Sven wrote:

The stanchions on our new(old) boat are rock solid. The prior owners
must have known what they were doing and not hung fenders from the
lifelines or used the lifelines as seats or backrests !

hmmm... I tend to think that I know what I'm doing, and often hang fenders
from lifelines or use the lifelines as a backrest. Using it as a seat sounds
very uncomfortable.

If your lifelines and stanchions are not strong enough to hold up a fender,
or to be leaned against, then how are they going to be strong enough to keep
you on the boat when you really need them?



Since the deck is sloped the stanchions tilt out about 15 degrees from
vertical. The tilt actually is more functional than vertical stanchions
would be as it keeps the stanchions from intruding on the deck workspace
when under sail, at a heel.

15 degrees? Are you sure? That's a lot of angle. Many boats have the
lifeline stanchions angled outboard somewhat but the most I've seen is like
5 degrees max.



The question is if I should try to use a pipe bender to put an elbow in
the stanchions, just above the base, to make them stand up straight.

No. You definitely should not do this.

For one thing, you will stress the heck out of the stanchion bases. For
another, you will weaken the stanchion at the bend. For a third, if the
outboard angle is so practical, why do you want to change it?

Fresh Breezes- Doug King