[C38] Something to check

[Max Soto]

Hi Chuck, that's a good advise. When I started working on Estancia, I had to replace all the stanchion bases. Cut them, made new thicker bases and had ghem welded. They had cracks everywhere, and the welds were as you described. This was nine years ago.  So far, so good!
Regards,

Max Soto 
C38 #198 Estancia
+506-8312-1367
Alajuela, Costa Rica 

On 17/05/2013, at 07:05, Charles Finn <charles at finn.ws> wrote:

> I have been really busy getting the boat ready this year as it is major maintenance time!  I have replaced the main bulkhead, reworked the rudder post including welding the quadrant, installed a rudder position indicator, cleaned out the zebra mussels from the heat exchanger.....   And am currently moving all my stantions out to the rail!   Don't worry Steve!  I will be writing some of these up for the magazine!
> Plus, I have been busy retiring!  Thought that would be simple, but it seems everything I think will be simple these days....
> 
> Now to the disturbing discovery.  When I removed the stantions and started cutting off the bases in preparation for the move to the rail,  I of course was looking at the weld area where the strap connects from the base to the stantion.  I had observed last fall when taking the boat out that at least one or two looked like they were cracked.   Turns out that SIX of the eight stantions were outright cracked or showed deformation at the weld!  When I cut the base off, I was able to easily remove the weld with my hand....
> I suggest folks carefully examine this weld area as the stantions are made of light tubing and welds of course weaken it even further.  My new bases do not require welds as they have a long neck.
> I am pretty handy with a mig welder and was able to repair these stantions for this year, but clearly my fall project will be replacing those stantions and lifelines!
> 
> By the way, turns out moving the stantions was not as big a project as I thought and not nearly as expensive!   Sailrite has stantion bases at half the cost of anyone else.
> 
> Regards,
> Chuck Finn
> Mighty Quinn  #114
> Great Lakes
> 
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