Some boats, including this one have chain plate covers that attach directly to the deck, as the slots for the chain plates are cut through the deck at the attachment points.
Mold Making for Raised Chain Plate Cover – Step 1
When it rains, or lots of sea water comes over the decks, this is an area for leakage down the chain plates which escalates the problem of corrosion in this area. The stanchion bases are mounted on molded steps above deck level, So why not have raised pads for the chain plate covers too? Sounds easy enough.
First we need to make a plug from which the mold is made. The plug is a wooden model of the actual part to be molded. The polished cover will mount to the top of the finished part, raising it about 3/4″ off the deck. Here the wood plug is mounted to a parting board, ready for the next step, filling and fairing with thickened epoxy. Fairing could be done with Bondo just as well, but I chose to use epoxy. The next photo shows the cured and sanded plug. Notice the small radius fillet at the base of the plug. I plan on cutting the molded part bigger than the base of the plug and routing out the deck to accommodate the molded part.
Mold Making for Raised Chain Plate Cover Step 2
Now the plug is ready for polishing and wax. Then pigmented and thickened epoxy will be brushed on. After that first coat hardens, layers of fibreglass will be layered on to make the female mold. This is a very simple mold and will only take a few minutes a day for a couple days to make. Can you visualize what the finished part will look like?