Bow Sprits

Wooden Bowsprits: On the W28 and W32 the bowsprits were made from laminated strips of fir or mahogany, with 3 to 5 vertical laminations, and glued with resorcinol or brown powder glue. After this many years, the glue usually breaks down, and the boards separate slightly, allowing rainwater to get inside, and usually permitting dry rot to get started and leads to delamination. A sharp pocket knife pushed in around any openings and all fittings should disclose and soft wood in the bowsprit. Another potential problem spot is where the eyeband is attached to the end of the bowsprit. Water gets in behind the fitting, and rot starts. If you have not done so previously, the eyeband should be removed and the wood under it checked for condition. Remove the four screws, and tap on the ears to rotate and free up the eyeband. The staysail eyebolt should be removed and checked for soundness and rot around the hole. Also check around the anchor roller plates on the sides of the bowsprit. If the wood is still sound, with no signs of dry rot, then scrape off all of the varnish or paint from the top and bottom, and the ends. Seal the wood with at least two coats of saturating epoxy resin, such as "West System" epoxy, or "Git Rot" penetrating epoxy, including all of the holes for mounting the rollers and platform. If there are still some open seams in the wood, add some filler to the epoxy to make a paste, and force this mixture into the seams to seal them. Reinstall the eyeband and staysail eyebolt with a good grade of marine caulking, then varnish or paint over the resin. If you have to replace the bowsprit, we would suggest making it out of one piece of fir, or at most two pieces, with just one vertical seam. Use epoxy resin to glue the joint, and seal the wood and all holes with two coats of saturating epoxy resin before varnishing or painting. As a replacement for the wooden bowsprit for a Westsail 28 or 32, we have available a bowsprit made from stainless steel box section tubing, with tubes welded in place for the attachment bolts to fit through. This bowsprit is made from tubing that is 4" square, with a .120" wall, with end plates welded on, and the eyeband welded to the end. Since it is a direct replacement for the wooden bowsprit, you can use your existing platform, anchor rollers, staysail pedestal, and staysail eyebolt. Stainless steel sampson posts can also be welded onto the bowsprit, and do not need to go through the deck.

Stainless Steel Box Bowsprit:

As a replacement for the wooden bowsprit for a Westsail 28 or 32, we have a bowsprit available made from stainless steel box section tubing, with tubes welded in place for the attachment bolts to fit through. This bowsprit is made from tubing that is 4" square, with a .120" wall, with end plates welded on, and the eyeband welded to the end. The bowsprit is electropolished after fabrication. Since it is a direct replacement for the wooden bowsprit, you can use your existing platform, anchor rollers, staysail pedestal, and staysail eyebolt. Below is a drawing of the Westsail 28 or 32 bowsprit, with the locations of the bolts per the original specifications from Westsail. Since most of the boats have slightly different locations of the mounting bolts, use the drawing and measure all of the marked locations from your boat. Note the differences and changes on the drawing. All dimensions are taken from the aft side of the eyeband. If you have any other parts attached to the bowsprit, note their location, and size of the mounting bolts, and we will have tubes welded in place, or a reinforcement plate welded on that you can drill or tap to bolt on the fitting. Tubes are welded through the bowsprit for all of the bolts. We use 5/8" ID tubing for all of the 1/2" bolts, to allow for a little leeway in the installation, but you might have to ream out some of the holes in the wood to make the final fit. Some of the W28's used 3/8" threaded rods to attach the platform, and we have increased these to 1/2" for rigidity. Since anchor windlasses are different on most boats, we usually weld plates onto the bowsprit to fit the windlass. On some the left side bolts are in the bowsprit, but we can tap the plates for the bolts. The right side bolts are handled with holes through the plates that take a nut. You will need accurate measurements of the location of the mounting holes for the windlass, and where it is located on the bowsprit. We can also weld on stainless sampson to the bowsprit that do not go through the deck. Remove the eyeband from your existing bowsprit, send it to me, and we will use it in making up this new bowsprit. As an alternative, we can weld a tube on the end of the bowsprit, and you can slip your eyeband over it. For the W28, we will also need the metal cap from the base of the bowsprit. We can also make up a stainless angled box base to replace the wooden riser piece under the bowsprit. New mounting bolts and 1/2" threaded rod for the platform, and nuts and washers are supplied with the new bowsprit. The long mounting bolts will be hex head stainless steel instead of the original bronze carriage bolts used on the wooden bowsprit. The threaded rod for the pedestal was 3/4" on most boats, and can be reused if it is not bent, or if you need a new piece, let me know the length. If you do not have a pedestal, or have a design different from the 3/4" threaded rod, let me know. Because of the length of the bowsprit, shipping will have to be by truck.

Available parts:

• • Stainless box bowsprit with bolts, threaded rod, washers, nuts
• • Pipe on end of bowsprit if you do not send me your eyeband to weld on
• • Angled box base if you do not want to use your wooden riser pieces
• • Stainless steel sampson posts welded onto bowsprit
• • ½” x 6” SS staysail eyebolt with washer and nut
• • Bowsprit stemfitting with reinforcing brace

Stainless steel Box Bow Sprit Installation:

When installing the box bowsprit, set it in place on top of the riser board and temporarily put a bolt through the sampson posts and loosely install the staysail eyebolt. If they line up, then tie a string line from the end of the bowsprit to the mast. This string should go down the center of the bowsprit. You might want to attach the whisker stays to line up the bowsprit. Align the riser board, you will probably have to put a ½” drill bit down the three holes in the bowsprit, riser board and deck to make sure they line up. Install these three bolts first, and then the sampson post bolt, and the staysail eyebolt. Attach the headstay and bobstay, and tighten all four turnbuckles. Install the anchor rollers, and then install the platform and bow pulpit. Cut the threaded rod to the necessary lengths so the ends of the rods do not extend beyond the sides of the platform. You can then install a windlass to the plates welded to the bowsprit.

Stainless Steel Pipe Bow Sprit Installation:

Another option is the stainless steel pipe bowsprit. The wooden bowsprit and sampson posts can be removed completely, and a teak or plastic board installed over the holes. Alternatively, the wooden bowsprit can be cut off just ahead of the sampson posts, or in front of the anchor windlass if one is mounted on top of the bowsprit. The stemplate should be removed from the bow, and the new one fitted. Install the new forestay chainplate on the stem. The holes should line up with the stemplate that was removed. If they do not, then you have one of the Westsails built using a different stemplate than most of the boats. Either redrill the holes in the hull, or send the stemplate back marked with masking tape and ink lines for your hole location, and I will have a special one made up. Caulk and install in place. The platform boards should be removed if they have already been fitted, and the bowsprit fitted up into place with the end sockets and hull plates on loosely. It can be tied and adjusted with three halyards; one on the forward end and one on each side of the pulpit at the lifeline attachment loops. Pull the aft end up so the hull plates, with the ears up, are hard up against the rubrail, with the bowsprit at the proper rake. You must visually check the rake to see it is correct. Make sure the bowsprit is level athwartship, or trim the underside of the rubrails if necessary, then drill the four 3/8" holes on each side. Caulk the hull plates, and bolt in place with 3/8" x 1-1/2" carriage bolts with backup washers on the inside. Lube the threads on the 5/8” bolts to prevent galling, and attach the locking nuts. Attach the headstay, using the chainplate extender on the turnbuckle, and the bobstay. Attach the forestay, using the chainplate extender. Re-adjust the bowsprit rake as necessary. Use wood or plastic blocks to build up, and trim as necessary, to go between the welded plates and the bow on each side. Drill, caulk and thru bolt with long 3/8" carriage bolts, with backup washers inside. Drill thru the aft ends of the bowsprit tubes with a 1/4" drill for the locking bolts, and install a 1/4" bolt with locknut on each side. Set the platform boards in place, and trim the aft ends to clear the hull. Before bolting down, check to see that your anchor clears in the slot ahead of the roller, and if it does not, cut the opening larger. Oil the cut edges, and bolt in place using the oval head bolts and locknuts. Install self-tapping screws on any tapered boards on each side if necessary to secure any pointed ends. Sand any sharp edges of the teak platform, then re-oil.

Email or call for an exact quote - randy@westsailparts.com 415 254 7296

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