I'm in Boise as well, do you sail at Lucky Peak? I've stopped in and talked with the folks at Ruddercraft, very nice knowledgable people.
Forestay troubles - New 23.5 owner
- Thread starter stackwalker
- Start date
I am sure Crazy Dave has, or will, educate you on mast raising and lowering. My only contribution is that it is very important (I know from one experience that was not too happy) to ensure the mast does not sway sideways. I am not sure if this can be done properly on the water, at least, not without some hefty helpers to support it sideways. I don't know the Hunter-supplied baby stay systems, as the 23 did not come with one (I rigged my own Rube Goldberg device), but I think it would always be helpful and safer to have people (even one) help support it "manually." I don't mean pull it up - the block and tackle should do that fine; I just mean hold it (particularly at about its 45 deg point) so it doesn't sway and snap that foot casting. I can't rely on my homemade baby stays - they are more of a safety thing; I use people to help center it.
Hey ST, I measured my bridles (baby stays) by connecting the hook end around a rod and pulling tight, and then pulled a tape measure from the same rod. I came up with 56" to the bottom of the jam nut on both. Here's a few pics.
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Hey Dave, hope your feeling better... The mast raising system works perfectly (it must, right? Or there wouldn't be any boats left!). But the mast isn't light and I did have to shoulder it up about half way, while Marsha-Marsha-Marsha hauled the sheet and relocked after each heave.
The only issue we had was that the main sheet. With the tackle fully extended like that, the sheet was a too short to get a firm grip on. So I rigged a short (24"?) ratchet strap between the main sheet and the padeye in the anchor locker to provide about 36" of extra main sheet. But note - I did not use the ratchet strap hooks! I was worried they might twist and unhook. Instead, I went the h/w store and picked up two 1250lb Quick Links. These have the sliding hex nut that grab threads on the opposite side of the opening. I'll have to remember this trick when the mast is lowered. I'm thinking that maybe I should replace the steel cable in the gin pole, so I won't need the ratchet strap...
Thanks GGordon. I'll be heading over to the boat tomorrow to remove the lower shrouds so I'll take a look at where I've got mine. In trying to adjust the shroud tension, I've discovered that pretty much all of the threaded ends of my shrouds are bent. The lowers are the worst so I'm going to remove those and bring them into a local guy who said he can make new ones to match for me. I'm guessing all the shroud troubles are from when the mast dropped on me in the parking lot at the boat launch. Mast is still straight, thank you lucky stars, but there's definitely been some fallout.
I noticed that my gin pole seems to be too short. When I hoist the mast, the gin pole comes out of the hole in the mast. Normal or is this gin pole a replacement that wasn't measured properly?
I noticed that my gin pole seems to be too short. When I hoist the mast, the gin pole comes out of the hole in the mast. Normal or is this gin pole a replacement that wasn't measured properly?
My first outing was at Lucky Peak. We had a lot of troubles getting the rig up in the parking lot. We motored around for a couple hours, but after bending the t-bolts on the lower shrouds I decided to leave the sails down. I didn't care for Lucky Peak... there was just too much chaos. I'm used to Lake Michigan, tiller pilots and LOTS of room to sail. I have some adjusting to do
couple of things to mention about the bridle wires or mast stabilizer wires. First, they will be a little loose when up but will tighten when going down. I may be wrong or it is vice versa as old age is getting me. whatever it is, the bridle wires need to be able to be put on or off when in the tension side of this. One thing to remember when placing the pelican hooks on, the open end need to be facing toward the back or aft. The other way can become entangled. Ok guys please make sure when the tension is there mast up or mast down.
I sent stackwalker my information but no response from him as I will be glad to help him with the mast raising. I do have an apple I phone and can do facetime when instructing.
I sent stackwalker my information but no response from him as I will be glad to help him with the mast raising. I do have an apple I phone and can do facetime when instructing.
Hey ST, the lower bolts (Jaw Toggles) are available on this website at the SBO Parts store (http://shop.hunterowners.com/hp/part.php?m=23.5&c=6&p=54666). I took the advice of another owner (ugh, can't credit who - apologies) and ordered two spares. Other owners advise to not sail with bent bolts, and never bend them back. I imagine they can work-harden and break. The parts folks are amazing, you'll get an email notification with a note from a real person with notification about any delays.
My gin pole is 78" from the very bottom tip to the top of the tube body (not including the cap). No drawings in the manual for this, so here's a couple pics. Actually, my only rebuke of the boat is the manual. It's a joke. The steps were written well enough, but Hunter needed to provide a few more illustrations, or even just some photos, especially since this was a starter boat. We've had cameras for most of the 20th century. And no page numbers - what up with that? Attention to the owners manual is dictated by the culture of the company, and that comes from the top. I'm not certain, but I'll bet the MacGregor family understood this. Good luck!
Edit: pole is 1" outside diameter
Also, make sure you do not begin with the gin pole angled forward when raising. Read step 10 of the procedure. One of the few illustrations in the manual (H23-A-2615) is quite poor and dangerously deceiving. A quick glance can make you believe the gin pole is angled forward, I think because you can't quite tell which pole goes with which mast. Or maybe it was just me...
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I received a message from the stalkwalker and will be working with him via cell phone hopefully in the near future to assist him. Ggordonliddy, roger on that 78 inches.
Hey - thanks Dave, I know ST appreciates it.
We just got walloped with storms up here. Widespread power outages, went right over the lake - hate to be away from the boat at times like this. Then again, don't want to be near the boat at times like this either...
We just got walloped with storms up here. Widespread power outages, went right over the lake - hate to be away from the boat at times like this. Then again, don't want to be near the boat at times like this either...