Hello Fellow Cat-People,

I was attempting to install the reiforcement plates under the main beam and I noticed that they don't seem to fit well. With the bolt finger tight, there is an uneven gap(see picture) at the top of the channel. I'm afraid that by tightening up the bolt, the plate will then push inboard on the hull, which could weaken the deck/hull joint. This may weaken the area more than the plate would reinforce it. Has anyone had similar experience here? Does that fact that my boat is so old ('78) have anything to do with it?

David Ho
TheMightyHobie18 1067

hello,
my boat, a '91, has those plates bolted to the hull thus transferring the load from the lip to the side of the hull. i'm sure there is extra glass on the inside of the hull where the bolts go thru tho. it was built as an sx and has plenty of glass there. anyway if you are concerned about the gap maybe you should mix up some thick bog when you install the plates. the job seems like it is pretty big an fairly technical. 4 plates per hull, 4 bolts per plate=32 holes to drill. could that be right?
4 cradels set up to keep the boat square, and hulls upright would be nice, but not absolutely essential.