Pushpit Repair

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   Hi Everyone,

I just had my pushpit repaired/rebuilt.  The 7/8 tubes (especially the top ones) were bent a bit and the baseplates didn't align well with the deck, so keeping water out was a problem. Also, closing the gates was awkward. I suspect the bending was likely done by folks sitting on the pushpit top rail whilst the boat was well heeled. 

After much discussion of alternate solutions my local stainless steel fabricator cut off and discarded the top tube, straightened the other tubes, then welded on a new 1 inch diameter top tube with a thicker wall than the original 7/8 tubes.  It was tricky to bend,I understand! The result looks like it came out of the factory that way, and it is far, far stiffer and sturdier.  I also used some larger and heavier backing plates for the nuts when reinstalling. 

Next project - reinforcing the winch mountings by glassing in s. steel backing plates.  We like to cross winch in heavy air to keep everyone on the high side, but it is scary to see the boat flexing under the leeward winch!

Tony     

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tonycooke Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Rookie Joined: 25 May 2004 Location: Canada Status: Offline Points: 15	Post Options Post Reply Quote tonycooke Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Topic: Pushpit Repair Posted: 30 November 2009 at 8:56pm
	Hi Everyone, I just had my pushpit repaired/rebuilt. The 7/8 tubes (especially the top ones) were bent a bit and the baseplates didn't align well with the deck, so keeping water out was a problem. Also, closing the gates was awkward. I suspect the bending was likely done by folks sitting on the pushpit top rail whilst the boat was well heeled. After much discussion of alternate solutions my local stainless steel fabricator cut off and discarded the top tube, straightened the other tubes, then welded on a new 1 inch diameter top tube with a thicker wall than the original 7/8 tubes. It was tricky to bend,I understand! The result looks like it came out of the factory that way, and it is far, far stiffer and sturdier. I also used some larger and heavier backing plates for the nuts when reinstalling. Next project - reinforcing the winch mountings by glassing in s. steel backing plates. We like to cross winch in heavy air to keep everyone on the high side, but it is scary to see the boat flexing under the leeward winch! Tony