Bending Mast while she is stepped.

[Emerald Lady II]

Hi Everyone
After stepping my B & R rigged mast on my 85 Hunter 31, I noticed that one of the diagonals was overlapping one of the stays when it shouldn’t be. This means that I won’t be able to tighten one of my starboard stays. To fix it, I plan to go up the boson’s chair to the bottom spreader and remove the diagonal from the turnbuckle (which will cause the mast to bend forward). Then I plan to flip the diagonal over the stay and then retighten the diagonal enough to the get the desired bend back. I also plan on loosening up the opposing diagonal to prevent the mast from twisting. The other option that I have to is to take the mast down and do it on the ground.
Has anyone dealt with a similar problem? Or, has anyone put the bend in the mast while it was up?
Any advice would be appreciated. I can take a picture if you like.

 

[Allan12210]

If you are only doing one it should be ok. Make sure you either count how many threads are showing inside the turnbuckle barrel before you start or count how many turns it takes to separate the turnbuckle. You want to get it back to the exact same place when reassembled. In fact, check the opposite side and see if the same amount of threads are showing. This is to gaurantee a straight (side to side) mast with symetrically loaded prebend.

I don't think the mast will twist significatly. Initially I would just start with just the one side that you want to switch and watch. I'd loosen it,swap it and re tighten.

Good luck.

Allan

 

[FourPoints]

To be cautious you should rig the main halyard as a temporary backstay while doing this to help take the load that cable would otherwise be holding. Rig it to a stern cleat on the same side as you are working on so it is pulling a little to the side.

 

[Don12364]

A trick is to put a turn of black tape round each threaded end of the turnbuckle up to where the end goes into the body. Then, after releasing it, just wind it back to the original setting.
Also probably no need to slacken the opposite side as the mast is only flexed rather than permanently bent.

However, there is just a chance that the turnbuckle will not have enough length when fully unwound so do not completely undo it unless the wire is slack or you will never get the ends together again.
Alternatively you might find the other wire which is crossing the one you intended to release does have enough length to undo it.

If neither, solicit the services of a pro rigger who may be able to rig up a temporary wire to take the load whilst one of the others is released. They do it by wrapping a second rope line round an existing stay over a length of about 6 feet and then swigging up on this to take the load off the first one.

 

[Claude L.-Auger]

Since the mast was down you must have removed that starboard stay and re-installed it. Now that the mast is stepped back on, I would simply unscrew that faulty stay, remove the turnbuckle, rig the main halyard as a temporary back stay as Fourpoints suggested, tension the lower stays to their normal tension, then have someone hoist me up to the first spreader where I would pull on the faulty halyard, reroute it correctly and bring it back down. I think it would be much easier than trying to re-install a removed diagonal unless you can undo it and keep the bend in the mast by keeping the tension on as Donalex mentions. You could use a come-along to do that. My suggestion seems much less work ! Good luck

 

[Emerald Lady II]

Hello Everyone, thank you for all of your responses. I haven't had the chance to do anything yet because I am waiting on the crane to hoist me up the boson's chair. Claude L., the problem happened when the I put the top starboard spreader in the mast. One of the starboard stays was twisted over one of the diagonals. I do like the idea of pulling the starboard stay up and through the spreader (and then not worrying about the diagonal) but I don't think that it would thread through the little hole at the tip of the spreaders. If I tighten to the backstays and then tension the main halyard, and then maybe even the jib halyard, back to starboard cleat then hopefully when I relieve the tension from the diagonal the mast bend will stay put and then it will be as simple as wipping the diagonal over the top spreader and then putting it where she belongs.

Once again, I really appreciate the time that you have all taken to help.

 

[Emerald Lady II]

Hi Everyone, the mast is fixed! I took your advise and attached the halyard aft to a cleat and things went without a hitch. Hardest part was getting the crane operator to fit me into the schedule. Thanks.