[C38] Cracks by Stem Fitting

Fri Sep 6 17:19:05 EDT 2013

Hey Max, Ray is in Redwood City, and your in the San Francisco area, I think a meeting is in order.  

Kerry

Sent from the San Francisco Bay, home of the 2013 Catalina 38 Nationals.  

----- Reply message -----
From: "Max soto" <maxsoto at gmail.com>
To: "Catalina 38 Listserve" <listserve at catalina38.org>
Subject: [C38] Cracks by Stem Fitting
Date: Fri, Sep 6, 2013 14:06
Hi Ray, also, please send me those pics.
I have replaced my head stem a couple of times. When I bought Estancia 12 years ago, there was a crack between the bolt in the bow, so I replaced it with the same 1/4", but didn't feel safe because the stainless was Chinese, so I replaced it a few years later with a 1/2" plate when the furler was installed.. So, I can say that I know that area pretty well..

Right know I'm in the middle of replacing all the chainplates. Just replaced the two for the shrouds. When I get back to Costa Rica I'll start replacing the ones for the lowers..Cabinet will have to be disassemble, but that's the only way to go...
Regards,
Max Soto A.+506-8312-1367Alajuela, Costa Rica
On Sep 6, 2013, at 11:16 AM, Ray Torok <torok13731 at gmail.com> wrote:

Thanks Kerry.  Will do.     Ray

On Fri, Sep 6, 2013 at 10:56 AM, littlebreeze at comcast.net <littlebreeze at comcast.net> wrote:

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  #37
San 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

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