Any 7.3 owners out there?

[GladTidings]

We bought a 1981 7.3 shoal draft in January and I'm anxious to get her out on the lake! There are, however, some questions I need answered. If there are some people who could help me from time to time, that would be much appreciated.

1. I've noticed ice above the epoxy on top of the keel. It seems a little water has been leaking from the drain holes in the cockpit. It looks like there should be some kind of chrome or plastic ferrule connecting to the drain pipe. Does your S2 have that?

2. Just how heavy is the mast? It is a lot heavier than the one on my dad's 26 foot Luger.

 

[LeeandRick]

I don't have a 7.3 (and avoid places with ice) so not sure about the ferrule on the cockpit drain. There are so many places for a boat to leak while just sitting on a trailer especially if there is any snow built up and melting. I did a quick search and found a couple of wet keels but nothing definitive on where it was coming from. You will probably have to use the old school method, once it thaws out, and dry the bilge area and use a water hose in different areas on deck to find the leak. One mistake many people make is wet the whole boat. You have to be patient since it may take a while for the water to make it to the bilge. Start where you think it's coming from and then work in an orderly fashion with the hose over several days until you find the leak.

The cockpit drains in my 8.0 CC are part of the cockpit floor (molded in duct) that goes to some bathroom plumbing ie: pvc pipe and fittings then overboard above the waterline. No leaks so far.

The mast on my 8.0 is heavy but I'm to old and like to do things by myself, so I'm going to rig a gin pole like my last O'Day. Lots of gin pole ideas on the internet. Here is mine.

Good luck with the new to you boat. Keep us advised. I've quit wasting so much time on forums so if you don't post here in the S2 area I won't see it.

 

[GladTidings]

Thank you for responding. I saw the video and I will keep studying it. It looks like an extremely well thought-out and organized system that will work well when applied to your S2.
One thing I noticed when handling my mast, (one day when it was 45 degrees outside) is the crutch will need to be pretty far back or the base of the mast will lift up and the top will want to fall off the aft end.
I'm thinking of having the base of the crutch sit on the ladder on the transom and have rods extending from the aft railing to the crutch. Perhaps the crutch will be at an angle of 20 degrees from vertical pointing away in order to get as much distance from the step as possible. Do you have a similar problem when moving the mast back on your 8.0 CC? If so, do you have a solution?

Thanks for your support!

 

[LeeandRick]

One thing I noticed when handling my mast, (one day when it was 45 degrees outside) is the crutch will need to be pretty far back or the base of the mast will lift up and the top will want to fall off the aft end.

Do you have a similar problem when moving the mast back on your 8.0 CC? If so, do you have a solution?
/QUOTE]

If you have a roller on the crutch it makes it easy to handle the imbalance that might occur. I have a crutch at the stern rail on the 8.0 and the mast has about 5 pounds of weight at the step when inserting the pin. About 30 seconds into my video you will see that I raise the roller to bring the mast out of the rest. I don't like trailering with the mast groove just resting on the roller. That roller can be raised about 4' (1.25 square tube inside a 1.5 square tube with 4:1 purchase) to help with clearance of things near the mast step, like the hatch cover and wheel on my 8.0, and give a better start angle for the gin pole.

 

[GladTidings]

If you have a roller on the crutch it makes it easy to handle the imbalance that might occur. I have a crutch at the stern rail on the 8.0 and the mast has about 5 pounds of weight at the step when inserting the pin. About 30 seconds into my video you will see that I raise the roller to bring the mast out of the rest. I don't like trailering with the mast groove just resting on the roller. That roller can be raised about 4' (1.25 square tube inside a 1.5 square tube with 4:1 purchase) to help with clearance of things near the mast step, like the hatch cover and wheel on my 8.0, and give a better start angle for the gin pole.

How is the pulley rigged so it raises the mast on the roller when on the crutch? Is it a certain kind of pulley system or mechanical feature? I know I've seen something like this before, but I cannot figure out how it works.

 

[LeeandRick]

Sorry it took so long to get back to you.

The 1.5" tube has a slot cut in the front of it. This allows a 5/16" bolt with a tab welded to it, that is screwed into the bottom of the 1:25" tube (nut welded inside), to move up and down. This slot keeps the 1.25" tube captured for it's full travel inside the 1.5" tube. I originally had a handle in place of the 5/16" bolt to manually lift the roller but pulled some old blocks out of a box and hooked up the 4:1 purchase which is much easier. There is a lynch pin that can lock the 1.25 tube in several different positions for safety. Make sure to use a roller that allows the spreaders to pass over the top. I think the only change I will make is build the unit more vertical. It's at about 10 degrees leaning toward the stern and there is more friction inside the tubes, which wears the paint more than I would like.

There is a way to do all of the lines internally with out the slot but adds weight, size, and complexity. A line operated adjustable whisker pole will show you how this is done. You just need clearance for the line inside between the tubes, which then requires some plastic bushings to take up the extra space, and some sheaves to route the line.

If you have a Dwyer mast step, like I have, the position of any crutch at the stern is critical. Perfectly centered may not be right if the step is installed 1/2 degree out of alignment. Play with the pin at the step to find where the mast needs to be positioned, at the stern, to allow the pin to go in and out easily. I see people at the step with hammers and all they need to do is move the mast a few inches left or right. Function over aesthetics is my motto.

 

[GladTidings]

Thank you for the photo and description of the crutch assembly system. It helps me visualize how it works.
Don't worry about taking too long to reply, I appreciate the input.

Yes, I have a Dwyer tabernacle which is the kind with two pins fore and aft used to connect two plates, (one on the base of the mast and one on the boat) which have tabs, or folded areas on the sides. Excellent point about locating the crutch where it needs to go instead of perfectly on center. I hadn't thought of that.

Am I to understand you have already fitted the 8.0 with this crutch system and it works okay except for the paint wear you do not like? And there is about 5 pounds of weight at the base when inserting the pin, or is that on the O'Day in the video? I'm still concerned about the mast wanting to fall off the back, but maybe I'll need to have a steeper angle from the crutch to the tabernacle.

 

[LeeandRick]

The crutch in the video is on my previous O'day. Our S2 has been undergoing refurbishment since I bought it. I've raised the mast just one time, to check standing rigging lengths, using a temporary crutch from lumber and some old roller I had laying around. Both the O'day and the S2 had about 5 pounds of weight at the base. I've had other boats that had a negative 5 pounds at the base and since I was holding the base of the mast as I pushed it back on the crutch roller there has never been an issue. It only goes negative in the last few inches.

You will have more of an issue of shrouds hanging on something as you roll the mast back. At 50 seconds into the video you will see me check some small line that goes over the lifeline and around the shrouds. This holds the turnbuckles up so they don't hang up (and bend when raising the mast) and also keeps the shrouds from hanging on deck items as I roll the mast aft.

An easy way to check where to put the crutch is measure from the mast step to the future location of your crutch. Then support the mast at that distance with something and see how much pressure (weight) you have plus or minus. A point where it's perfectly neutral would be the best for pin insertion IMO.

Another thing I do with the Dwyer step is use it to attach the base of my gin pole too using the forward hole. This does require grinding open the forward hole on the deck mounted part of the step to allow the pin holding the gin pole to go all the way down. I've done this on 3 boats and have never had an issue having just one pin in the step. I think they probably put a hole at both ends of the step so the mast could be raised from the bow or the stern. You could still use the hole for a gin pole (no grinding) and just have a wedge to stop the mast just short of the point where the pin for the gin pole was going to touch. Then secure the mast with a halyard, pull the pin, remove the gin pole, pull the wedge and complete the mast raising.

If you don't have anything to do sometime here is our blog on the S2 rebuild and new trailer build. http://thisoldpieceofshit.blogspot.com/

 

[FDL S2]

I have a 7.3, but with a fin keel not a shoal. My cockpit drains send the water straight down at the stern above the water line, I have never had ice anywhere on the keel when it's on land in winter. As far as the mast I have only dropped it using the crane at my local yacht club, but I did move it around when it was down and to me it didn't seem much heavier than the mast on my old Coronado 23 that I would raise with the help of a friend or by myself with a gin pole.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that I am no help for any of the questions you have, I'm just happy to see another 7.3 owner on here...

 

[WRobRich]

I've owned my '79 S2 7.3 since 1986 and originally let the mast down to the rear when preparing to travel. Changed to using my spinnaker pole as a gin pole and lower the mast forward now..Much better.
I can't visualize the ice you describe on top of your keel. Can you clarify?
Feel free to ask any questions about this design.

 

[WRobRich]

My 7.3 is a shoal draft. The mast is probably 80 lbs. My cockpit drains go straight down and discharge below the transom but above the waterline.

 

[confluence2022]

New S2 7.3 owner here. I've just finished going through all 160 posts linked to "s2 7.3" and have thoroughly enjoyed it. Thank you all so much for all of the insight.

 

[jssailem]

Welcome Confluence 2022 to the SBO forum.
We enjoy seeing new members! Add a picture of your boat, and a little about where you sail.
Fair winds and comfortable seas.