On Jun 12, 2018, at 8:51 PM, sangaris@... [amelyachtowners] <amelyachtowners@...> wrote:

My experience was some bolts were easily removed, others really stubborn. After trying BIG screwdriver with square shaft and a wrench on that to add to torque, the ultimate solution for the ones that got "buggered" was to weld a short hex head bolt onto the flat slotted head of the stanchion bolt and put a socket wrench on that - easy peasy removal.

Do take Joel's advice to heart to be SURE you seal the new/replaced bolts totally. This forum has many reports of the embedded carbon steel backing plates corroding and some bursting open - believe me, it's a BIG fiberglass repair job to cut out the old plates and rebuild the fiberglass and gel coat.

Good luck with it!

Craig Briggs, SN68 Sangaris.

---In amelyachtowners@..., wrote :

Gary,

  Thanks for the information.  I am curious about what percentage of the bolts you were able to extract from the embedded bar stock?  Also what technique for removal of the fasteners seemed to work the best for you?

   Best of luck with the rest of your hurricane repairs.

James Alton

SV Sueño

Maramu #220

On Jun 12, 2018, at 1:54 AM, amelliahona <no_reply@...> wrote:

Hi Bill

I echo what Joel and others have said but with a few caveats.  I just had about 10 of my stanchions off for repairs following hurricane damage.  Most are attached with the threaded-into-embedded-bar stock method but those in the immediate vicinity of the aft "garage" lazarette had washers and nuts on the back side of the vertical face of the toe-rail and the top horizontal face of the toe-rail.   This included the three most aft stanchions on the starboard stern area.  I didn't have damage on the port side in that area and so I can't speak to that (plus the propane locker is in that area so you'll have to  inspect in that area for nuts if that is where your damage is).  

I had always assumed that the stanchion that has the outboard rail board on it was welded at the top rail and the block was fabricate in-situ but not so.  That stanchion is about 1.5 inches sh ort of going to the top rail and inserts in a hole that is about 75% of the depth of the the wooden block. 

Sincerely, 

Gary S. Silver

s/v Liahona

Amel SM 2000 #335

currently completing hurricane repairs at Island Marine, Inc, Puerto Del Rey, Puerto Rico

PS I have a son who is a certified welder so I have been taught a lot about quality welding by him.  The guys that did my stainless repairs were highly skilled and true professionals.  Besides fabricating and installing a 10 ft section of rail and stanchions (done off the boat after tack welding everything on the boat, they weld repaired some broken bales on the underside of the stanchions that retain the jib-sheet-car traveler line.  They did this by removing the stanchion base screws, flexing the lifeline about an inch away from the toe-rail, putting protective metal plating between the fibergla ss and the work piece and TIG welding the bale-to-base, upside down, in close quarters while laying on the deck.  Amazing work.  I can't believe the results of all their work.  Perfect in every way.