I'm a brand new Rhodes owner. The boat has been in the water for one
week. So far I love it. I do have a question:
There are no chocks on the bow for reducing chafe on the mooring line.
How has anyone dealt with this?
Steven Brill
I installed two sets of chocks, Serpentine style, for 3/4-inch line.
The larger size is to leave room for the chafing cover. Location was
on the bow close to the headsail the other was angled back for a
spring line. Tapped them into the toe rail and bedded with 3M 4200
(not a typo for 5200, might want them out someday). Leaving them on
the toe rail helped get the rode off the deck gelcoat.
When I had my boat set up for a mooring I used a two-pendant system.
The first was spliced with a STAINLESS STEEL shackle to the bow eye
(do not mix and match the metals here and use a heavy duty shackle).
This line was the taught line to the mooring. The second line was a
"loose line", with an eye spliced for the bow cleat and chafing
covers at the chocks. The boat rode nicely and I could sleep at night.
MJM
So the big question is: Can the chocks be screwed into the toe rail
or do they have to be through-bolted into the cabin? If they have to
be through-bolted, they will be lower than the toe rail and their
usefulness may be somewhat compromised.
Steve Brill
A few weeks ago you suggested Skene chocks. You also expected some
controversy about how you attached them. Well, I'm ready to attach.
How did you do it?
The hot weather and small Indiana lakes take a lot of the fun out of
sailing.
John Ward
Fountaintown, IN (near Indianapolis)
11 Jul 1999
Buy a caulk gun tube of 3M 5200 Fast Cure (the little one makes a
mess), a number 10 or 1/4-20 tap (you might need both for the small
and large size, please check), a new set of titanium bits and 1 to 11/
2-inch stainless steel machine screws.
Find your locations and mark the positions, then double check. You
have one shot for a neat job. Drill a small pilot hole, going
through the gelcoat very slowly. The bit must cut the gel coat and
the underlying fiberglass otherwise the gelcoat will spiderweb and
spread over time. Use the bit recommended for the tap, but drop the
size by one (a little more for it to cut threads into, the size was
recommended for steel). Drill the hole, correcting for any bit-walk
from the pilot hole, going very slowly, straight, vertical and
perfectly round (do not shake/move the drill).
Use the tap to cut the threads. Use 3M 5200 for bedding; shoot some
in the holes; hand-start the screws and coat the lower threads and
the bottom of the fitting (enough so some will come out when
tightening). Tighten everything up, but do not overdo it or you will
squeeze out all the 5200 leaving a dry fitting. The 5200 is holding
it as much as the screws. Bring a nail to insert in the tip of the
5200 when not shooting it and finish using the tube in one day.
Clean up and you're done. It will take about 2 days to be ready for
use.
MJM
