Cracking on the Ribs

The Boat Yard have began to remove the sole around the mast step to assess the work required to be undertaken to the Keel and I await an estimate.

The survey told me that one of the major things was there was evidence of cracking on the ribs that the mast plate and foot sit on. That needed further investigating.

The Ericson 380 has a very unique and strong triaxel grid system that connects the chain plates through some stainless steal rodding to the ribs and tri-axel system that sits above the keel, making for a very strong design. What appears to have happened here is that the whole chain plate tri-axel ystem is so strong that when the rigging was over tightened rather than snapping something like the rigging or some other area giving, the mast has been pushed down onto the mast step. In turn that plate has been pushed into the ribs themselves causing the cracking.

By lifting the floor and grinding back the ribs we can see the extent of the damage which on initial inspection seems relatively minor and not affecting other structures around the mast step. There doesn't seem to be any other issues with the chain plates or the ribs and it seems to be localised to the area around the mast step plate which can be easily repaired.

Posted in Blog on Aug 01, 2024