Replaced the original rubber shroud retainer plugs on my 23.5 with the new style retainer covers from the SBO store. These are made from a UV stabilized plastic and fairly stout. Installing all five of them took me about 45 minutes and that included grabbing the step ladder so I could reach the jib and upper shroud locations. "A Little Knotty" was still on the trailer with the mast down when I did this. The retainers are riveted in place, you need to drill out the upper rivet from the anti-wear ring and install a new rivet and the retainer. SBO has the SS rivets and the retainers on the same page. Once installed your shrouds won't fall out while stepping the mast. Make sure you have a good rivet gun as the SS rivets are a tough pull.
New style shroud retainers
- Thread starter Tony_Furst
- Start date
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- hunter 23.5
Yeah they are a bit pricey however you have to think that they don't have a huge market so the production costs don't get spread across hundreds of thousands of pieces. I suppose that someone could fabricate something similar out of a piece of stainless or aluminum.
I would really recommend aluminum rivets for that application. The retainer is under no load that would require stainless steel rivets , and the dis-similar metals can cause galvanitic corrosion.
Plus they are a lot easier to install!
Plus they are a lot easier to install!
The rivets transfer the load of the t-bar receptacle to the mast, better to use stainless steel unless you can get some aircraft cherrymax rivets or huck bolts. In this case one of the existing rivets is removed to add in the retainer. Needs to be reinstalled to the same strength level. In no case should you use "Hardware Hank" hollow aluminum pop rivets designed for sheet metal jobs. My two cents........I would really recommend aluminum rivets for that application. The retainer is under no load that would require stainless steel rivets , and the dis-similar metals can cause galvanitic corrosion.
Plus they are a lot easier to install!
Dennis
Ah, I couldn't see the picture, does that rivet replace the top rivet in the T-bar holder? If it does then yes you are absolutely correct !
Jack, yes the top rivet for the T-Bar holder is replaced hence the SS rivets. All I can say is I'm glad I have a heavy duty rivet gun with extra long handles. SS rivets are a tough pull.
Nice find. I suppose $33 on the mast is money well spent if it saves your rig. Make sure to inspect your Lollipop terminals at the bend for signs of cracking or excessive wear. So, is the problem that they fall out when raising the mast, or fall out when underway?
[Edit] How do they work? I mean, do they rotate out of the way, or do you work the fitting under them?
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I never had problems with the shrouds falling out when stepping the mast however the rubber plugs were in pretty rough shape so I decided that I was better off replacing them before they were a problem. They rotate out of the way to insert or remove the t-fittings from the slot and they are stiff enough that the fittings can't pop out when sailing.
For 10 bucks, it would be nice if they indexed into the slot, to thwart the evil of rotating open - lol. I imagine the biggest fear is getting the mast up with the t-ball or lollipops twisted, then popping out during a gust. Probably nothing would stop that. "Er, halyard off, if you please."
They are extremely tight when the rivets are pulled down correctly. They won't rotate out of position without some serious help.
I can't imagine the t-balls would fall out of the slot after the mast is up and the shrouds tensioned, with or without any restrainer - if tight enough. At least, mine never did. The only issue I see is that when you raise the mast, they can rotate 90 degrees and slip out, or rotate part way and jam in a more or less horizontal position.
I used to tape the shroud to the mast about a foot below the fitting so it would stay aligned. I discovered that a stainless carriage bolt, maybe 1/4 in diam or so, can fit through the hole above the t-ball, all the way through the mast and out the other side. It is held in by a jam nut (the kind with a nylon insert), and I cut the bolt so it just barely extends beyond the end of the nut. It does not have to be (should not be) tightened to the mast. The t-balls cannot push up high enough when blocked by the bolt shaft to slip out. Easy to remove the nut if you want to pull the shrouds off the mast entirely.
I used to tape the shroud to the mast about a foot below the fitting so it would stay aligned. I discovered that a stainless carriage bolt, maybe 1/4 in diam or so, can fit through the hole above the t-ball, all the way through the mast and out the other side. It is held in by a jam nut (the kind with a nylon insert), and I cut the bolt so it just barely extends beyond the end of the nut. It does not have to be (should not be) tightened to the mast. The t-balls cannot push up high enough when blocked by the bolt shaft to slip out. Easy to remove the nut if you want to pull the shrouds off the mast entirely.