Looking for a port aft fairlead for my Nauticat 33 Mk2 1978

[39Schuss]

Hi,

I would like to add a fairlead as similar as possible to the existing one installed right at the stern, as per photo. I wonder if anyone can point me to where I could find one.

The following is the most similar to it I can find, but it is straight and not handed (not sure how important that is): https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/173613852197?hash=item286c312625:g:McYAAOSw1Exb1yK~

The trouble is finding a fairlead that would sit into the toe rail as the existing ones, which would add lateral retaining strength to the fairlead, and that would have more than the usual two or three screw holes.

Also, the existing ones seem to be anodised alluminium. What type of metal should be used for the screws retaining the fairlead so as to avoid corrosion problems?

Marco

Attachments:

1. 

   Fairlead-port-aft-scaled.jpg
   

[Bob Gosling]

Hello Marco

At the time Nauticat ceased trading I was searching for extra fairleads for my 2000 331. I emailed the company and received a reply from Teppo Siltala (teppo.siltala@nautikulma.fi) asking how many I wanted and what size. My toe rail is 65mm wide so I replied that I would like four and was quoted €50 each plus freight charges and I agreed to that. I never heard from him again in spite of sending a couple of reminders.
I’ve never been able to find any other product that’s suitable.

If you have more luck than me I’d be grateful if you’d let me know.

Regards

Bob Gosling

[39Schuss]

Hi Bob,

Thank you: indeed, I thought it would be difficult to find an exact match.

For now I will be taking the fairlead which is right at the stern on the starboard side (and which is seldom used since there is another cleat on the starboard stern right were I would like it to be on port, as in photo ‘Fairleads starboard stern’) and put it on port (‘Fairlead port stern’). Even if it is handed, I do not see a problem as ultimately a mooring line will have to go back to the stern posts, hence the shape of the cleat actually helps keeping the line into the cleat.

At some point I will put a new fairlead back on the starboard stern that looks as much as possible as the original one. I think the one in the link above could to the job.

Regards,
Marco

Attachments:

1. 

   Fairleads-starboard-stern-scaled.jpg
   

2. 

   Fairlead-port-stern-scaled.jpg
   

[Simon Williams]

Marco,

I did manage to get additional fairleads for my 1979 NC33 Mk2 from Sitala about 2 years before they ceased trading. There were no brand marks on them and they didn’t divulge who the OEM was, but I recall finding some of a similar design on a Danish website. I have refitted the toe-rails forward and aft on my boat using iroko as the inner core and teak as the outer facing in both cases. I discovered the inner core of the forward toe rails was made of pitch pine that in many sections had begun to rot away and I was faced with no real choice but to repair by replacement. It is a labour of love, and of course I ended up removing, repositioning and refitting all the fairleads. Looking at your images I think you still have the original deck, the toe rails are laid directly onto the teak planks and some of the screws from these and the fairleads are likely to have gone through the caulking, but this doesn’t cause any issues unless as happened with my boat I discovered someone in her 40 year history had drilled all the way through the deck and the screws were no longer watertight. When I removed sections of the after deck under the toe-rail from my boat I found them to be sound even if they can be very wet; once dry the timber was still good. The fairleads are actually very easy to remove and site elsewhere; the toe-rail is simply cut down to the level of the deck to accommodate the fairlead. The only issue you may encounter is that your toe-rails have been over sanded in the intervening years and fairlead may need some timber shims added under the arms. I cut the toe-rail using a gentleman’s hand saw; a large flat ended screwdriver will be needed to gently lever it up and break the bond of the sealant used to bond it to the deck. The section you remove will probably fit into the gap left when you remove the fairlead on the other side and a couple screws and some judicious caulking will make a good enough repair to make it good. I have not found any issues with left or right handedness and I have moved/ re-sited 12 in total, my only advice is that the original design secures the fairlead to the toe-rail and through to the sub-deck, this gives it immense strength, which is probably why Sitala used them to hold these 10 ton boats in a blow. The longer screws in the “arms” also secure the toe-rail to the sub-deck at the end of what will be a cut section if you have to go with a different design it will be worth securing the ends of the timber with 50mm screws recessed and plugged as the guard rail stanchions effectively lever against the toe-rail. The stanchions are actually only secured with 25mm screws, but they are clearly strong enough as they have stood the test of time.
Simon

[39Schuss]

Thank you Simon for the top tips. Just started working on this and your notes are spot on!
M

[Nicholas Muir]

I am also looking for a starboard aft fairlead for a Mk2 1990 NC33, I understand that all models were fitted with the same fairleads. Has anyone found a supplier or can supply one fairlead to replace the one that I lost overboard when it ripped out. Thanks

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