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DSC01267 This isn't the original mast tabernacle that came with my boat when I bought it new. It came with an el cheapo French made cast Aluminum extrusion with a small sheave at the bottom for the internal Jib halyard to pass through and I hated this set up with a passion. After losing my mast back in the 1990s out of Newport RI, I had Rig-Rite in Warwick RI make me up a new mast. This time I wanted it made up to my specs and that included a stainless Steel hinge plate. This plate is a Dwyer and the utility plate is a Kenyon, I think. He told me to mount a block on the cabin to make up up 1-1/8" under the hinge plate so that my upper stays would fit. He gave me the plates and I mounted them to a 5"X7" Teak block like what you see in the pic. The rigger had to make a mast plug to attached the upper plate to the bottom of the mast. I wish he'd have made it out of Aluminum instead of Stainless Steel. Years later my mast started corroding and I had to take it to a marine welder. You can see in the pic where he welded, but the whole bottom of the mast was thin and getting ready to blow out.
006 A marine welder looked at my mast and told me, "to fix that mast, the labor alone would be about $300." I thought to myself, "I don't think so." My mast is Z-Spar and they don't make a casting for this mast that would work for me. He told me that I'd have to cut at least 2" off the bottom of my mast. I would need to make up 2.25". When you have a problem like this you need to think outside of the box. He's thinking, "weld" with dollar signs rolling around in his eyes, and I'm thinking, "just make up 2.25" between the mast and the upper hinge plate." That board under my Tabernacle is a piece of Trex that I used to replace the old Teak board that I had under it. I use stainless steel wood screws to secure the extrusion to the mast. I'm also using Nylon washer to insulate the screws along with a small dab of Never-Seize.
005 This is what I call a mod of necessity. I made up this permanent extrusion last year. It's a long story but in essence what happened was the bottom of my mast rotted out and I had to cut 2" off it and make up the difference with some material that I've never used before.
IMG 0005 The only way I could gain access to the nuts and bolts that hold the jam cleat was to install a 4" Beckson Deck Plate in my fuel locker. You can see it in the pic. I even have access to my stern cleat now. I think I paid $4.00 for the deck plate and $2.00 for the cleat at that same marine consignment shop. Such a deal! :)
IMG 0009 I mounted single sheaves to the lifeline stanchion bases for the control line. If you're thinking of buying a furler, figure on getting enough line to go back to where ever you want your cleat plus what you need for wraps around your drum when the sail is pulled out.
IMG 0007 Here's a better pic of the cleat. The long section of the cleat is where it jams or snubs off the line. This is great if you need to reef your Gennie.
IMG 0006 I needed to move my roller furler drum control line cleat to a spot on the combing where I could reach it easy for single handing. These boats came with a regular horn cleat on the Starboard corner of the cabin. Not good, IMO. The cleat in the pic is a used jam cleat which I picked up real cheap in a marine consignment shop in Newport RI. You only need to take one turn of the line around the cleat and it should jam. The cleat needs to be mounted at a slight angle for this to work though. I had to mount the cleat straight because the combing is too narrow, but adding a single sheave to my stern rail provides that needed angle provided that your wrap the control line around the jam cleat clockwise.
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