Well, it fits. Rosie came up to see his beautiful creation and help me mount it. We mounted the bowsprit, and tied a line to the cranse iron to get the final angle of the chainplates just right. I was concerned when I first got the chainplates, and held them up to the boat that the angles were off and the curve of the hull would be an issue. But in fact they fit perfectly. Torquing them down with the bolts snugs everything up just right. I ordered 2″ bolts. The forward ones are too long, and hit each other on the inside.

It’ll be a tight fit up there and I’ll have to fenagle the washers and nuts in there when I get a shorter bolt.  Once in place, we both agreed that the plates could have been a few inches longer and the bolts spaced out further, but it looks beefy enough as is. I’m thrilled, I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. I’m nearly down to cosmetics… well almost.

Rosie also helped me suss out my non-charging alternator woes. We determined it is a faulty Next Step regulator. I am sending it in for repairs. My raw water pump is still leaking after a new impeller and gasket. Looks like I’ll need to replace the rear seal and do a full rebuild. I might order a new pump, as the one  I have is the old style… but I still need to weigh the costs of rebuilding the old style vs. buying a new. Ideally I’d have two pumps, with one always being ready to swap out in case of an emergency.