What part of the boat is this?

[lazersnake]

Hello All,

I recently picked up a 1978 Tri hull in great shape but I don't have any idea what these two parts are on the inside of the bow. There is one on either side facing inward. They are riveted on. I thought they were to hold some kind of reflector but that doesn't make sense since they are inside and below line of sight.

Any ideas?

Thx,

Jack

 

[BaileysBoat]

Re: What part of the boat is this?

They hold the bows that support the mooring cover

 

[lazersnake]

Re: What part of the boat is this?

I have the white vinyl cover for the bow. Is that what a mooring cover is?

Where would one find something like that?

 

[marlboro180]

Re: What part of the boat is this?

They hold a flat fiberglass support, about a quarter inch thick, that supports the cover , be it a mooring cover or storage cover.

The fiberglass batt is flex- fit in between those mounting brackets, and it forms a convex bow upward, thereby supporting the cover , and creating a nice dome shaped drainage plane so the rain runs off the cover without creating a big heavy puddle in the canvas.

 

[likalar]

Re: What part of the boat is this?

Bailey is right. The reason you need to support the bow cover is to allow rainwater to run off. Without the batten (or bow cover support), the cover would sag and allow a puddle of water to accumulate and stretch the vinyl.
With trial and error, you'll need to replace the missing batten with a new one of the correct size and length. When cut the right length and installed correctly it will bow upwards and hold up the vinyl cover.

The sockets are probably the same size as the ones on this site. You can get the dimensions here so you'll know what size strip of batten to build/buy. Flexible wood, aluminum, or composite material will work.


http://www.iboats.com/Seachoice-Boa...858478201--**********.520150035--view_id.4740

Larrya

 

[Frank Acampora]

Re: What part of the boat is this?

But if you are in a snow state, the bows will not support heavy snow loads! The weight of the snow will push out the gunwales and they will snap downward, letting the boat fill with snow.

 

[Philster]

Re: What part of the boat is this?

Not intended for long-term storage or winter lay-up.

 

[roscoe]

Re: What part of the boat is this?

They are called "slat sockets.


you can get an adjustable wood bow to put in them, like this:

Or a fixed length fiberglass bow, either 6' or 8' in length, like this: