JIB TRACK FASTENING METHOD

[Joshua770]

Hi everyone.
I'm about to repair the cap rail (toe rail) of my Morgan 384 (1983) which got damaged rubbing against a pailing during during a storm. The damaged section is right at midship close to the side cleat and under the Jib Track. It seems unavoidable that I'm going to have to remove the jib track in order to fix the teak wood properly.
I need to be sure that I'm not going to regret removing the jib track. So my question is:
Is the Jib Track on the Morgan 384 sailboat fastened with nutted bolts or are the fasteners screwed into a tapped plate under the toe rail?
Thank you in advance for sharing your knowledge.
Josh

 

[jimcleary]

Joshua

From your photos it appears that the damage is on the starboard side. You will have to remove the overhead in to pilot berth area. The track is bolted with 5/16" bolts every 6" or so. Looking at the extent of the damage, you may not have to remove the whole track as the track itself does not seem to be damaged. Working the stbd side is easier then the port side because there the galley and/or settee furniture has to be removed. When reassembling, it really helps to have two people working together.

Jim

 

[Joshua770]

Jim thank you I appreciate your input.
I take from your words that the Fasteners are not tapped rather nutted, and in order to take out the nuts and put them back I will have to take apart the furniture on the starboard side of the main cabin. That's exactly what I was fearing. I have a lot of experience with Island Packets and it's easier because even without taking apart the furniture there is a way to reach in but not so in the case of the Morgan 384.
Thank you

 

[jimcleary]

Joshua

You are correct, it's nuts and washers that are rather hidden within the space of the bulwark. On my 382 the stbd side only has the pilot berth with only the overhead to remove. The photos you posted seems to reveal that your damage does not extend aft of the berth to the cabinet above the wet locker. That should mean that furniture should not need removal. The toenail top cap where there is no sail track is only screwed down into the hull to deck joint. Hopefully you won't need to go that far with your repair.

Jim

 

[Joshua770]

Joshua

You are correct, it's nuts and washers that are rather hidden within the space of the bulwark. On my 382 the stbd side only has the pilot berth with only the overhead to remove. The photos you posted seems to reveal that your damage does not extend aft of the berth to the cabinet above the wet locker. That should mean that furniture should not need removal. The toenail top cap where there is no sail track is only screwed down into the hull to deck joint. Hopefully you won't need to go that far with your repair.

Jim

Thank you Jim
I will check it out over the weekend and get back with some cabin pics. I really hope it's as you say. I just don't understand why something which is likely to need a repair sometime along the boat's life is not prevented when they build the boat and put a tapped plate to make life easier. I guess it all comes down to money.

 

[jimcleary]

Joshua

I'm guessing that the hull to deck joint was done before there was much interior structure other then bulkheads. Made the job easier.

Jim

 

[Mitchell S Allen]

I agree with Jim on all this.
I'm sure it was $ that came into play here too. Much cheaper to have grunt labor down below turning nuts than embedding tapped plates.
I've been into this area of Sonata several times too. It shouldn't require much disassembly. Be careful of the teak trim plate the chain plate goes thru. When I had the headliner down for repair, my "help" managed to lean on the loose piece and broke it in half. After he'd been cautioned about this too.

Anyway, whatever you do there will be a 2 person endeavor.
Mitchell

 

[Warren Holybee]

I agree with Jim on all this.
I'm sure it was $ that came into play here too. Much cheaper to have grunt labor down below turning nuts than embedding tapped plates.
I've been into this area of Sonata several times too. It shouldn't require much disassembly. Be careful of the teak trim plate the chain plate goes thru. When I had the headliner down for repair, my "help" managed to lean on the loose piece and broke it in half. After he'd been cautioned about this too.

Anyway, whatever you do there will be a 2 person endeavor.
Mitchell

I think for this job the easiest thing to do is remove the chainplate. That in itself is a small job, and makes access much easier. You can safely remove the lowers without any additional support needed. Just mark the threads with tape so you tension it correctly when it goes back on.

 

[Mitchell S Allen]

I wish I had removed the interior chain plate when repairing the vinyl overhead. This would have saved a lot of frustration and grief! But, the overhead repair was the first project after buying Sonata. I just didn't realize how simple it would be.
So, if I were pulling the overhead panel to work above, now the chain plate would be the first part to be removed.
M

 

[jimcleary]

Mitchell is right. The chain plate come out easy. It's also a good time to check the condition of the four bolts that connect to the deck tang.

Jim

 

[NorthChannel]

Joshua

From your photos it appears that the damage is on the starboard side. You will have to remove the overhead in to pilot berth area. The track is bolted with 5/16" bolts every 6" or so. Looking at the extent of the damage, you may not have to remove the whole track as the track itself does not seem to be damaged. Working the stbd side is easier then the port side because there the galley and/or settee furniture has to be removed. When reassembling, it really helps to have two people working together.

Jim

Good Morning Jim. I am in the process of a cap rail replacement and am going to replace all of the bolts on the track. Here is a photo of a removed bolt. Can you confirm that this is a 5/16 bolt. When I order, I think I will replace with a shorter bolt as I recall in the removal process, many of the bolts were so long that a deep socket wasn't deep enough to remove. Need to start with a trying to position a flat wrench up in that tight space, often just by feel!

 

[terry_thatcher]

Suggest you use calipers to measure the bolt. or compare to a known size. On my Morgan 382, they only used standard washes. Not good. But I have not replaced them all. When I installed an inner track along the cabin side, I used the biggest fender washers I could fit in the space.