E33 Chainplate Inspection

[zipfactor]

I'm interested in buying a 1982 E33 that is in need of a bit of TLC (aren't they all). I haven't yet looked at the chainplates, which I believe are the U-bolt style, and was curious as to the accessibility of them for inspection. I've read that some models have the chainplates glassed in, or at least a few of them. I plan on pulling all of them for inspection (magnification / dye penetrant) and re-bedding if I were to buy.

Are the chainplates easily inspected on the 33? Are they of the design where a rod is threaded into a backing plate, and the rod then ties into a glassed-in aluminum support?

Any other inspection tips are appreciated. I plan to have the boat professionally surveyed.

Thanks for the input!

 

[Loren Beach]

Taking the Shroud load thru the Deck

Those forged U bolt deck pieces could be called chain plates, but really are there to "pass through" the shroud force to an SS Navtec rod on the inside that takes the force down into a piece of threaded alum. round bar... that is held in a heavy lay-up of frp on the inside. That base is behind the settee backs on the 80's EY boats and Olson's.

This system is nothing like the SS straps that went down thru the deck and were bolted to full or partial bulkheads on the earlier boats. (not superior or inferior, but different.) And then there was the earlier building standard of glassing in ss plates to the inside of hulls in the early 70's. Shroud base attachment and engineering evolved over the decades, as hulls slowly got wider and there was a need to keep the bases XX number of feet/inches from the mast to maintain sheeting angles.

Only limitation difference I noted on this site over the years is that you need to inspect the inside of the U, with the shroud removed (one at a time!) and look for any cracks. Done with a magnifying glass, AFAIK. Not a common concern, but something to take care of, maybe every decade or so.
If you find that you need a new U, Garhauer can fabricate one at reasonable cost, if I recall from an older thread here.

Biggest concern for most of us is just to be sure that no water drips down thru the deck and corrodes the threaded interface with the thick alum. bar on the underside.

Not needed, but back when I had the mast down for a re-rig, I asked the yard to pull off the connector hardware on our boat and check the deck penetration. Core was bone dry. They rebedded and put it back together.
Note B - you can check for correct tension on that Navtec rod on the inside by placing your head on the deck and looking forward -- just be sure that the deck surface is neither raised or depressed. That rod on the underside has flats machined into it so that it can be turned, just like the stud in a really big turnbuckle. Simple adjustment, and once done is good for decades.

Cheers,
Loren

 

[shepherdsond]

This is a timely post as I recently purchased an E33 and just had a rigging survey done where this question came up. He concurred with Loren about checking the "U" bolt and the top of the rod for corrosion where it goes through the deck every 10 years or so. It would be nice to also check the connection between the rod and the aluminum bar but I guess that would be pretty hard to do and maybe not necessary?