2013 Catalina 38 Nationals.
----- Reply message -----
From: "Ray Torok" <torok13731 at gmail.com>
To: "Catalina 38 Listserve" <listserve at catalina38.org>
Subject: [C38] Cracks by Stem Fitting
Date: Fri, Sep 6, 2013 09:52
Chuck. Ha! You're one of those glass-is-half-full guys. I hope you're right. Thanks again.
RayThira #37San Francisco
On Fri, Sep 6, 2013 at 9:41 AM, Charles Finn <charles at finn.ws> wrote:
Ray,
It actually is quite common for the gelcoat to crack with no
structural problems. Gelcoat is very brittle, while laid up glass
has a much greater modulus of elasticity (one of reasons it works
so well in boatbuilding).
Chuck Finn
Mighty Quinn #114
Great Lakes
On 9/6/2013 12:35 PM, Ray Torok wrote:
Thanks Chuck,
I see no evidence of cracking inside the hull, so there is
hope. However, it's hard to understand how the glass up there
can move enough to crack on the outside, without the crack
extending into the glass. You're right. I need to get out
the grinder.
On Fri, Sep 6, 2013 at 9:30 AM, Charles
Finn <charles at finn.ws>
wrote:
Ray,
Obviously there is more to this as you just did some
kind of repair for some reason. The best way to find if
there is a problem is to discover whether the cracks are
superficial or structural. Take a small grinder,
mototool, or even a screw driver and gouge the gelcoat
out of the cracks. IF the crack does not extend into
the glass, you fix the gelcoat and call it a day. IF
the crack extends into the glass, then you have a
structural repair which will require you to first cut
out and then rebuild. Here is hoping this is
superficial!
Chuck Finn
Mighty Quinn #114
Great Lakes
On 9/6/2013 12:21 PM, Ray Torok wrote:
Hi Steve,
I have a backstay tensioner, but it's only on
when we're sailing. When the boat's at the
dock, the backstay is left on just enough to
keep the headstay from flopping around.
Latest theory is that when I replaced the two
bolts that anchor the stem fitting to the deck
(a few weeks ago), there was enough slop in the
bolt holes that when the headstay was tensioned,
the fiberglass in the deck was loaded in
compression until the stem fitting moved back
just a little to where the two bolts and the
stainless stem fitting picked up the load again.
If that's what happened, the cracking in the
fiberglass shouldn't get any worse. Does that
sound believable?
Thanks,
Ray
On Thu, Sep 5, 2013 at
10:48 PM, Steve Smolinske <SSmolinske at rainierrubber.com>
wrote:
Ray,
Do
you have a backstay tensioner that is
left on?
From:
listserve-bounces at catalina38.org
[mailto:listserve-bounces at catalina38.org]
On Behalf Of Ray Torok
Sent: Thursday, September 05,
2013 5:56 PM
To: Catalina 38 Listserve
Subject: [C38] Cracks by Stem
Fitting
Esteemed C38
Gurus:
Hoping you
can help advise on my latest old
boat issue.
I have some
cracks showing up (and growing)
on the outside of the hull in
the few inches between the ends
of the toe rails and the
headstay stem fitting. The
cracks are horizontal and about
3 inches long. On one side the
crack is about 1 inch below the
deck. On the other it is right
at the edge of the deck.
It appears
that the headstay load is
pulling the bow upward, and the
last few inches of the bow
doesn't have the toe rail and
bolted hull-to-deck joint of the
rest of the boat, so it's
bending a bit and the fiberglass
is cracking. On the inside, the
heavy stainless backing plate
for the strap running down the
stem also stops several inches
short of the bow, and that may
be a contributing factor.
I'm wondering
if this is a problem with the
early boats (mine is hull #37)
that they fixed at some point.
Any thoughts on known or
proposed fixes would be
appreciated.
Thanks much,
Ray Torok
THIRA
_______________________________________________
Listserve mailing list
Listserve at catalina38.org
http://catalina38.org/mailman/listinfo/listserve_catalina38.org
_______________________________________________
Listserve mailing list
Listserve at catalina38.org
http://catalina38.org/mailman/listinfo/listserve_catalina38.org
_______________________________________________
Listserve mailing list
Listserve at catalina38.org
http://catalina38.org/mailman/listinfo/listserve_catalina38.org
_______________________________________________
Listserve mailing list
Listserve at catalina38.org
http://catalina38.org/mailman/listinfo/listserve_catalina38.org
_______________________________________________
Listserve mailing list
Listserve at catalina38.org
http://catalina38.org/mailman/listinfo/listserve_catalina38.org
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://catalina38.org/pipermail/listserve_catalina38.org/attachments/20130906/02e41d83/attachment.htm>
More information about the Listserve
mailing list