Deck-only chainplates

[Brion Toss]

Hello,
Let's just say that it is an increasingly uncommon configuration, because over the years there has been so very much trouble with it. It was one of those Brilliant Ideas that people come up with, for why bother anchoring to the hull when all these calculations here say the deck will do just fine?
Trouble is, the calculations left out variables like time, shock loads, construction quality, and other real world details. The result is that such decks frequently end up camel-backed, with associated problems of decks cracking (there goes the core), hull-deck joint problems, distorted interior joinery, throughdeck leaks, and of course difficulty getting and maintaining a tune.
Sound bad? It is, which is why many boats have been retrofitted to take the load to, of all places, the hull. This is something you could do yourself, affixing a tie-rod to each chainplate, for instance. But first, sight the deck to see if it flat now. Check for cracks, and if you find any, assume core damage until it is proven otherwise. Oh, and if all looks good, it were safer to assume the boat simply hasn't been used much than to think all is actually well.
Fair leads,
Brion Toss