Installing Stanchion Bases

Please welcome new contributors Ken and Vicky, who live aboard s/v Painkiller!  Ken is a prolific writer and so his project write-ups spread across many posts.  For his first contribution to Small Boat Projects, we join him as he completes the rebedding of his stanchions.  But to get the context, you should also read Part I, and Part II. 

So here is Part III:

With a full on rainy day, the day after getting the top layer of epoxy on the night before, I was able to prep all the bases and hard rubber pads. Lots of cleaning, sanding, trimming the rubber and keeping all the ducks in a row. Bases, rubber gaskets for deck and the backing plates below decks which were all mostly fine. I see no need for all the extra work and material to replace them now that I have a solid epoxy deck layer above them.

Working with rolls of butyl rubber, which makes it so easy to prep, not to mention the mess factor is so minimal you have to wonder why you haven't done it this way for years. Squirting goop out  of a cylinder is always messy, needs masking and wasteful.

 Some of the bases had been bent so with a proper size hammer, some concrete and wood dock I persuaded them to be flat, within reason.

The epoxy was quite proud and needed more sanding than I wanted too, but they came out fine with only a few easily repaired air bubbles.

All holes transferred with butyl cheerio's in place...

...shiny new bolts started in place to ease locating the backing plate from under the deck...

...backing plate dressed with cherrio's, bolts tightened, all the lockers and wires reassembled...done.

This picture (early morning, dewy, telephotoed from the dry cockpit so it's blurry) shows some of the butyl still squeezing out overnight. In a couple of days we'll give the base a thorough cleaning and eventually touch up paint when we finish bedding all deck hardware.