Replacement stanchion base

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1

Posted by Barry Stellrecht (yak@…>)

Our 1981 F33 has one stanchion base with a crack (appears to be corrosion), and
I’m wondering if a replacement is available, or if I just need to find somebody
to weld it up again…

This a a 4-bolt pattern base with a 1" socket in the top and two “bails” facing
forward and aft. It is angled about 10 degrees away from vertical. (I’ll
attach a small photo, but don’t know if the yahoo group will accept it or not)
I believe later boats had an aluminum toe rail with stanchions attached to the
rail, but mine are mounted slightly inboard of the teak toe rail.

Does anybody know who made these stanchion bases, or if anybody has some still
available?

Thanks,

Barry

–
s/v Flutterby, Freedom 33 cat ketch (becoming a junk rig)

Attachment: (image/jpeg) stanchion-base.jpg [not stored]

2

Posted by Alan Kusinitz (akusinitz@…>)


These look similar to mine. Boats with the teak toerail option
had this.
I don’t know who made them but Garhauer will drill their’s to
match your bolt holes and size constraints (at lease that’s what they told me at
a show.
Alan F-33 Hull #51 1982



From: FreedomOwnersGroup@yahoogroups.com
[mailto:FreedomOwnersGroup@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Barry
Stellrecht
Sent: Friday, October 24, 2008 4:06 PM
To: FreedomOwnersGroup@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [FreedomOwnersGroup] Replacement stanchion base

\




Our 1981 F33 has one stanchion base with a crack (appears to be corrosion),
and I’m wondering if a replacement is available, or if I just need to find
somebody to weld it up again…

This a a 4-bolt pattern base with a 1" socket in the top and two
“bails” facing forward and aft. It is angled about 10 degrees away
from vertical. (I’ll attach a small photo, but don’t know if the yahoo group
will accept it or not) I believe later boats had an aluminum toe rail with
stanchions attached to the rail, but mine are mounted slightly inboard of the
teak toe rail.

Does anybody know who made these stanchion bases, or if anybody has some still
available?

Thanks,

Barry

–
s/v Flutterby, Freedom 33 cat ketch (becoming a junk rig)


\

3

Posted by sgaber@…> (sgaber@…>)

Barry:

I don’t know if those exact bases are available in retail stores now or not. You
might be able to find some at marine consignment stores like Sailorman in Ft.
Lauderdale, Don’s Salvage in Clearwater, Bacon’s in Annapolis of Minnie’s in
California.

Worst Marine, Defender Industries and others have similar ones made of stainless
instead of chrome/bronze. The 2008 Worst Marine catalog shows the bases selling
for $69.99 EACH and two-hole stanchions (for double lifelines) at $59.99 each.
If I had gotten six of those, they would have cost me a total of $780, not
including the mounting hardware.

But why would you want them? I’ve always hated and distrusted them.

Do you really want your life of those of your crew to be dependent on those two
little set screws that are supposed to hold the stanchion in place? Just buying
one to match the others on your boat is, IMHO, not a good enough reason.

I replaced all of my wobbly and possibly cracked ones like yours with one-piece
welded stainless steel stanchions from Garhauer. They were $30 each a few years
ago. Probably a bit more now. I got six of 'em, plus they are mounted using
1/4"x3" stainless carriage bolts, which cost $1 each. I needed 24. So the whole
s etup cost me $204, not including the lifelines, which I had made by JSI. Just
two of the WM stanchions and bases cost more than that.

Lifelines are supposed to be a last resort, to catch a person who might
otherwise fall overboard. At least now I have a bit more peace of mind that if
mine ever really need to perform that function, the stanchions won’t pop out of
their bases at the worst possible moment. It’s worth spending the $206 to
replace all six stanchions and be secure than to spend $70 replace one and then
relying on two little screws to save your life

Something worth considering.

My next project is installing jacklines on deck to be even more secure.

Steve Gaber
Sanderling, 1967 C-31 #77
Oldsmar, FL


---- Barry Stellrecht <yak@…> wrote:

Our 1981 F33 has one stanchion base with a crack (appears to be corrosion),
and I’m wondering if a replacement is available, or if I just need to find
somebody to weld it up again…

This a a 4-bolt pattern base with a 1" socket in the top and two “bails”
facing forward and aft. It is angled about 10 degrees away from vertical.
(I’ll attach a small photo, but don’t know if the yahoo group will accept it or
not) I believe later boats had an aluminum toe rail with stanchions attached to
the rail, but mine are mounted slightly inboard of the teak toe rail.

Does anybody know who made these stanchion bases, or if anybody has some still
available?

Thanks,

Barry

–
s/v Flutterby, Freedom 33 cat ketch (becoming a junk rig)

–

4

Posted by Barry Stellrecht (yak@…>)

FYI, the ones I have are SS (but old and a little discolored and DO use 4
quarter inch through bolts, and I’m adding beefy backing plates on the underside
to make sure they stay in place properly, instead of the fender washers TPI used
originally. (Don’t even let me get started about running bolts straight through
the place where the core is beveled at 45 degrees near the hull-deck joint and
just tightening them down until the bolt bends over a bit…but I’m fixing
that too!)

I don’t have a problem with the Garhauer ones which look similar, but want to
keep the same look (not too important) and angle (more important) as the ones
I’ve got since only one needs replacement.

Since the yard I’m working on the boat at has SS welding capabilities, I will
probably ask them to repair the one I’ve got, as I’m not seeing any identical
parts out there right now.

Barry

sgaber@… wrote:

Barry:

I don’t know if those exact bases are available in retail stores now or not.
You might be able to find some at marine consignment stores like Sailorman in
Ft. Lauderdale, Don’s Salvage in Clearwater, Bacon’s in Annapolis of Minnie’s in
California.

Worst Marine, Defender Industries and others have similar ones made of
stainless instead of chrome/bronze. The 2008 Worst Marine catalog shows the
bases selling for $69.99 EACH and two-hole stanchions (for double lifelines) at
$59.99 each. If I had gotten six of those, they would have cost me a total of
$780, not including the mounting hardware.

But why would you want them? I’ve always hated and distrusted them.

Do you really want your life of those of your crew to be dependent on those
two little set screws that are supposed to hold the stanchion in place? Just
buying one to match the others on your boat is, IMHO, not a good enough reason.

I replaced all of my wobbly and possibly cracked ones like yours with
one-piece welded stainless steel stanchions from Garhauer. They were $30 each a
few years ago. Probably a bit more now. I got six of 'em, plus they are mounted
using 1/4"x3" stainless carriage bolts, which cost $1 each. I needed 24. So the
whole s etup cost me $204, not including the lifelines, which I had made by JSI.
Just two of the WM stanchions and bases cost more than that.

Lifelines are supposed to be a last resort, to catch a person who might
otherwise fall overboard. At least now I have a bit more peace of mind that if
mine ever really need to perform that function, the stanchions won’t pop out of
their bases at the worst possible moment. It’s worth spending the $206 to
replace all six stanchions and be secure than to spend $70 replace one and then
relying on two little screws to save your life

Something worth considering.

My next project is installing jacklines on deck to be even more secure.

Steve Gaber
Sanderling, 1967 C-31 #77
Oldsmar, FL

---- Barry Stellrecht <yak@…> wrote:

Our 1981 F33 has one stanchion base with a crack (appears to be corrosion),
and I’m wondering if a replacement is available, or if I just need to find
somebody to weld it up again…

This a a 4-bolt pattern base with a 1" socket in the top and two “bails”
facing forward and aft. It is angled about 10 degrees away from vertical.
(I’ll attach a small photo, but don’t know if the yahoo group will accept it or
not) I believe later boats had an aluminum toe rail with stanchions attached to
the rail, but mine are mounted slightly inboard of the teak toe rail.

Does anybody know who made these stanchion bases, or if anybody has some
still available?

Thanks,

Barry

–
s/v Flutterby, Freedom 33 cat ketch (becoming a junk rig)

–

Yahoo! Groups Links

–
s/v Flutterby, Freedom 33 cat ketch (becoming a junk rig)

5

Posted by Barry Stellrecht (yak@…>)

Err…sorry, I miss-read that email last time, you are pretty much correct about
two little set screws holding the stanchion in place. Actually, only one hole
is drilled and tapped into the stanchion, so it is worse than you said, just one
set screw.

Just the same, I’ve never heard of a stanchion or lifeline failing due to the
set screw, so I’m not sure that I’ll replace the lot of them–I’ve got enough
other projects demanding my time and money.

But if I ever build that boat I’m dreaming of doing someday, I’ll probably go
for one piece stanchions–Thanks!

Barry

sgaber@… wrote:

Do you really want your life of those of your crew to be dependent on those
two little set screws that are supposed to hold the stanchion in place?
–
s/v Flutterby, Freedom 33 cat ketch (becoming a junk rig)

6

Posted by sgaber@…> (sgaber@…>)

I’ll ask the BoatUS insurance publication Seaworthy about the incidence of
lifeline stanchion failures.

Steve Gaber
Sanderling, 1967 C-31 #77
Oldsmar, FL

---- Barry Stellrecht <yak@…> wrote:

Err…sorry, I miss-read that email last time, you are pretty much correct
about two little set screws holding the stanchion in place. Actually, only one
hole is drilled and tapped into the stanchion, so it is worse than you said,
just one set screw.

Just the same, I’ve never heard of a stanchion or lifeline failing due to the
set screw, so I’m not sure that I’ll replace the lot of them–I’ve got enough
other projects demanding my time and money.

But if I ever build that boat I’m dreaming of doing someday, I’ll probably go
for one piece stanchions–Thanks!

Barry

sgaber@… wrote:

Do you really want your life of those of your crew to be dependent on those
two little set screws that are supposed to hold the stanchion in place?
–
s/v Flutterby, Freedom 33 cat ketch (becoming a junk rig)

–
Steve Gaber
Sanderling, 1967 C-31 #77
Oldsmar, FL