Railing stand and two meters of side

Repairing a stanchion

One windy day in Rønne the boat was pinned hard against the quay. Fenders working overtime. The final straw for a fifty-year-old stanchion: the middle one, holding both main fenders.

I first thought of replacing it, but a new one would stand out. Closer inspection: it had been welded to the bulwark on two pins. Pins intact; stanchion broken away.

Finding a plan
I didn’t know what to do. For the first time, I asked ChatGPT, describing the problem with photos. Sceptical, honestly, but surprised:
• several repair options,
• chose one and asked for specifics,
• then a list of tools and materials,
• photographed purchases in the shop to check my choices,
• asked questions during the repair and got useful tips.
The conversation, if you’re interested: ChatGPT.

The plan
1. Clean up. Sanded the broken mounting and stanchion with paper left from winter jobs.
2. Level. If necessary, level the break with an angle grinder or Dremel.
3. Drill the pin. Start with 2mm, then 4.2mm. HSS-E or HSS-Co bits suit stainless steel, INOX. Drill slowly at low revs, adding WD-40 every few seconds. ⚠️ Clear swarf with compressed air or WD-40. My bit jammed and broke. I had to drill beside it and prise the fragment out.
4. Tap the thread. Used an M5 tap in the 4.2mm hole. A tap wrench is essential; fingers won’t do it.
5. Restore the gelcoat. Repair any damage to prevent cracks and osmosis.
6. Seal. Tikalflex Contact 12 on the mounting and bolts. Sikaflex 291 or 591 would also suit.
7. Fit. Secured with an M5 × 20mm marine stainless-steel A4 bolt.

Tools and materials
• Sandpaper, any grit from eighty to 240
• Angle grinder or Dremel, if needed
• HSS-Co 2mm pilot drill — €3
• HSS-Co 4.2mm drill for M5 tap — €4
• Tap wrench — €8
• M5 tap — €5
• Two M5 × 20mm A4 bolts — €1
• Two M5 A4 washers — €0.50
• Two A4 screws for the side mounting — €1
• WD-40 — already had it
• Gelcoat — already had it
• Tikalflex Contact 12 — already had it
• Drill — already had it
• Wet wipes — already had them
💰 Total: €22.50

Conclusion
A few hours and a couple of dozen euros restored the stanchion neatly and firmly, with no visible intervention. I was pleased with the repair and surprised by ChatGPT’s competent, precise help. In my experience, it can match a human craftsperson on jobs like this, sometimes faster and more accurately. Clear questions make it a useful assistant for many people and situations.

#maintenance

How one stanchion became a hull repair

A year ago, storm-bound on Bornholm, a stanchion tore out. I made a repair to suit the moment: tapped M5 threads inside old M8 steel bolts remaining in the hull, and refitted it.

This spring, torn out again. Apparently, wind on the tarpaulin had pulled it hard sideways. Time for a better repair, beyond repeating the compromise.

The plan before drilling

Enlarge old holes, remove weak surrounding material, fill with epoxy, drill through for M6 bolts, secure from inside the saloon.

A good plan until I picked up the drill.

Wet wood shavings came up the bit. A wooden backing insert beneath the stanchion, once spreading load, now waterlogged mush. Repairing the support itself, then, rather than holes.

Excavation

Screwdriver out, digging towards dry, strong material. First a cut smaller than the base. Then ten centimetres extra each side. Then ten more.

Wood only directly beneath the stanchion. Elsewhere, foam-like material, equally wet and crumbling.

I abandoned the local-repair idea and opened thirty-centimetre sections. No neat boundary where the boat became sound again. About two metres of bulwark exposed before reaching the neighbouring stanchion inserts.

Cleaned the channel as well as possible, left until next weekend to dry.

Filling again

A week later, reinforced tape over the openings below. Seal tightly: liquid epoxy finds the tiniest gap.

Mixed two-part epoxy, cotton fibres to thicken, chopped glass cloth to reduce brittleness. Packed the thick mixture firmly into the bulwark, avoiding voids and bubbles. About a litre and a half.

Structural filling, but hard to finish smooth. Next day, sanded the top and applied epoxy filler, thick as sour cream, mixed on cardboard and levelled with a filling knife.

Then sanding, primer, three paint coats, as I’d done last year. Drilled two M6 through-holes, bedded the fixings in marine sealant, refitted with proper backing inside.

Two more repairs

Two other jobs surfaced alongside it.

Broken hatch hinges, no exact replacements. Old hinges off, holes epoxy-filled, sanded, painted, new hinges fitted.

The second followed the impact in last summer’s lock. Bent stainless bow-rail mounting plate, a chip at the bow. Epoxy filler beneath the plate closed the water gap and spread the load; same filler repaired the chip.

One torn stanchion became bulwark, hatch and bow-rail repairs. Moisture round deck fixings means checking the whole area. You arrive to refit a stanchion and change the mounting design. Maintenance: one defect brings a related jobs list, delivered with wet shavings.

#maintenance