Has anyone cut a gap in closed fairleads?

[suem]

We recently bought a SO 42DS (2006/7), which has closed fairleads. These are a bit of a nuisance here in the Med, where most ports/marinas have lazy lines. Often it is a bit of a squeeze getting the thick rope and any knots through the fairlead.

We were wondering if we could cut a small section out of the top (and polish the cut ends), or if this would severely impact the strength of the fairlead. Has anyone done this? Has it proved OK? 

Or should we have the closed fairleads replaced with 'proper' open fairleads? We haven't yet looked to see if the bolts are accessible or how big a job it would be, but on the face of it cutting the existing fairleads seems a much easier option.

Thank you in advance for any thoughts.

SueM

[MalcolmP]

Can't find any photos, but know this has been done before. Jeanneau had quite a bit of criticism for the closed design and changed them in 2008 for the open design. They are the same structure, so would not worry about introducing a weakness. If it was me, I would go ahead and cut and polish in situ.

[zaphod]

I know someone cut theirs and posted pics. I thought it was on these forums, probably within the last 3 years.

[loredo]

I did not post pics but I did cut 8 of them as soon as I got the SO 49.

Having them cut and ten years later, no problems to report.

 

[suem]

Thanks .... that's very reassuring to hear. We'll get the angle grinder out!

How big a gap did you cut, please, loredo? I seem to remember someone saying 1 inch/2.5cm. Does that sound about right?

SueM

[Tafika II]

I have a 2008 SO42DS. I'll be down to the boat today and will take some measurements and pictures of the open version that came with our boat. The process should be easy and structurally, I can't see a difference.

approximately 1" so the 26mm should be right

[MalcolmP]

The gap is 26mm on our 2008 39i

[Charlie-Bravo]

Tip of the day, if you will use the angle grinder, being easier than a saw, the slitting disc less than one mm thick is the weapon, but cut a few candles with it first....  the wax helps stop the disc clogging with lumps of ali, this also works with linishing ( sander ) belts and discs when sculpting the cut, making the finish much easier to achieve.

Enjoy the open fairlead

CB

[Syrah]

Yes. We had gaps cut in our 2007 42ds to match what became standard from 2008 on. We have had no problems with them.

[neworca1]

Thanks to all for this thread. The closed fairleads was one of my few things we didn't like about our 2004 49DS we bought recently, so it is great to see that cutting the existing fairlead chocks can turn out so nicely. And thanks for the tips on waxing the angle grinder. I am considering making the cuts at an angle away from the nearest cleat to discourage the line from jumping out--I think later Jeanneau open fairleads are this way. 

[suem]

Thanks everyone for their helpful comments re the size of the gap and Tafika II for the photo. Also the 'tip of the day' from Charlie-Bravo! It's amazing what you can learn on this forum!

SueM

[kev]

I would have sworn that the closed type fairleads on my 2007 36i of this type were stainless steel rather than aluminium as they're highly polished?

I know of other boats local to me that have "made the cut", so it can be done without problems. Later boats were fitted with cut  fairleads from new which I believe are dimensionally the same, and don't have issues. I can see why it might be good to do this, but personally I love the closed version and have never had a problem.

If yours are stainless, I would caution to protect the deck and windows from sparks as the red hot filings will melt their way into the GRP (I've seen this even in glass windows!). You will sweep up the filings and much later will find tiny brown marks where the  invisible ones embedded in the deck start to rust.

[suem]

Thanks for the tip, Kev. We'll make sure we protect the deck and windows.

We sail in the Med, where ports and marinas typically have lazy lines. Some of these lines are pretty chunky and/or there may be a knot in the rope just where it needs to come through the fairlead. Not always, but often enough to make us think about solutions.

SueM

[claret]

SueM. Have you now cut your closed fairleads? How big/tricky is the job and did you do it yourself? We had a second viewing on a boat which we would like to buy but just noticed the closed fairleads which we’ve never come across and think will struggle with in the med. it put us off and there’s not much info online about it until we saw your post and it looks like it’s something we can change. The advice in this thread is fantastic but wondered if you had anything to add if you’ve just done it.

[MalcolmP]

Just a quick update on this old thread. Coincidentally in the marina each side of us were two other Jeanneau's one with the original closed type from 2006, next a modified one, that has been cut, finally the 2008 factory version (as on Serica). Might be useful for others.