Pájaro Custom External Chainplates | 2005 Pájaro Upgrade

Pájaro Custom External Chainplates

I've received some questions regarding Pájaro's custom external chainplates. Here I bring some light to the matter...

Switching to External

There is a direct relation between having had to re-core the soaked decks myself (caused by water migration inside the sandwich through the old chainplates deck cuts) and the idea of installing external chainplates in order to not have to do the same job again in the future.

For this single reason, it's a bonus to install them on an east coast Triton. (For what I know on west coast tritons that's not an issue since decks are made of solid glass and only require a good bedding job to stop possible leaks.)

But there are other benefits: Perhaps the most important of all is that it's much easier to check for signs of stress or cracks on external chainplates.

Although not significantly, their location does open the angle made up at the mast by a few degrees and thus it takes a slightly lesser tension for the stay to accomplish the same pull. (You could even use teak "chainplate spreaders" to widen the angle even more, as Ted suggested once. I preferred to dispense those for simplicity.)

You'll gain about two inches on deck walking space!! (Well, I do feel the two extra inches and certainly my toes don't miss the old chainplates sticking up from the deck floor. ;)

And also, let's face it, they make look Pájaro mighty, like she has just returned from several round trips around Cape Horn just for the fun of it.

Materials

After looking around for the catalog chainplates on the market (Schaefer), and considering what I was getting for the buck, I went ahead and asked a friend (Ted Simpkins) for assistance. He's a professional machinist, as well as a sailor and a great boat builder (At the age of 18 he wasn't watching TV. He built alone his own vessel, a real jewel of a schooner, called "Magic", also with hefty external chainplates)

He soon asked me for the measurements I wanted, and we ordered the stainless steel.

We used 304 type. For marine use 316 type is recommended because of a higher content in chromium and is best suited to beat salt water corrosion.

But since it was not an underwater fitting, that was not so critical.

The 304 type stainless is regarded as more resistant to metal fatigue and less likely to develop cracks in the long run. For this structural reason we went ahead on the 304 type.

But again, that may not be critical. Both types are good for the task.

The Making (16 pieces total)

I made a template out of cardboard with the approximate size and shape I wanted them to be. All are exactly 12" long by 1-1/2" wide and 1/4" thick.

They are 1-1/2" high over the toe rail with 3/8" holes for the turnbuckle pins.

Drill Holes

You want to use the actual turnbuckle as a reference for the pin hole before drilling, so the plate fits freely on the turnbuckle fork.

When you are ready to make the chainplate attachment holes, keep in mind that the upper chainplate attachment bolt hole has to be well below the deck on the inside of the cabin, so as to allow the bolt to go through and fit the nut comfortably. I used 3/8" diameter x 1 1/2" long bolts for all holes.

Hull Curve

When necessary, you'll need to give them a slight bend (by eye) to follow the hull contour, which is "almost" but not completely straight on the sides. (No need to do that on stern chainplates, on the tritons). I simply used a few mallet strokes (big heavy rubber mallet) over two blocks of wood to get the required curvature for each, adjusting by trial and error.

Upper Radius

The second important (and crucial!) thing is to give each chainplate the correct upper radius on the top so as to connect in a straight line with the stay and mast tang. It varies for each pair of stays. Ideally the turnbuckle pin will sit perpendicular to the tensioned stay. You may lead ropes from the tangs to get the idea for each of the radius to be so.

Set the chainplate on a wise using a torch to soften the metal and a hammer to bend it slowly.

Backing Plates

Don't forget that you'll need backing plates for each of these babies. The triton hull is very solid and thick glass, so I found no need for reinforcing beefing it with glassed pads or extra posts. For backing plates simply take a pattern of the chainplate body lower part, cut the metal and add the three holes. Don't forget to try to match the inner contour of the hull. (Mallet, blocks, and same contour as chainplate.)

Once all this is done, round all edges to your taste and go for...

Polishing

I didn't polish my chainplates, because at the time were more important things to do. But a good polishing is recommended not only if you care for the looks, but also for better rust protection (it will seal the pores). The light rust that drips from the inner side of my chainplates every now and then could be avoided with some polishing.

Installation

Now it's time to plan the final location for each chainplate.

In Pájaro the old plates' original location was the main forward bulkhead for both after lowers and the glassed posts inside for the shrouds stays.

I had to bring 1/2" the chainplates forward the bulkhead so as to allow for the through bolts and backing plates, and to bring the after lowers 1/2" after to skip the glassed post for the same reason. That slight displacement hasn't compromised the rig performance to my knowledge.

The newly added forward lowers are as distant to the shrouds as to the after lowers.

It's very important to keep the chainplates "up-down" orientation IN LINE with the stays and the tangs to spread the load evenly. Placing them straight (perpendicular) to the deck will work for the shrouds stays chainplates only. (Trace with a fine point pen). Now you are ready to start drilling the hull holes and install the new chainplates.

2005 Pájaro Upgrade

After cruising in 2005, I happened to find in Salem, NJ the ideal place to start a necessary refit plan for Pájaro. Andrea Jones, the Barber's Basin Marina owner, kindly gave me total freedom and an "out of the way" spot for me to perform the tasks needed on Pájaro. Also, given my low budget, she made me a generous discount so I could better afford to pay for the many months I needed, and authorized me to build a shed for the boat. Like many boats of its age, Pájaro suffered from deck delamination on both deck sides. And although not critical, I decided to get rid of the problem right away, and so go sailing without conditions. Also, without much consideration, I chose to get rid of the venerable, but troublesome, Universal Atomic 4. Like few other Triton owners, I opted for the outboard engine instead. That not only has offered me a smoke-, oil-, and noise-free cabin but a significant increase in alternate storage, always a plus on a small cruiser like this. Because of the repairs, I went ahead and refinished the exterior as well as the interior with new coats of paint and brightwork. Right after this structural and re-finishing works I re-rigged Pájaro, with the addition of two extra stays and 6 custom-made stainless steel external chainplates. (The chainplates were designed and fabricated by my best friend in this part of the planet, the "maestro" Mr.Teddy Simpkins. (An article about him, his geniality and his custom made schooner, "Magic", to come soon.) I also equipped Pájaro with a necessary windvane, a less necessary but helpful manual windlass winch, and other pieces of equipment that I'll be showing and commenting soon. Here goes a short gallery selection of some of the repairs and re-constructions that I overtook between 2006 and 2007 over the course of 7 months. And, fortunately, the good news is that all this work was done once in life. That's it. After much plywood, gallons of epoxy resin, trillions of sand paper and so on, Pájaro is now a very strong "brand new" 44 year old boat, and ready for some real bluewater cruising in the years to come.