In the Details: The Rolled Stainless Lip

The pictured stanchion base (Hull #66) has a rolled lip at the top.  The lip is a nice finishing touch and is normally used in conjunction with non-permanent connections.  In this case the stanchion can be removed from the base. The rolled lip can also be found on the engine room ladder, where it attaches to the pintels, and on the shoe's rudder shaft receiver.  

Rolled lip on stanchion base

The removable center stanchion, which makes it easier to get the dinghy on and off, was incorporated around 1985. It's interesting the yard chose to use the lip on the permanently installed stanchions too.   Pictured below (also from Hull #66)  is a base which has been welded to the stanchion.  Perhaps the advantage of using a standard stanchion base exceeded the cost of the welding.  Also, the larger the stanchion's base, the stronger the stanchion.

A lip welded to the mating piece

Here are two pictures where the rolled lip was used on the shoe's rudder shaft receiver.

The rolled lip on the shoe's rudder shaft receiver

The rudder shaft supported by the show

Tommy Chen told me the lips were formed at his yard.  There was no machine, it was all manually done.  While Tommy couldn't remember the exact details he suspects there was a die and a lot of pounding involved.  He said he did try to farm-out the work but even three years of boat production didn't produce enough quantity to interest any machine shops. 

Thanks go to John Niccolls, Knock Off #66, and Tommy Chen who helped me understand how the lips were formed.