I don't think this is the answer you are looking for, but I sure can! Its
happened to me - not during towing, but tied to the dock when waves come in.
My cleats have never actually come off, but they've loosened to the point
where they would have had I not noticed. I've had rivets on the boom holding
the mainsheet block shearing off in a gale. I'm lucky I didn't lose a mast
or the mainsail when that happened. My deck used to leak like a sieve. And
all the unfinished softwood parts (storage compartment covers, insides of
shelves, bottom of chain locker, battery support, etc) are like sponges
absorbing moisture. I've corrected many of these oversights, but there are a
few more to go. I'm getting a little worried about my transom, which on my
boat is a layer of fiberglass over plywood. There is no fiberglass on the
inside - just a peeling layer of paint.
>The upgrades you talk about are expensive(are
> your backing plates stainless?) and obviously more labor intensive.
Yes, I will pick up some stainless bar stock soon and get to work with my
grinder making some backing plates for the places where I have had (or
expect to have) problems - specifically under cleats. I don't expect it to
be terribly expensive actually, just somewhat labor intensive fabricating
the plates, drilling the holes oversize (for things on the cored section of
deck), filling with epoxy, and redrilling. Adding these things at time of
manufacture would have added no additional labor cost, just a few more $ per
boat.
> I didn't realize myself how inexpensively the thing was built until I took
> delivery, but it's been relatively easy to add the backing plates etc. I
> can get my materials for free so cost really hasn't been an issue, and I
> like to think , like you , that the design can compensate for deficiencies
> in materials.
I agree - the >design< is sound - my whole beef is with the >construction<
of my particular boat.
> John Cairns WWP-19 #960
Your boat is MUCH newer than mine (#461) and I've heard IM has improved
construction since the late-HMS days when my boat was contructed (1988).