Mast head fly mounting

Ned Ludd

Ned Ludd

.
Apr 4, 2016
201
Newport 28 Richardson Marina
I got tired of the Davis plastic masthead fly's and just got a SeaLux solid SS unit for only a few bucks more. I have 2 mounting options: drill and tap the masthead fitting to accept the 5/16" threads of the support shaft or fabricate an aluminum angle piece and use the sheave pins for mounting the aluminum angle then mounting the fly to that.
I am liking option 1 for the simplicity factor but enter the pucker zone when thinking about drilling and tapping a permanent hole in a 40 year old casting.
This is a boat that spends 6 months in the water and 6 months on the hard with the mast down.
Actual experiences with pros and cons would be appreciated.
 
uncledom

uncledom

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Jun 11, 2011
1,243
Hunter 41 Lewes
should be very easy to drill and tap that hole with the mast down. Is it cast aluminum?
 
J

JCall

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May 3, 2016
66
Macgregor 26D Ceasars Creek
When drilling speed is important, aluminum should be drilled at high speed, 2,000 RPM. Check the speed of your drill. Most are slow so drill at full speed. When tapping and drilling always use the proper lubricant!
 
DougM

DougM

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Jul 24, 2005
2,242
Beneteau 323 Manistee, MI
I would not be concerned abour drilling the casting, although I wonder about the thickness at the location you plan on drilling. can you get enough thread depth?
Alternativell, you could rivet an angle bracket to the side of the mast and attach to that
 
D

dlochner

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Jan 11, 2014
12,411
Sabre 362 113 Fair Haven, NY
What else is at the top of the mast? If you have VHF Antenna, the masthead fly needs to be offset to accommodate the antenna.
 
Ned Ludd

Ned Ludd

.
Apr 4, 2016
201
Newport 28 Richardson Marina
I don't think thickness of the casting is an issue, seems plenty beefy. As for what else is at the masthead, nothing. Not even an anchor light, it was an option when the boat was new, this is part of the project also and that will go on the opposite side of the sheaves.
 
agprice22

agprice22

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Aug 3, 2012
2,542
Performance Cruising Telstar 28 302 Watkins Glen
JCall said:
When drilling speed is important, aluminum should be drilled at high speed, 2,000 RPM. Check the speed of your drill. Most are slow so drill at full speed. When tapping and drilling always use the proper lubricant!
Click to expand
The admiral insists on proper lubricant when I drill at high speed! :)
 
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Justin_NSA

Justin_NSA

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Jul 7, 2004
8,470
Hunter 30T Cheney, KS
Sorry (sort of) for the hijack. Here's a way to get to the top of your mast without a bos'n chair. Maybe this is old and I'm late to the party.

 
Gene Neill

Gene Neill

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Sep 30, 2013
3,564
1988 Catalina 22 North Florida
Ned Ludd said:
I got tired of the Davis plastic masthead fly's and just got a SeaLux solid SS unit for only a few bucks more ...
Click to expand
I was unaware of the SeaLux version of Davis' Windex. (Heck, I didn't know what a "masthead fly" was, for that matter.)

I'd be interested in how you like it, how it holds up, etc. ... 'cause I've had it up to here with Windexes. They're so frail it's just stupid. They were a great learning tool, but I'm done buying them again and again.
 
Parsons

Parsons

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Jul 12, 2011
1,165
Leopard 40 Jupiter, Florida
I too looked at the SeaLux, and it does appear sturdier than the Davis model. The mast mounting appears much better than that cheap plastic bracket Davis used. It's not for sale on Defender or WM, but Amazon has it at about the same price as Davis. I'm sold.
 
Justin_NSA

Justin_NSA

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Jul 7, 2004
8,470
Hunter 30T Cheney, KS
Parsons said:
I too looked at the SeaLux, and it does appear sturdier than the Davis model. The mast mounting appears much better than that cheap plastic bracket Davis used. It's not for sale on Defender or WM, but Amazon has it at about the same price as Davis. I'm sold.
Click to expand
$36 with free shipping. My Davis is fine but I may just replace it while the mast is down. I don't want to drop it again...ever! I can donate mine to the club.

 
Justin_NSA

Justin_NSA

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Jul 7, 2004
8,470
Hunter 30T Cheney, KS
I was reading the reviews on the SeaLux. I wonder where you would find this information if the packaging doesn't have it.

"Just received this in the mail today. I was tired of the plastic vanes offered by a mainstream company and searched for a more robust alternative, I am glad I found this one. On initial inspection it is good quality for the price, I don't think it will be as accurate as a Davis in light wind conditions flying a chute while racing but I purchased this for my cruiser. The entire unit is quite robust with thick SS wire for the legs and an overall feeling of quality.
The only downside is the instructions for setting it up keep referring to the bottom of the box for an angle guide to set up the unit for different types of boats: ie 55 deg for full keel, 50 deg for fin keel, the bottom of my box is plain white, not a big deal I can make up a template to do my initial settings."
 
Ned Ludd

Ned Ludd

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Apr 4, 2016
201
Newport 28 Richardson Marina
Hilarious, that's my Amazon review. I took a protractor and a pencil and made my own template.
 
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