life lines and stanchions

Posted by Richard Lemieux (richlem2@…>)
Hi All, I am having difficulty locating a supplier of original stanchion bases and stanchions. Does anyone know who the suppliers of these parts are?
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Posted by michel.capel (michel.capel@…>)

For my F44 I couldn’t find the original stanchion bases; there was no
sign of a brand name on them. Digging in the assortment catalogues of
all main suppliers on both sides of the Atlantic did not uncover them.

I had my yard man search for new stanchion bases that had a large
enough flat mounting surface so they could be drilled and tapped
according to the existing screw holes in the foot rail.

Stanchions are not so difficult; you can use any make as long as they
have the right diameter. There are only a few models; these are pretty
universal.

I’m very happy I choose extra high stanchions. I’m 6’6" and the F44
has no coach roof or shrouds to hold on to, so you have to rely more
on the lifelines.

Unlike the original stanchion bases, the new ones were all mounted
with liberal use of anti corrosion paste. The stanchions are placed
into the bases in plastic sleeves. The old stanchion bases were
heavily corroded around the stanchions, some bases were cracked open
by the pressure of the white corrosion stuff. I had to drill away all
mounting screws to get the bases off the foot rail.

michel



— In FreedomOwnersGroup@yahoogroups.com, Richard Lemieux
<richlem2@…> wrote:

Hi All, I am having difficulty locating a supplier of original
stanchion bases and stanchions. Does anyone know who the suppliers of
these parts are?



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Posted by Richard Lemieux (richlem2@…>)

----- Original Message ----From: michel.capel <michel.capel@…>To: FreedomOwnersGroup@yahoogroups.comSent: Wednesday, March 26, 2008 3:17:49 AMSubject: [FreedomOwnersGroup] Re: life lines and stanchions

For my F44 I couldn’t find the original stanchion bases; there was no sign of a brand name on them. Digging in the assortment catalogues of all main suppliers on both sides of the Atlantic did not uncover them. I had my yard man search for new stanchion bases that had a large enough flat mounting surface so they could be drilled and tapped according to the existing screw holes in the foot rail. Stanchions are not so difficult; you can use any make as long as they have the right diameter. There are only a few models; these are pretty universal. I’m very happy I choose extra high stanchions. I’m 6’6" and the F44 has no coach roof or shrouds to hold on to, so you have to rely more on the lifelines.Unlike the original stanchion bases, the new ones were all mounted with liberal use of anti corrosion paste. The stanchions are placed into the bases in plastic sleeves. The old stanchion
bases were heavily corroded around the stanchions, some bases were cracked open by the pressure of the white corrosion stuff. I had to drill away all mounting screws to get the bases off the foot rail.michel— In FreedomOwnersGroup@ yahoogroups. com, Richard Lemieux <richlem2@… .> wrote:>> Hi All, I am having difficulty locating a supplier of original stanchion bases and stanchions. Does anyone know who the suppliers of these parts are?> > > Hi Michel, Thanks for the info regarding your experience with stanchions. I think I have foound a good source for information and parts for Freedom sailboats. The Warren River Boat Works owner was a service manager for Freedom yachts and is knowledgable
regarding the Freedom line.
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Posted by katorpus (jrb@…>)

Check with TPI for the bases, BUT…

You aren’t looking for the ORIGINAL bases, you’re looking for the
replacements which they had fabricated after the problem with
corrosion
on the original aluminum bases became evident.

They provided these to the original owner of my boat shortly after it
was delivered (hull #61 of 63, completed in 1981). He took good care
of
them (in his garage) and turned them over to me when I bought the boat
in 1997.

These replacements consist of a piece of heavy stainless tubing
welded “alongside” a rectangular piece heavy stainless plate (all
nicely polished) with a matching backing plate and three pre-drilled
holes for stainless hex head bolts, washers, and nylock stainless
nuts.

The holes (allegedly) line up with the ones in the toe rail through
which the originals were bolted. The backing plate goes on the
outside
of the toe rail and the base on the inside. Set screws hold the
stanchion posts in place.

After sixteen years, the removal of the old bases was really tough.
Took me DAYS…in the yard…heavy hammer, brute force, bleeding
knuckles. All of the original aluminum bases were removed in pieces.

When installing the replacements, I first covered the stainless plate
that would be in contact with the toerail with a double thick layer
of
the thick self-amalgamating rubber tape, being careful NOT to stretch
it at all (so it wouldn’t be trying to “return” to its original
length). I then coated it liberally with anti-corrosion paste, and
coated the through bolts and threads on the set screws as well.

This is a very important step, since the “battery” that is otherwise
created by sandwiching the toerail between two pieces of stainless
will
quickly result in the same type of electrolytic corrosion that made
caused the stainless stanchion post to “rot” the heavy aluminum block
of the original base. You do NOT want to rot out your toerail!

If any shimming of the stanchion base is required, cut out pieces of
bleach bottle to the appropriate size.

No problems…eleven years later.



— In FreedomOwnersGroup@yahoogroups.com, Richard Lemieux
<richlem2@…> wrote:

Hi All, I am having difficulty locating a supplier of original
stanchion bases and stanchions. Does anyone know who the suppliers
of
these parts are?


__


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Posted by lance_ryley (lance_ryley@…>)

You’re talking about Paul Dennis, possibly the single most
knowledgeable person about the various Freedoms. He did a fair amount
of work on Glory with the previous owner, and he helped Bright Star’s
new owners unstep her 27 year old, never-before-unstepped-in-her-life
masts. He is an excellent resource for all things Freedom.

In the case of Bright Star, she had the old cast aluminum block
stanchion bases as well. One was so far gone as to be unsafe, and I
fortunately had a machinist friend who made a replacement from
stainless. I had originally contacted Steve Garhauer about making them
(for about $40/each), and I’m glad I didn’t - not because Garhauer
wouldn’t have done a good job, he would have done excellent work - but
my friend said that on the old base, there was really no ‘standard’
hole spacing, and getting it right on the jig was a PITA. I still owe
him a giant bottle of scotch.

Your mileage may vary, and there may be enough play in the bolts to
make a standard pattern fit (if they’re mounted to the toe rail like on
the 40 and 44). If you’ve been in contact with Paul, then you’re
definitely on the right track.

Lance
Glory


Hi Michel, Thanks for the info regarding your experience with
stanchions. I think I have foound a good source for information and
parts for Freedom sailboats. The Warren River Boat Works owner was a
service manager for Freedom yachts and is knowledgable regarding the
Freedom line._________ _________ _________ _________ _________


Posted by Howard Gladman (svspartan@…>)



Great information.
For what it is worth our F39 PH #27, of which we are the third owners, has the replacement stanchion bases minus the SS backing plate. One of the previous owners must have decided the backing plates weren’t necessary, too much work, or weren’t furnished the backing plate. I can see the galvanic corrosion taking hold between the base and the toe rail, but that project will have to wait until we get back from our summer in Canada and Alaska.

Hglad
F39 PH

----- Original Message -----
From: katorpus
To: FreedomOwnersGroup@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Wednesday, March 26, 2008 7:00 AM
Subject: [FreedomOwnersGroup] Re: life lines and stanchions


Check with TPI for the bases, BUT…You aren’t looking for the ORIGINAL bases, you’re looking for the replacements which they had fabricated after the problem with corrosion on the original aluminum bases became evident.They provided these to the original owner of my boat shortly after it was delivered (hull #61 of 63, completed in 1981). He took good care of them (in his garage) and turned them over to me when I bought the boatin 1997. These replacements consist of a piece of heavy stainless tubing welded “alongside” a rectangular piece heavy stainless plate (all nicely polished) with a matching backing plate and three pre-drilled holes for stainless hex head bolts, washers, and nylock stainless nuts.The holes (allegedly) line up with the ones in the toe rail through which the originals were bolted. The backing plate goes on the outside of the toe rail and the base on the inside. Set screws hold the stanchion posts in place.After sixteen years, the removal of the old bases was really tough. Took me DAYS…in the yard…heavy hammer, brute force, bleeding knuckles. All of the original aluminum bases were removed in pieces.When installing the replacements, I first covered the stainless plate that would be in contact with the toerail with a double thick layer of the thick self-amalgamating rubber tape, being careful NOT to stretch it at all (so it wouldn’t be trying to “return” to its original length). I then coated it liberally with anti-corrosion paste, and coated the through bolts and threads on the set screws as well.This is a very important step, since the “battery” that is otherwise created by sandwiching the toerail between two pieces of stainless will quickly result in the same type of electrolytic corrosion that made caused the stainless stanchion post to “rot” the heavy aluminum block of the original base. You do NOT want to rot out your toerail!If any shimming of the stanchion base is required, cut out pieces of bleach bottle to the appropriate size.No problems…eleven years later. — In FreedomOwnersGroup@yahoogroups.com, Richard Lemieux <richlem2@…> wrote:>> Hi All, I am having difficulty locating a supplier of original stanchion bases and stanchions. Does anyone know who the suppliers of these parts are?> > > ________________________________________________________________________> Looking for last minute shopping deals? > Find them fast with Yahoo! Search. http://tools.search.yahoo.com/newsearch/category.php?category=shopping>