Bob Stay Hull Fitting

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  • July 18, 2016 2:16 PM
    Message # 4138731
    Deleted user

    Hi All,

    The bowsprit - hull fitting  holding the bobstay below waterline is showing rust spots, Is it time to replace it? recondition it? What's the proper name for that piece? See the pictures attached.

  • July 18, 2016 2:17 PM
    Reply # 4138734 on 4138731
    Deleted user

    Here is the starboard side view.

    Last modified: July 18, 2016 2:51 PM | Deleted user
  • July 18, 2016 6:42 PM
    Reply # 4138972 on 4138731
    Anonymous member (Administrator)

    A few thoughs - 

    1. Is the bobstay fitting usually underwater?  if so can you move weight aft.  There is usually a zinc on the bobstay.  

    2. I'll assume that you are not leaking at the fitting? 

    3. I would recommend you disassemble the bobstay / fitting - clean/polish and examine for small cracks - check condition of the bobstay fitting SS - are there pits etc - if so then replacement may be in order. 

    4. I don't recall a lot of chatter about replacing the bobstay fitting.  Check Bud's manual for ideas on replacement.

       


     

    thanks for posting the images...

    THT

    Jay 

    Last modified: July 18, 2016 6:42 PM | Anonymous member (Administrator)
  • July 18, 2016 6:44 PM
    Reply # 4138974 on 4138731
    Anonymous member (Administrator)

    I also see gel coat cracks around the Bobstay fitting - this is pretty normal and can be repaired if you wish. 

    Jay


  • July 19, 2016 3:38 AM
    Reply # 4139453 on 4138731

    greetings luis

    i replaced the bobstay fitting on my westsail 28 about  8 years ago.  yours looks similar, if not the same.  i replaced mine because i found cracking in several other structural stainless steel parts, so i replaced just about all of it for piece of mind.

    i suggest you remove the bobstay wire at the clevis pin and then clean the bobstay fitting as best as you can to remove as much staining as possible without abrasives.  then examine the visible part closely with a magnifying glass looking for cracks, especially around the top hole. or, use a digital camera. set it to focus close-up and in high resolution mode. then zoom the resulting picture up as large as you can. i did this on most parts on the boat and found lots of cracks.

    if there is a lot of stain weeping from the joint where the fitting is bedded in the hull, this could be a sign of invisible crevice corrosion.

    there is nothing visible on the surface inside the chain locker except a bulge where the flanges of the fitting is glassed in. 

    to provide access,  i removed my chain locker bulkhead. i then chopped away at the fiberglass bulge with a chisel and hammer until the fitting came out.

    i replaced the fitting with duplex grade 2205 stainless steel. (one step up from 316 grade on the corrosion scale). this was expensive stuff !!  i chose this grade because the fitting is on the waterline and subject to high tensile stress from the bobstay as well as the risk of crevice corrosion where it is bedded in the hull.  i took particular care with cleaning and sealing the joint between the hull and the fitting.

    i rebedded the flanges in fiberglass according to the schedule in the construction manual.

    boating is fun!

    james

    Last modified: July 19, 2016 3:45 AM | Anonymous member
  • July 19, 2016 8:43 AM
    Reply # 4139860 on 4138972
    Deleted user


    Hi Jay,

    I just bought the boat a couple of weeks ago and it was on the hard, so I can't tell for sure if the bobstay fitting stays underwater, but based on the picture and location I presumed it was. I will definitely pay attention to that next time it goes back to the water and redistribute the weight aft accordingly. I will also add the zinc on the bobstay.

    According to PO it was not leaking at the fitting. But I will do a thru inspection and fix the cracks as well.

    I will definitely follow your recommendations  (clean, polish inspect) and replace if necessary.

     

    BTW... the diagram was very helpful. Thanks again

    -luis

    Last modified: July 20, 2016 5:57 AM | Deleted user
  • July 19, 2016 8:55 AM
    Reply # 4139874 on 4139453
    Deleted user

    Hi James,

    Definitely I will look into your suggestions. I know it's been 8 years since you fixed yours, but do you have any pictures of the project? (before, during and after pictures). That will be very helpful to a newbie like me.

    Also to have a ballpark idea... what was the cost of the bobstay fitting (duplex grade 2205) 8 years ago? 

    Thanks again,

    -luis 

     

     

    Last modified: July 20, 2016 5:56 AM | Deleted user
  • July 31, 2016 5:14 AM
    Reply # 4164721 on 4138731

    i am in australia, so the cost is probably not comparable.  the cost was part of several thousand dollars worth of other replacements at about the same time.  i think it was about $450 australian.

    i couldn't locate any photos of the job.  but i took one of my fitting last week. it still retains a mirror finish.  i cant work out how to post photos here, but sometimes jay offers to post for dummies.

    grade 2205 was probably overkill from the point of view that the original 304 lasted 30 years. i replaced everything else with grade 316.

  • July 31, 2016 10:50 AM
    Reply # 4165012 on 4138731
    Anonymous member (Administrator)

    James - Send me the pic by email -- I'll add to your post... 

    Jay

    jay_bietz  at sbcglobal.net... 

  • August 03, 2016 7:29 AM
    Reply # 4171141 on 4138731
    Anonymous

    I replaced mine last year.  It too sat just below the waterline, and it looked like swiss cheese.  I attribute Lorilee's bow-heaviness to her 100lb windlass.  Instead of the in-hull style, I ordered the external bolt-on type from Bud. I installed it in roughly in the same location as the old one, but in retrospect, I would've installed about 4" higher to get clear from the waterline.  I've asked around and moving the fitting up would not have much of an adverse effect on the stress angle of the bobstay.  

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