#$^#$%

[BobM]

My friend and I attempted the back stay replacement Wednesday night. He was almost all the way up then realized that the main halyard was wrapped around the fixed topping lift. We abandoned the effort for the night.

We just had a bosun's chair and it was a pain trying to grind a single speed #7 to raise 200lbs to the mast head and tail at the same time. I tried to run the line to one of my 40 primaries, but it was rubbing on the junction of the cabin top and hand rail. #@%%b:cussing:

Have to try again with more help.

On the plus side, we took his Freedom 28 out for a couple hours, so at least I got a sail in.

Bob

 

[BobM]

Tried again today with a third person. With two people to grind the winch and having made all our mistakes already it was trouble free. About fifteen minutes to get Gregg up the mast, change the stay and then down again. The third friend left, as his young son had enough.

We followed the set of instructions and illustrations I found on the net for installing a stalok fitting. Everything went smoothly and the new back stay is all done.

We then went over to the Gregg's H37 cutter and went spelunking for a leak. Ultimately it appeared to be his metal water muffler. I convinced him that we should just take the boat out and throttle it up to confirm it and it worked like a charm. Warmed up at 2700 rpm it had a pinhole leak spraying from the back that was invisible at idle. He was thrilled to have finally figured out the nagging leak, which oddly enough appeared as a puddle on the sole in his galley.

All in all a very successful repair day. Now I just need to bend on some sails.

 

[garylinger]

Bob,
A couple of weeks ago I went up the mast in a bosun's chair (with 2 adult males manning the winches and me shinnying up as well as I could). I was wanting to check/change the light bulb at the top of the mast. After finally getting to the top I discovered that while sitting in the chair, because of the shrouds and the angle of the halyard, I was unable to get high enough to be able to see and reach the screws in the light housing. Since you have some experience going up, do you have any recommendations as to how I might be able to do it? I am considering using a combination of a chain fire ladder and the bosun's chair (standing on the steps of the ladder to get the extra couple of feet higher). Any thoughts or suggestions?

 

[BobM]

One simple suggestion I heard that might help you is to tie off a second, short line to directly to the chair (usually the tether lines on the chair are fairly long and perhaps that is what is the problem for you) and bring it up with you. When you get up there you tie off the line and use it to hoist yourself up just a bit higher (folks on the ground will have to give you a little slack on their lines). Haven't tried it myself though, but it seems like it could help.