I need to repair a crack in yacht specialties pedestal

[Frank Langer]

Hi,
Today I noticed a crack about 2" in our Yacht Specialties pedestal, and am looking for advice on how I can fix it properly. I can't post a picture, but will try to describe it.

It looks like the top piece that holds the instruments is made of fibreglass, and it sits on two stainless steel posts above the compass. The crack is in that top piece that fits on the two 1" stainless steel posts, above the compass. It is in the section where the fibreglass forms a tube into which the stainless steel post fits, right at the base of the fibreglass, stretching up about two inches from the top of the stainless steel post.

I think the best way to fix it might be to widen the crack a bit and repair with Marine Tex. Then I think I might drill a hole through the fibreglass piece into the stainless steel post and insert a machine screw to hold it together a bit better than it currently is. I could countersink that screw and cover it with Marine Tex as well to make it invisible, but that would strengthen it.

Does anyone have any better ideas?

Thanks,
Frank

 

[JORGE]

a crack?

Do you think it is serious enough to weld?

otherwise "metal weld epoxy.?

 

[Frank Langer]

I have filled the crack with Marine Tex, and found a close match of white appliance touch up paint, so the repair looks almost invisible. The paint bubbled a bit a couple of months ago, so I had to sand it off and reapply, but that was a quick job.

Thanks for your reply.

Frank

 

[Emerald]

HI Frank,

missed this the first time. I've been doing a bit of work on my YS pedestal and having a hard time visualizing your fiberglass part - mine is all aluminum with a stainless pedestal guard. I had to do a weld repair on the cast aluminum plate that holds the stainless guard. This plate is sandwiched in the pedestal under the compass and has a couple arms that hold the stainless guard. Is this the part you repaired?

 

[Frank Langer]

Hi David,

It wasn't the aluminum plate that cracked. Rather, it was in the large aluminum top piece where it narrows to two cylindrical sections which rest on the stainless steel posts. There are two set screws in the small section where mine cracked. I chiselled out a bit of the crack and filled it with Marine Tex, sanded and painted it. I don't know why the paint has bubbled (twice), since when I sand the bubbled paint off, the Marine Tex repair is still solid with no sign of the original crack. I have been using a fast drying lacquer appliance touch up paint to do the paint touch up. I have used it on other things in the past with good results, so it must be something about this repair or the Marine Tex that's different.

Frank