Don't got caught with your mast down!

[dscribner]

Ok, Ok, I'll say it! I'm an idiot. Last time out, as we were stepping the mast I started to fix the shroud covers only to find a shroud with a couple of wires broken ans splayed. At first I called the trip, then I noticed that it was a lower shroud. So, I juggle a few engineering terms in my head, and said we'd need to be careful but we'd be OK. Winds on the way back were around 25 knots with 8 foot seas. Fortunately, the shroud was on the lee. We go back home . . . safely. A couple of days later, I pulled the shroud off and FULLY inspected it. I had 4 wires left intact!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! They all broke at the end of the swage stud which means corrosion and stepping the mast causing metal fatigue there. Since the budget is tight (my lovely bride's school closed at the end of the school year) I used a couple of gift certificates from WM. I got the price for one, and said "Give me two." My wife picked them up a week later. They charged her for one. She didn't know BUT I'm not complaining. When I installed them, I go some flexible tubing from Home Repot. I slipped about 8" of 1/4" on first. I had to heat it in boiling water to soften it enough and work it hard. Then I slipped over 3/8" X 3". Once they were both over, I forced the smaller into the larger about 1'/2" and both if them onto the stud. I replaced the shroud cover and applied rigging tape to completely cover the tubing and join it to the cover. Now that it's installed, the tuning blends in nicely and creates a nice large radiused stress relief. I can also slide the assembly up to inspect the stud.

Moral of the story:

Trailor sailors, don't got caught with your mast down! Inspect your rigging and be sure not to overbend them when trailering or storing.

 

[Joe]

No offense, but your damage was more likely caused by shroud covers trapping water than anything else.... I'm in the camp that doesn't believe in those plastic shroud covers or sleeving the turnbuckles. Leave 'em naked and they'll last longer. The only thing I'd consider taping would be the cotter pins on the turnbuckle studs, but you don't even have to do that if you use the clevis RINGS instead.

When I trailer sailed, I always disconnected my rigging from the boat... leaving it attached to the mast... then coiled it in big loops before securing it to the deck. It made it easy to hose with fresh water... and leaving it uncovered allowed it to dry quickly.

To make your stays easier to disconnect... replace the cotter pins on the pin that attaches the turnbuckles to the boat with clevis rings....


or better still, invest in a quick release pins to replace the clevis. You can tape them in when sailing if it makes you feel more secure.



I know you were pretty ingenious in designing those covers but.. I think you'd be better off without them. Just my opinion, though.

 

[Ed Schenck]

Have to agree with Joe. My boat originally came with both the pretty white shroud covers and the turnbuckle covers. More than one old salt reminded me to get rid of those.

 

[dscribner]

I left the shroud cover assemblies loose from the turnbuckles so they can slide up. I understand the corrosion issue but in this case I have to rest on metal fatigue, or both. In any event, I have two new inner shrouds and have alleviated the tight bend issue. We leave the shrouds and the backstay attached when we travel. From the time that I stop the truck to the time that she pulls it out of the water is 30 minutes.

 

[Joe11688]

No offense, but your damage was more likely caused by shroud covers trapping water than anything else.... I'm in the camp that doesn't believe in those plastic shroud covers or sleeving the turnbuckles. Leave 'em naked and they'll last longer. The only thing I'd consider taping would be the cotter pins on the turnbuckle studs, but you don't even have to do that if you use the clevis RINGS instead.

When I trailer sailed, I always disconnected my rigging from the boat... leaving it attached to the mast... then coiled it in big loops before securing it to the deck. It made it easy to hose with fresh water... and leaving it uncovered allowed it to dry quickly.

To make your stays easier to disconnect... replace the cotter pins on the pin that attaches the turnbuckles to the boat with clevis rings....


or better still, invest in a quick release pins to replace the clevis. You can tape them in when sailing if it makes you feel more secure.

I know you were pretty ingenious in designing those covers but.. I think you'd be better off without them. Just my opinion, though.

Joe,
I agree with you on the clevis rings, but with all due respects I would never use fast pins on rigging turnbuckles or even the goose neck fitting on my mast. They will work their way out. I had it happen to me on my goose neck fitting while I was sailing. Luckily my sail didn't rip.
One of the guys on the O'Day Owner's forum used a fast pin on his CDI Furler turnbuckle a few years ago and the pin came out. His mast came down and almost hit him.
I've been using a press button Quick Pin on my fore stay for years and now I'm using it with my CDI Roller Furler and I've never had a problem. As far as I'm concerned, clevis rings, cotter pins, and press button Quick Pins are safe and acceptable, but always beware of Fast Pins.

 

[Joe]

Trinkka....... I agree... I should have pictured a Quick pin... so I changed the original post to concur with your experience.

 

[Joe]

I left the shroud cover assemblies loose from the turnbuckles so they can slide up. I understand the corrosion issue but in this case I have to rest on metal fatigue, or both. In any event, I have two new inner shrouds and have alleviated the tight bend issue. We leave the shrouds and the backstay attached when we travel. From the time that I stop the truck to the time that she pulls it out of the water is 30 minutes.

So another minute to disconnect them wouldn't slow you down too much.... What do you mean by resting on metal fatigue, though?

If you have those split vinyl wire covers, get rid of them.

I'm still not sure what the purpose of the turnbuckle sleeves are though....

I had them on a boat.. they were a nuisance......so I 86'd 'em... 'cause I didn't see any of the go fast guys using them, nor the serious cruisers either... must be a day sail thing.

 

[dscribner]

Y'know, now that I think about it . . . you're right. I had in mind that you were suggesting having to readjust my turnbuckles every time. That aint happening. But they're loose at that point anyway. It would be easy enough to have quick pins or something. A belated "Good idea!". I'll probably color code them or something though. "No, honey. The pretty blue one goes on the front shiny thingy!". My lovely bride is brilliant in many ways but numb as a halibut in a few.

The reason was going for the cover was to give a generous radius while traveling. Get rid of the stress riser at the edge of the swage stud. As far as the split cover so, when the cables come down, they leave grey stripe on my deck. Vinyl covers prevent that somewhat. The turnbuckle sleeves are to prevent the sail from sweeping past and ripping on a cotter pin, or so I've hear. But if youre racing and need a quick tune, they must me a PITB

 

[Joe11688]

Trinkka....... I agree... I should have pictured a Quick pin... so I changed the original post to concur with your experience.

Joe,
I only use one of these for my furler. I keep the rest of the stays connected and I bungee them to the mast when I trailer my boat to and from the ramp. I haven't had a problem doing that, and I've always made sure that my stays didn't get kinked. This has always saved me a lot of work and the Handy-lock on my back stay has always allowed me to tighten or loosen everything up to get the furler on and off. I'm not sure if that can be done on other boats though.
Joe

 

[dscribner]

Joe,

Have you considered a "Johnson Lever" (or some other brand) on your backstay? We step the mast, rock it forward to pin the furler then close the Johnson lever and place a small pin in it to keep the lever from snapping back.

 

[Joe11688]

Joe,

Have you considered a "Johnson Lever" (or some other brand) on your backstay? We step the mast, rock it forward to pin the furler then close the Johnson lever and place a small pin in it to keep the lever from snapping back.

I have the Johnson Handy-Lock on my back stay just below the open turnbuckle right now. I bought it used at Rig-Rite back in the late 1980s and had them install it for me. My mainsheet used to come of a triangular plate on my back stay and I hated it, so I bought a cheap Nico Fico traveler and mounted it in front of my companionway on a piece of Teak.

The Johnson Handy-Lock has a lever that screws and unscrews the swaged bolts. When you close the lever, it locks the nuts in place on these bolts. The Johnson Lever is undoubtedly faster, but the Handy-Lock does the same thing and only involves a little screwing.
Joe

 

[Joe]

Joe,

Have you considered a "Johnson Lever" (or some other brand) on your backstay? We step the mast, rock it forward to pin the furler then close the Johnson lever and place a small pin in it to keep the lever from snapping back.

No.. I had an a 4x tackle adjuster with a snap shackle connection for the backstay. For the shrouds I used clevis pins with rings...which I wired to the multi pin hole adjusters. For the forestay I used a quick pin, again wired to the fitting. It took less than a minute to connect them all...

The lever is fine... but it's more of a dingh thing for slacking the shrouds to let the mast lean forward for down wind sailing... on a larger boat the lever's working load may be inadequate.

 

[dscribner]

Joe,

While I have you, the mutli pin shroud adjuster is for just such an occassion? Are they used to adjust tension while sailing, while the shroud is slacK? I'm clueless. I've seen them but wondered how they are used.

 

[Joe]

Joe,

While I have you, the mutli pin shroud adjuster is for just such an occassion? Are they used to adjust tension while sailing, while the shroud is slacK? I'm clueless. I've seen them but wondered how they are used.

No, you can't adjust them while sailing... (you might be able to on a trapeze rigged dinghy, but I never tried it)...you set them on the beach or trailer, the numbered holes make it easy to get both sides equal. The biggest advantage is on fractionally rigged boats with no backstay, and swept back spreaders. Here they make mast rake adjustments very simple.... you simply match the holes on each side then set the forestay (which has a multi hole connector also) That's how my Nacra was rigged and I was always tweaking it (and other things) on the beach between sessions on the water.

For boats with a backstay and non swept back shrouds they are not useful for rake adjustment. I had them on the boat with the backstay and rarely changed hole numbers... it just made it easier to hook up the shrouds with the same setting each time. Since your boat is on the larger side of the trailerable scale I would check working loads on any hardware changes I made to the rigging.