Previous owner of my boat seems to have attached two wooden blocks to lead the halyard from the mast to the deck with a turning block. The only problem is that the wooden block was only screwed into the mast and now it’s corroded and popped off. I’m looking for alternatives that don’t include replacing the block and thinking about instead attaching something to the deck at the base of the mast. I wish I had an already installed base plate or something like that any alternatives you guys can think of would be appreciated. Cal 2-27, so it’s not a super tiny boat, and this solution will be under a decent amount of strain.
Broken Mast block alternative
- Thread starter carlyzahrt
- Start date
What does the interior of the boat look like in the area around the mast? Is there a headliner or do you have access to the inside of the deck itself? Is the surface flat or curved? The best solution would be to through bolt a pad eye next onto the mast and attach a block to that. Depending on the force it might be good to remove the core in the deck and inject thickened epoxy for extra compressive strength. Also a backing place or at least large thick washers would be necessary. If you don’t have access to the inside or if it’s very irregularly shaped that may be difficult.
One alternative would be to rivet a backing plate onto the mast and then screw a cheek block onto that plate. That might not be great for the exit angle of the halyard though, so a padeye works be my first choice.
One alternative would be to rivet a backing plate onto the mast and then screw a cheek block onto that plate. That might not be great for the exit angle of the halyard though, so a padeye works be my first choice.
Something to consider if your mast is keel-stepped (hard to tell from the picture if that's a base or a seal):
My Catalina 34 has deck-mounted turning blocks. Its mast also has a deck-tie turnbuckle in the cabin to keep the halyard tension from pulling the deck *up*. Not an issue with deck-stepped, since the downward force of the mast holds the deck in place.
My Catalina 34 has deck-mounted turning blocks. Its mast also has a deck-tie turnbuckle in the cabin to keep the halyard tension from pulling the deck *up*. Not an issue with deck-stepped, since the downward force of the mast holds the deck in place.
Sailboatdata shows the Cal 2-27 has a deck-stepped mast. Attaching the turning block to the deck/cabintop means drilling holes that water will get in. You do not want the leaks into the cabin that will result from this despite your best efforts. Though the obvious solution is to mount a cheek block on the mast with a better than wood mounting pad (G-10? Starboard?), you say you don't want to do that. A simple solution might be to tie webbing or a reasonably-sized line in a loop snugly around the base of the mast and attach the turning block to that. The spinnaker pole track will keep the loop from rising too high, and you could attach other blocks for halyards or topping lifts to it as well.
I am guessing the wood was only there to space the block a bit off of the mast's surface. Otherwise, I can't see why you need it at all. But you could replace the wood with a small piece of Trex and then never worry about it again.
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If it were mine I think I would want to replace the wooden block with 1/4 inch stainless steel plate that conformed to the shape of the mast that could then attach the block with appropriate sized ss machine screws unless I was in a hurry and I could just grab a new piece of wood that wasn't likely to split in the next two years like the last one. On the other hand the original solution seems to have worked for some period of time do you know how old it is and did it bother you every time you looked at it?
RE: I’m looking for alternatives that don’t include replacing the block and thinking about instead attaching something to the deck at the base of the mast.
The PO probably placed the block there with the wood spacer for a reason.
I would make up a new spacer with a better material. As mentioned above.
Bolt the turning block onto the spacer with captured nuts on the inside. (Not screwed)
Drill through and tap the mast. Use Duralac or equivalent.
Fit the lot as it was and go sailing.
Gary
The PO probably placed the block there with the wood spacer for a reason.
I would make up a new spacer with a better material. As mentioned above.
Bolt the turning block onto the spacer with captured nuts on the inside. (Not screwed)
Drill through and tap the mast. Use Duralac or equivalent.
Fit the lot as it was and go sailing.
Gary
I would think twice about fastening anything through the deck that you do not need to. Of course, waterproofing the holes the bolts go through the deck is very important, and a possible future problem. One thing that I've always hated was headliners. It always takes an immense amount of fudging around to get it back up correctly, at least for me.
First, the failure mode. The top left screw (can't see type) pulled out of the mast, followed by the wood splitting because the block is attached to the wood and not the mast. Then the block split completely, pulling the screws out of the wood. So Trex is not going to work (weaker than the wood). Also, since one of the screws pulled out of the mast, they need to remove the rest of them and drill/tap new holes.
Many possible solutions. Better materials. More fasteners. Thinner so less leverage (bolt pulled out, not sheered, hole not deformed). Corrosion. I would machine a sheet of ~ 1/2-inch G10 or aluminum to match the curve, then attached with 4 new machine screws, plus the fitting screws would thread through the sheet and the mast. The curve is small and could probably be accurately duplicated with careful use of the edge of a disk sander. Make a template and transfer. Finally, a good anti-seize and sealant.
Many possible solutions. Better materials. More fasteners. Thinner so less leverage (bolt pulled out, not sheered, hole not deformed). Corrosion. I would machine a sheet of ~ 1/2-inch G10 or aluminum to match the curve, then attached with 4 new machine screws, plus the fitting screws would thread through the sheet and the mast. The curve is small and could probably be accurately duplicated with careful use of the edge of a disk sander. Make a template and transfer. Finally, a good anti-seize and sealant.
For a deck mount, you can use a stand up block or a deck turning block. A stand up block accommodates a variety of angles. The turning block must be carefully aligned. They would need backing plates.
The block in your picture is actually a stand up block intended for deck mounting.
The block in your picture is actually a stand up block intended for deck mounting.
Good point. A cheek block mounted on the mast would still be the simpler (and dryer) solution.