Replacing the stanchions on the C-26?

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KeyWest
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Replacing the stanchions on the C-26?

Post by KeyWest »

When we got our boat last year, every single one of the stanchions, save one, was broken (corroded away) at the top. I was wondering if there's a cheap way to replace these without unscrewing them from the deck. Do the stems come out of the base?
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Jmckamey
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Post by Jmckamey »

Should be a allan wrench set screw at the base with standard threads, righty tighty, lefty loosey
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hp18carr
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Post by hp18carr »

KeyWest

If you have an allan wrench set screw at the base good for you, but not all stanchion's have them. Here is one of the stanchions I removed from the c26 I'm working on.

Image

Terrence
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KeyWest
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Post by KeyWest »

Do you know where you can get these cheap online?
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John Stahl
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Post by John Stahl »

[where you can get these cheap on line?]
Cheep Parts for boats??? :lol: :lol: HAHHAHHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA :lol:

Sorry I just couldn't hold it in
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Jmckamey
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Post by Jmckamey »

YEP, those don't look anything like mine, Maby you could just install new caps. check out this link. Might be usefull to you.
http://www.bosunsupplies.com/products2. ... t=SD270500
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KeyWest
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Post by KeyWest »

Those might work, except the tops of the stanchions are so corroded I don't think I'd be able to get them off. They've got that whitish corrosion all over them.
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hp18carr
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Post by hp18carr »

KeyWest

If just the tops of the stanchions are corroded to the point they want come off and are kaput, you might try something unconventional. You would need to remove the stanchions off the boat most likely and use a vice. Cut the tops off as close and as equal as you can, then install new tops. Truly a juvenile idea from a backyard sailor, but other than losing an inch or two in height it should work.

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Post by back2class »

Sounds like they have been there a long time. Why would you not want to unscrew them and re-bed them? Take them off, fix or replace and re-bed.
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Post by KeyWest »

At this point, I am afraid of creating new leaks. There are leaks that seem to come out of nowhere in the cabin. The place where the water exits is nowhere near any hardware on the deck, so I'm stumped. I don't want to create more problems. The leaks I have leak a yellowish water which I fear is not good. Deck seems really solid though.
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Post by hp18carr »

KeyWest

Not to reinvent the wheel, do a forum search under leaks etc... tons of information on this forum. Find some good all around repair books, Like Sailboat Hull & Deck repair by Don Casey or the like. Don't be afraid to get your drill and other tools out... in the end the old girl will thank you for it. :wink:

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Windward
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Post by Windward »

@KeyWest -

I feel your pain, truly. Been there. Don't be freaked, just take a deep breath and take care of the problem. Do your web searches, and get Don Casey's "This Old Boat" book... you'll feel much more relaxed. I'm going to go out on a limb and give unsolicited advice. This is summary stuff, not everything you need to know, but if you can use a screwdriver and wrench, clean a surface, use a drill, count to two and stir, you can do this yourself with no disasters. Really.

Water's coming in. That's bad, and really annoying. Unless you're incredibly fortunate, the deck hardware is not bedded properly. The teak tracks that the companionway hatch slides in are probably also leaking.

You don't want to hear this, but the way to fix the leaks is remove the deck hardware, drill the holes a bit larger, reaming out the core some, fill with thickened epoxy, redrill and bed the hardware properly. In the long run it won't take more time than doing it badly several times, and you'll enjoy having the interior dry and the hardware secure. You can probably do it from start to finish in two or three days, not counting any rework you do on your stanchions while they're off.

Epoxy is easy to use and sticks really, really well. There are lots of brands, but I have had consistent results using the West System setup with the "idiot resistant" pumps. I've ordered from http://www.sweetcomposites.com for years and have gotten both great customer service and great prices from them. You'll also need something to thicken it with. I use a generic, but West Systems 406 or 404 fillers will work well.

For the stanchions and cleats, you'll probably need to add backing plates to spread out the load. There are lots of ways to do it, but you can do a satisfactory job by cutting pieces of 1/8" aluminum stock (Lowe's, Home Depot, etc), backed by stainless fender washers (the big ones). You'll be happier getting your fasteners at someplace like the local Fastenal or online at BosunSupplies.com rather than Lowe's... often better quality, and always cheaper. If you want to save on aluminum for backing plates, onlinemetals.com is a good choice

After you've drilled out the holes, plug the interior with a couple of layers of painter's tape so that the epoxy doesn't run out and make a mess. Save yourself some cleanup and tape over the outside of the holes too, then open the hole back up. Peel the tape away once the epoxy's set to remove the inevitable drips. First time around, you'll paint the raw core with unthickened epoxy to be sure it seals well. After that is tacky rather than runny, you'll fill using thickened epoxy.

Once the epoxy's hardened, redrill the proper size for your screws, using each piece of hardware as the drill guide. Remember to pre-drill the backing plates, too.

Mount the hardware using 3M 4200 adhesive or something similar. Mineral spirits will remove excess, but you'll want to wear disposable gloves and keep lots of paper towels around. Have your helper hold the screws in place, then tighten the nuts on them. That way the bedding will seal the screws well. You want it snug but not too tight, squeezing out some of the bedding. Once the bedding is dry, go back and tighten firmly. That way you don't squeeze out all the bedding and the seal is firm.

If your hatch tracks are original, there's a good chance that the plastic slider surface is shot. If it's marginal, go ahead and replace it when you rebed. You can get replacement stock from OnlineMetals, as well as other sources.

I bedded all my hardware this way in 2003, and it has never leaked since, despite less than gentle use.
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Post by Alanhod »

Jeff,

Thanks for the detailed steps. I'm adding this to my list of things to do this year. I've been kind of doing these one's and two's at a time and never seem to ever catch up on them. Your right I've spent a load of time doing it wrong.

I bet your right one good weekend at it and I could do my whole boat with this process.

Thanks
Alan
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Jmckamey
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Post by Jmckamey »

I just resealed the toe rail to deck joint on my 22. You would'nt believe the voids that had developed over the past 30 plus years. That's a direct route to the interior via the deck to hull joint. It was very easy to do and only took a couple of hours to complete.
I used a 90 deg. scribe and a sharpened peice of plastic (old window) to remove the what was left of the old sealant, then used masking tape to make it pretty. I used 3m 5200 but ran short by about 5 feet. I picked up a urthan based sealant made by lock tite. It worked very well and I would not be afraid to use it anywhere above the waterline. The job came out very nice and looks good too. I've keep a cover on the boat since I purchased her last summer because of the leaks at that joint and windows. No problems now. The window replacement and deck joint sealing only took a day to do.
So, don't let some of these projects become bigger in your mind than they really are. Just dive in and do it.
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Windward
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Post by Windward »

Jeff, you did it from the outside, yes? Any problems getting the vinyl strip back into the rub rail track?

Windward had no leaks there (the portlights are another story), but reinforced the joint from the inside anyway. Before I repaint the hull I may rework the exterior joint, possibly glassing over it.
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Jmckamey
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Post by Jmckamey »

No, not the outside but rather the rail edge to the deck,
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sauerleigh
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Post by sauerleigh »

Stanchions are one part of a boat that should not be skimped on. Your life or someone else's might need to depend on them one day.
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Post by Anhinga »

I looked at how I sail and got rid of the stantions completely. Then I plugged the holes and was done with the leaks (at least from there :)). I feel it better to clip in via harness or not go out in dirty weather to begin with. For lots of sailors, of course not all, the stantions are more trouble than they are worth given leaks deck and sail damage. BTW no one sails on my boats without a full time PFD so safety isn't compromised.
KeyWest
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Post by KeyWest »

Thanks for your tips, but they are lost on me right now unfortunately. I cannot picture what you are talking about because I don't understand the terms you are using. "Drilling out" for example. I've never done that. I'm not sure what that means in this instance. We have a drill and some drill bits. I don't know how to "drill out" anything. Am I cutting a hole of some sort? How big? With what kind of equipment?

The previous owner of the boat told me he resurfaced the whole deck and reseated the hardware etc. It just needed to be "tightened" he said. Well I tried tightening stuff, and the screws just turned uselessly round and round without getting any tighter, almost as if they were stripped. I do not want to reinvent the wheel and redo the deck if it's already been redone. The track to the sliding cabin hatch is broken and half missing on the port side, but that doesn't seem to be leaking. The leaks are mostly on the starboard side.

I have Don Casey's book. Not the "Old Boat" one, the other one that has all the little boat repair books he wrote bundled into one. I don't find it very useful because he leaves a lot of things out when he's explaining something.

A friend of mine suggested Don Casey's method of getting a shop vac and using bubble bath to figure out where the holes are. I don't see how this would work, given the volume of the cabin, and the fact that there are many bigger holes in the boat where air would escape first, before forcing its way through some microscopic pinhole. Where? Well for one thing, the entry to the cabin has some nice big cracks between the boards. The place where the wires from the engine come in to the boat is another. I can tape those up, but there are probably other places I don't know about.

When I get to the boat finally, I'll start posting some pictures and maybe some detailed questions. I'm hoping the stanchions have that little screw at the base. The other problem with removing the stanchions is that I still have that white vinyl liner in the cabin that I don't want to remove. I think I would have to remove that in order to do any work on stanchions, toe rails, cleats etc...
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Windward
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Post by Windward »

Have a helper hold the screws in place, then tighten the nuts on them from the inside.
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hp18carr
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Post by hp18carr »

KeyWest

Not to sound unsympathetic, but you sound like you have reached a cross road. The vinyl liner you spoke of, not that I've done it myself but from what I've read and heard is not that big of a deal to remove and replace. I too felt lost and overwhelmed at the start... still do a lot of the time. One fact came to light early in my overhaul project (still in progression) things have a tendency to get ugly brfore they get pretty again. Check around you home base for someone who has had hands on experience in this type of work, I'm sure they would be glad to work with you. As for the ugly part forum search under overhaul and you will see where of I speak.

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Jmckamey
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Post by Jmckamey »

Hey Keywest, I'm a little usefull around boats and such and own a few thousand $ worth of tools as I also work on airplanes for a living. I could be talked into going with you to the boat and getting her fixed up for nominal conciderations , you know, like food and lodging. Might even get that honda running too. I can't think of anything wrong with spending a couple of weeks in the keys :wink:. :wink: :lol:
Last edited by Jmckamey on Sun Feb 20, 2011 5:22 am, edited 1 time in total.
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KeyWest
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Post by KeyWest »

Windward wrote:Have a helper hold the screws in place, then tighten the nuts on them from the inside.
Many thanks! But there are no nuts on the inside. Not anywhere. Well, maybe for the plate that holds the shrouds, but that's the only place I've see any kind of hole that goes all the way through the deck. I noticed that there are no nuts on some of those bolts, some of them appear to just have washers on the inside?? I guess I have to address that too. It doesn't leak there. The rest of the cabin doesn't seem to have any hardware apparent on the inside. Is that weird?
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Post by mariner »

I will be replacing mine and re bedding asap... also found a great source from another BB...

http://www.surplusunlimited.com/mm5/mer ... _Code=1800

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Post by mcrandall »

Great resource! Hmmmm, looks like I'll be replaceing my deck hardware too!

Thanks for sharing that, Mariner!
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jarroyo
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Post by jarroyo »

Well... It seems I am reviving this post. I just bought a C26 and mine doesn't have any stanchions (port and starboard). Stanchions base holes were sealed and seem to be leaking. Having kids and trying to sail as safe as possible I am planning on installing new ones. This post helped me a lot.

Questions I have:

How many stanchions are in total? 4 or 6. Sorry, I haven't noticed and need to confirm.
What is the proper height for the stanchions?
Where should I look for buying stanchion and stanchion bases?

Thanks.
s/v Guaitiao
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EmergencyExit
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Post by EmergencyExit »

Welcome aboard jarroyo !

EE has 6 total. I think they are 1st about at the middle of forehatch, 2nd at middle portlight, 3rd about where sliding hatch back end is. Not sure of height but if you still have the bow and stern pulpits you can measure how high they are and start there.

I'd say basewise, guess the bigger the plate the better (the ones on EE had a really small base) , and if they have a reinforcing strut between the plate and the stanchions all the better. (EE's don't and a couple have broken at the base when tangling with a dock)
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Post by Rivercruiser »

Here is a method of bedding deck hardware...

http://www.pbase.com/mainecruising/rebedding_hardware
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jarroyo
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Post by jarroyo »

Thanks EmergenyExit and Rivercruiser for your replies. I will take the measurement this weekend since mine is at a private dock. I just updated my profile picture to show it... :-) I am very happy to have her and looking forward to invest time on her.

As far as stanchions bases, How wide should they be? Are they all six be 90 degrees?
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Post by EmergencyExit »

The ones on EE are 25" counting the caps, and the base is about 3"x3". I meant to measure the height of holes the lines pass thru but forgot. Will do that tonight. But you could also verify that by the height of the attachment points on the bow pulpit.

EE's are vertical from the plate, or at least they once were. :roll:
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