Mast problem or not?

[Ed Schenck]

Today I started the mast work. You might recall that I painted it last fall, a project that I am not happy with. Then I ordered all new standing rigging and a new Harken furler. I finally located the boxes here at the marina. Hard to see that there are two stays and six shrouds in that box.





Except for the new forestay all wire is connected. The forestay came with the eye terminal not swaged so that I can get the length right.

While installing the halyards with the messenger lines I noticed what I hope is NOT another problem. The sail track is at least eight inches short of reaching the top. With the length of the shackle and splice I think I have about three inches of gap. My main is still in storage so I don't know if the top slug will go off the track. When painting I do not remember moving the upper track. I did move the lower section to get access to the steaming light wire. Anyone know how their H37C mast looks up there?

 

[rardiH36]

With today's digital cameras with 10x optical zoom, maybe someone can take a picture of their mast top and post it for you!

 

[Johnb]

From my repaint

Ed, hope this helps.

John

 

[Ed Schenck]

Thanks John. That confirms my worst fear, mine is four inches lower than that! Seeing that means mine slid down before I painted it. Now there is almost no hope of moving it. There are two twenty foot sections. Breaking those loose is beyond possibility I think. I was there last night until 21:00. I used a blade the entire length and dripped in 3-1 oil. Could not budge them. Hammer too hard and then you booger the track and the slugs won't slide.

 

[Jim Legere]

Thanks John. That confirms my worst fear, mine is four inches lower than that! Seeing that means mine slid down before I painted it. Now there is almost no hope of moving it. There are two twenty foot sections. Breaking those loose is beyond possibility I think. I was there last night until 21:00. I used a blade the entire length and dripped in 3-1 oil. Could not budge them. Hammer too hard and then you booger the track and the slugs won't slide.

Ed, the sail track extends in continuous sections from the top of goosneck fitting plate to the masthead - I cannot understand how you can come up short. That said, I would take a sharp knife and "cut" the paint in the seams between the track and the mast. Remove the gooseneck fitting and find a block of good hardwood - oak, maple or birch - and then wack away at the track with a good heavy deadblow hammer on the wood against the track. The worst that can happen is that you will have to clean up the track with a file or Dremel too. In any case, the sail slides don't go down as far as the top of the gooseneck. Good luck and keep us posted.

 

[Ed Schenck]

Mast finished. . . . almost.

Two twelve hour days and a sunburn later the mast is nearly complete. The marina owner noticed that there was a slight bend in the mast on the barrels. We shimmed it up and Bruce starts beating on the end(gooseneck not yet installed) with a piece of 2x4 and a medium weight hammer. I saw movement so I took over and several hundred blows later I had moved it three or four inches. At lunch I bought a 3# hammer and a few blows later you see the result. And as Jim stated the bottom end is just above the gooseneck plate.

I won't bore you with all my trials getting the halyards in when a messenger line gets tangled and a fish tape will not go through that mast. But they are all in and running free on lubed sheaves.

Then the sun came out while I was putting the new Harken furler together. That part of the day went well. Cut the new forestay to length, swaged on the top eye terminal, and put the foil together. I brought the long links home to shorten by one hole. That will give me about 12.5 inches from forestay chainplate to bottom of drum. If this all fits it will be a miracle.

 

[Jim Legere]

Re: Mast finished. . . . almost.

Wow - a solid day's work...and brute force with good luck sometimes triumph. Glad it all turned out OK, Ed. For future reference (for those of us with original furling gear), what model Harken and what length of foil?

I was out for my first sail on Saturday and nothing fell down so I will keep sailing this rig for the summer but next haul out I plan to (mostly) follow in your foot steps, refurbishing my mast.

 

[Ed Schenck]

Re: Mast finished. . . . almost.

My new Harken furler is the one called "Unit 1" on this page Jim: http://www.harken.com/press/Harken-CruisingFurler07.php . Hopefully I measured the old Hyde correctly and our forestays are 48' 2.5" pin to pin. That is the length of the new forestay that I made which includes the special Harken toggle on the bottom end. Then I ordered the long links, those wide chrome connectors, to get the drum up about twelve inches. Harken sends you 7' foils and I have six feet left over after measuring and only needing 12" more, the top piece. I have the long links here to shorten by one hole and then back to the boat tomorrow. Finish the furler, install new lazy jax, install stuff on the masthead, should be ready.

P.S. I bought the furler here on SBO and got a great deal.

 

[Jim Legere]

My new Harken furler is the one called "Unit 1" on this page Jim: http://www.harken.com/press/Harken-CruisingFurler07.php P.S. I bought the furler here on SBO and got a great deal.

Thanks for the info Ed - it makes life easy when other owners share thier product research. I imagine I will replace the original CDI unit with either the Harken or the Profurl.

Hope you get out under sail soon...its been a long wait!

-Jim