HANDS-ON SAILOR PRACTICAL SOLUTIONS and TECHNIQUES

REBUILDING A BOWSPRIT At one point, the monster we created weighed more than 300 pounds, but we tamed it into a thing of beauty for blue water sailing.

- MARISSA NEELY

SEAMANSHIP

In 2020, our friends purchased a 1980 43-foot Hans Christian, Remedy, that had a compromised bowsprit. My husband, Chris, had reinforced it for the previous owner, but it was time to replace it entirely because it was suffering from severe termite damage and was the weakest link of the rig. Chris was asked to tackle the replacement job too, based on his reputation here in Southern California for delivering excellent results, even if it means putting projects aboard our own Cheoy Lee 41, Avocet, on the back burner.

Hans Christians are pretty easy yachts to spot; many of the designs have a substantial bowsprit, carrying the lines of the large bulwarks that make for a stout bluewater cruiser.

The rigs differ from ketch, sloop, and cutters, but they all get as much sail area as possible, utilizing the bowsprit. For example, the 33-foot Hans Christian has a relatively small footprint on deck but sports the rig and sail area of what you might see on a 40-foot yacht, to compensate for the heavy displacement.

Forty-one-year-old Remedy had never had the bowsprit removed and inspected-hence the termites, along with wood rot at the base, where water pooled easily.

There also was the issue of the Samson posts the physical stopping point for the aft end of the bowsprit) having separated from their lateral support underneath the deck. And we noted a classic case of stainless-steel crevice corrosion that had claimed all of the bowsprit hardware, which had hairline cracks, pitting, and bent tangs.