Thread from the dead. Went out on a perfect sail day last monday. Winds were favorable for pretty much a single tac all the way across my odd shaped lake. We turned up wind and I raised the main. Alls good. Turn for a nice wind off the port beam and the sail fills then immeadiatly bumps the side stays and starts fluttering, Whaaaa? The main sheet fiddle block failed. Shizzle! The bolt that connects the snap shackle to the block simply snapped, Im pretty sure its the original 23 year old Scheafer setup. Odd thing was the wind had just barely begun to fill the sail and it snapped.
Anyway, $400 later I have an somewhat updated version of the original pair of blocks on the way. We had just recently gotten back from a trailer sailor trip to Lake Huron. Took it down and set it up twice with the mast raise system. Also, had a pretty sporty day of wind on one of the legs. I shudder to think of that thing failing under any of those recent times it was being used. I guess it gave its all, and its last gasp was on a light puff of wind. Rest in peace old fiddle block.
The Scheafer Series 5 is the current model replacement for a H23.5. They are pricey. I found some with a good sale discount. They are rated for 1750lb working load, which seems like a lot. I got recommendations for some other types that were a lot cheaper. But they were half the rated working load of the series 5 blocks. If it were not for the fact that I have to lower and raise the mast every winter and spring I may have considered the cheaper alternatives. But the mast stepping operation is one of those things that just cannot fail. So I went with the original type.
Anyone else have to do this recently?
Anyway, $400 later I have an somewhat updated version of the original pair of blocks on the way. We had just recently gotten back from a trailer sailor trip to Lake Huron. Took it down and set it up twice with the mast raise system. Also, had a pretty sporty day of wind on one of the legs. I shudder to think of that thing failing under any of those recent times it was being used. I guess it gave its all, and its last gasp was on a light puff of wind. Rest in peace old fiddle block.
The Scheafer Series 5 is the current model replacement for a H23.5. They are pricey. I found some with a good sale discount. They are rated for 1750lb working load, which seems like a lot. I got recommendations for some other types that were a lot cheaper. But they were half the rated working load of the series 5 blocks. If it were not for the fact that I have to lower and raise the mast every winter and spring I may have considered the cheaper alternatives. But the mast stepping operation is one of those things that just cannot fail. So I went with the original type.
Anyone else have to do this recently?
