That'd be your priority, then

Posted By: Jenny
Date: 5/25/07 7:32a.m.

Report: outside forum guidelines

In Response To: chainplate, yes (Paul--Lawrence, KS)

I personally wouldn't worry about the impact damage unless it goes all the way through the fiberglass--just try not to hit anything with that part of the boat . To repair it properly, you'd have to start by grinding out all the damaged fiberglass (it'll have white lines on it), then there's a particular method for fixing Boston Whaler boats because the skin is too thin to get the kind of bevel on you would want. The link below has some info. You'll probably need it sooner or later . I haven't done a chainplate repair--I confess that when I had the seats off for refinishing I didn't even take them off and rebed them, so I have no idea what shape that wood is in. Next time I have the seats off I will take a look. That's a fairly protected area, though, so it sounds like maybe your boat's been standing outside in the rain. At that point, I'd remove all the hardware and check for rot in the wood blocks it mounts to. Remove rot, refill with thickened epoxy, slap some caulk (I use 4200) on your fitting and stick it back on. I'm sure if you do a search here you can find some more detailed descriptions. Might want to use chopped mat or kitty hair or something with some roughage in it if you're filling big areas, especially for the chainplates and bow fitting.