Stanchion Refresh

One the problems I had with the stanchions on Great Ketch was how they were originally made - the lower hole in the stanchion was merely drilled through, rough edges and no filler. The rough edges were perfect for cutting into the life line coating, and a hole without any filler meant that water would enter the stanchion through the hole and drip down toward the inside based of the stanchion.

The lower hole was that it appeared to be drilled without any centering tool, which meant the hole was not circular nor centered.

While thinking about adding a port and starboard gate I located a marine shop that would fill the lower holes and bevel them and  polish the stanchions. Moreover, compared with the big projects they take on, they also treated me like a big time customer, and the price for the service was perfect.

< - - One may note the condition of the stanchion on the left of the screen - before a refresh. Rust, and awful hole with a dull look made the stanchion look worn out.

The web address of the company is www.whitewatermarineinc.com and my contact was Mike.  I sent two stanchions to them to work on and anticipated their return for my evaluation. I was very impressed; the lower hole was beveled and filled to match the upper hole and the polished job they did made the stanchion look brand new. I fitted the two returned stanchions back on my boat and sent two more stanchions. The folks at whitewatermarineinc are pros.

< - - The stanchion on the left displays a shine and the lower hole matches the upper hole. The synthetic lifeline has a protective tube to help mitigate against abrasion. I decided to replace the rusty worn stainless steel coated lifelines with Dyneema. The shine on the stanchion is very reflective. It is these little things that add up to make a boat really "pop."

A fantastic job by Mike.



-- - > the lower hole is beveled smooth and no longer cuts into the lifeline. Instead of the rusty vinyl coated stainless steel lifeline I now can use synthetic line.

The reader may be wondering why I had not sent in all the stanchions: I was using the stanchions as a structural support for my winter frame during the winter. I was afforded to only having two stanchions removed at a time in order to keep the integrity of by winter boat frame in place without risk.

Although I have not yet added the stanchion gate, as a result of my time spent on gel coat work, I still have the plan to add the gates in mind.

I highly recommend contacting Mike for anyone looking for quality work in fabrication and repair of marine metal work.