Flimsiness in Bowpulpit

[HJ51]

The pulpit on my CP27 feels extremely flimsy to me and I was curious if that was how it was designed or if some modification has inadvertently weakened it. 

I previously owned a CP23 and the pulpit was very solid.  Did not wiggle at all as I recall.  On my 27 there is so much flexibility that I would not trust it enough to let anyone pull themselves on board with it.  Seems like you should be able to hang from it, but curious what other CP27 owners say about the feel of theirs. 

I have had the pulpit off to refinish the bowsprit, so cannot rule out missing something when I reinstalled it.  But all bolts and attachments appear to be in, and it's hard to imagine where any other major structural piece or support would even go. 

Thanks in advance.

[Reighnman]

Not to be smart but is your mast up and tensioned? Could be wrong, usually am, on the 25 which has the same sprit as 27, the front stay seems to shoulder the downward force and the bottom wire connected to the hull helps control upward forces. I've never attempted to board the boat via the sprit, as the ladder on the stern is much easier:)

[HJ51]

Ha, yes mast is up!  And the forestay and bobstay have good tension on them. 

As far as weight, I've got teenage boys and they will climb over anything anywhere if it's the shortest distance between two points!  But mainly I was just making the point that on the 23 you definitely COULD climb on it, and on the 27 not so much. 

I do feel like it's a potential safety issue, though, for someone standing forward or on the bowsprit if they went overboard and tried to grab the pulpit and it wasn't strong enough to hold them.

[Reighnman]

I'm heading to boat next weekend and will grab hold of it from the bottom and give you a report but I'm sure more knowledgeable 27 owners will respond sooner. Yes, kids are like monkeys and will scale anything and everything!

[wes]

Mine is solid as a rock; you could hang a Volkswagen from it. Something must be amiss with yours.
Assume you torqued down the big bolts that hold the bowsprit to the deck? Those are responsible for a lot of the structural strength.

Wes

[deisher6]

Hey HJ51:
The bowsprit and bow pulpit are separate issues. 

The bow pulpit does not do well with a hit or two from docking at least on '86 C-27.  It would be nice if it were attached with backing plates, to the deck and extended aft another foot or so.  I would guess that the pulpit on any older well used C-27 will eventually need attention.  (Jim of Windrunner?)

If your bowsprit is loose you have serious rigging problems.

regards charlie

[HJ51]

Thanks everyone for their input.

Charlie, just to clarify, the bowsprit is rock solid, it is the pulpit that I'm asking about.  The only reason the sprit came up (by me anyway) is I wanted to acknowledge that I had it off at one point (and therefore the pulpit off as well) to refinish the bowsprit.  I'm probably not the first one to have it off, for that matter.

Reighnman mentioned the standing rigging.  While I admit that my forestay could probably be tightened a little, the bobstay has good tension and I just have a hard time believing that fine tuning any of those things could substantially change how the bowpulpit feels since those stays do not directly touch the pulpit (only the bowsprit). 

For anyone still reading, the problem is not that the pulpit is loose at the attachment points or that the bolts need tightening.  The problem is that the entire structure flexes a LOT when you lean or pull on it.  There are only four attachment points (two at the bowsprit and two on the deck) which makes me think that the flimsy feel is just a byproduct of the design, because it's so tall without additional support, but if other CP27 owners report that their pulpit does not give at all then I don't know what the explanation is. 

The lifelines do connect to the top aft corners of the pulpit but they are not supposed to give structural support I assume.  Are they?

Here's a link to a picture.  Sorry I don't have a better one, I'm not with the boat.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/MSdkeTGCmYNCgJzp6

[slode]

No experience with a CP27, but the pulpit on my Eclipse is not what I would call solid.  It easily flexes a couple inches overall at the points where the lifelines would attach when pushed in or out with any force.  It doesn't show any signs that it would bend or break if pushed much further so I've never felt unsafe using it as a hand hold when forward.  The further forward you grab the more stout it feels.  It is pretty solid at the bow where the two forward legs extend down to the deck.  You could hang your full body weight in that area without it moving.

[Reighnman]

Did it feel that way before you removed it?  Next time you're at the boat maybe take a short video and shoot that over to Hutchins? Matt has always been helpful to me. 

[deisher6]

Hey HJ51:
I understand your concerns about the bow pulpit on your C-27.  I used hank on's and was also very concerned about the pulpit when furling and or changing jib(s) in brisk weather.  On our well used "86 the aft mounting points were not very secure and I do not think that the pulpit would have supported me.

I considered fabricating one that extended 1.5 feet further aft with another set of attachment points...and moving all the attachment points inboard to the deck where larger backing plates could be utilized. 

It is one of those things that I did not get around to.

I see that you have a later model (with 4 ports a side) C-27.  I am not sure where aft pulpit attachments points are located.  On '86's they are located on the ridge that runs around the edge of the deck.  That location is hard to service and support.  Like I said a couple of hard docking take their toll.

I woud lb interested in how you resolve the problem.

regards
charlie

[jimhuber2]

Charlie- When I was out on Windrunner this past weekend, I did look at the pulpit. I would not want to try and climb on it either. I have switched to a roller furler so I don't go up there as often as you did, but will periodically check it! Hopefully I won't run into anything with it :-) It really is a poor design!

How's the New Windrunner? Happy sailing!!    Jim

[Reighnman]

Went to boat today and played on the pulpit. Would I want two teenage boys throwing themselves on it? No way but I did pull myself up from the middle and top bar with no major flexing. 

[Finbar Beagle]

Ryan,

I think you may have less body ballast than the majority of the rest of us.