Key Message: Coordinated Project Execution
Preparing a boat for an ocean crossing often involves a final push to complete a list of outstanding projects. For us, this meant simultaneously executing three key tasks: installing the second carbon fiber chainplate, repairing rotten window frames, and adjusting the forestay. This article outlines how we managed these parallel projects efficiently while on anchor, demonstrating the practical workflow and problem-solving required for a complex refit.
Author: Shayne and Anna
Practical Project Management for a Bluewater Refit
Preparing for an ocean crossing requires methodically addressing a list of projects. On our Catana 42, this meant the simultaneous execution of three key tasks: installing the second carbon fiber chainplate, repairing window frames, and adjusting the forestay. This documentation outlines the professional workflow for managing these parallel refit projects while on anchor, focusing on the permanent upgrade of the chainplate system.
The Core Project: Carbon Fiber Chainplate Replacement
The failure of the original chainplates was a core issue, not a metal one. The stainless steel was sound, but the plywood bulkhead it was bolted to had rotted, allowing the fitting to pull through. Our solution was not a repair, but a redesign: replacing both the rotten core and the metal plate with a monolithic carbon fiber chainplate.
The process for the second chainplate was refined after the first:
- Fabrication: Laminating a custom chainplate from unidirectional carbon fiber, with fibers fanned at +/- 5 degrees to handle off-axis loads.
- Installation: Removing the old component and rotten wood, then structurally bonding the new carbon plate into the bulkhead.
- Integration: Using structural edge capping to tie the new assembly into the hull skins, ensuring proper load distribution and a finish that is stronger than the original.
Ancillary Projects: Integrated Systems Approach
A refit is rarely a single task. Alongside the chainplate, we progressed on other essential items:
- Window Frame Rehabilitation: Excavating and rebuilding rotten window frames to restore structural integrity and prevent water ingress.
- Rigging Adjustment: Shortening the forestay to suit a new headsail, a precise task completed in parallel with the structural work.
These projects were managed concurrently with our ongoing rudder reconstruction, demonstrating the coordinated effort required for a full boat preparation.
Conclusion: Engineering a Superior Solution
Completing this refit cycle underscores a fundamental principle: practical skills and professional methods lead to superior outcomes. By replacing a rot-prone design with a carbon fiber solution, we didn’t just fix a problem—we eliminated it. This systematic, engineering-based approach results in a more reliable and capable vessel for high-performance bluewater sailing.
All this was undertaken while the major rudder reconstruction, documented in a separate series, was also in progress.
The Permanent Fix: Carbon Fiber Chainplates & Bulkheads
Our temporary chainplate repair, securing the rig with upgraded bolts for an Atlantic crossing, had reached its limit. The underlying rot in the bulkheads, a legacy issue of the original construction, was now compromising the core structure. This project documents the only permanent solution: the complete removal of the failed plywood-cored bulkheads and the engineering, fabrication, and installation of monolithic carbon fiber chainplates. This is not a repair; it is a fundamental redesign that eliminates rot and creates a stronger, more reliable rigging foundation for Paikea.
- Managing Multiple Refit Projects: Chainplates, Windows, and Rigging
Key Message: Coordinated Project ExecutionPreparing a boat for an ocean crossing often involves a final push to complete a list of outstanding projects. For us, this meant simultaneously executing three key tasks: installing the second carbon fiber chainplate, repairing rotten window frames, and adjusting the forestay. This article outlines how we managed these parallel projects… Read more: Managing Multiple Refit Projects: Chainplates, Windows, and Rigging - The Engineering Behind Our Bulletproof Composite ChainplatesAuthor: Shayne and Anna Key Topic: Replacing our catamaran’s rotten, failing chainplates became an exercise in advanced composite engineering. By moving from a traditional bolted stainless steel strap to a fully integrated carbon fiber chainplate laminated within a new foam-core bulkhead, we eliminated the weak points of the old system. This post breaks down how distributing… Read more: The Engineering Behind Our Bulletproof Composite Chainplates
- Engineering Superior Strength: How We Build Carbon Fiber ChainplatesKey Message Paragraph: When a key component requires replacement, the opportunity exists to build something better than the original. We showcase our professional composite expertise by designing and fabricating a set of custom carbon fiber chainplates for our catamaran. From precise templating and controlled wet-preg lamination to vacuum-bagged consolidation, this process demonstrates the high-level engineering… Read more: Engineering Superior Strength: How We Build Carbon Fiber Chainplates
- Chainplate Maintenance on a 1990 Catana 42: Bolt Engineering and Bulkhead InspectionKey Message: : Proactive, engineering-based maintenance is essential for safe bluewater sailing on a vintage vessel. The discovery of chainplate movement on our 1990 Catana 42 was not a crisis, but a predictable maintenance event. By diagnosing the root cause—the use of improper fully-threaded bolts and localized bulkhead rot—and applying correct engineering principles to install shank… Read more: Chainplate Maintenance on a 1990 Catana 42: Bolt Engineering and Bulkhead Inspection
