Layup schedule for winch pedestals?

Hi,

I'm plotting to install a set of winch islands, or pedestals on my 44 footer.

Currently I've got a pair of bronze winch pedestalss with a stainless plate bolted to the top to adapt a pair of lewmar 50's to fit.

I'm curious what the normal layup thickness is on boats that have fiberglass winch islands, as I wouldn't mind having a few less trip hazards and spots where a hackle in a jib sheet can get caught while tacking.

Thanks for the input,

Zach

 

We need photos of what you have or what you are trying to do. I'm amazed at how thin the Lewmar 50 mounts on my Catalina 38 are, but not so much as a spider crack since built in '83. The winches have been stepped up on wooden blocks about 2-3 inches. They are just bolted to the flat on the top of the cockpit coaming. I haven't measured the glass thickness, but 1/8 inch thick is probably pretty close.

You can use the winch bolts as design criteria for the laminate schedule of the mounting pad, but you will need to engineer the rest of the pedestal to handle the stresses. I'd probably use a capsizing sideforce force and boat lifting force vertical to design the island itself. You can also reverse engineer from the bronze, but the bronze has a lot of damage tolerance compared to glass, so change the safety factor somewhat. Have you thought about just putting a skin over the bronze stuff?

Where in NC are you?

 

I'm in Beaufort.

Good idea on the winch bolts as design criteria, they take 5/16ths hardware.

This is what I'd like to build:

 

wrong Beaufort, or you could have just gone and looked at mine.