Halyard issue

[Sunday Sailor]

The wire on my halyard has cut a groove in an aluminum plate welded to the mast which holds a navigation light. Of course, last year the halyard snagged and I was stuck with a sail only part way up.

I enclose sketch of underside. Light attaches to the other side.

Any suggestions how to fix it? I don't really want to get into welding as I would have to take the mast to someone miles away.

 

[caguy]

Would a cheek block on the mast divert the cable around your bracket?

 

[Anonymous 121765]

Sunday,

The sketch is not very much to go on pal. I assume the bracket is on the forward mast side around the spreaders. If your halyard is interfering with this, you may have some options.

1. is this original equipment or an aftermarket add-on?
2. I assume that when tightened, this is where the cable cuts into the support.
3. By your short description, I assume this is the main halyard & if the bracket interferes, that's a poor design for this.

Forget the sketch, a photo will tell alot more. Show it with the halyard taught & confirm if for the main.

On a side note, rope wire halyards are a thing of the past unless you maybe have a large boat, you do knot. That being said, I question the bracket used. I can't believe the manufacturer would design & attach such a bracket that would interfere with a halyard running.

CR

 

[Sunday Sailor]

The Mast is laying in a compound probably covered with snow so a picture not that practical. Yes, I believe this probably was the original design but it could be an owner along the way added the wire. A cheek block may work but I have to fix the groove somehow, too.

 

[Joe]

I'm having a little difficulty imagining the orientation and location of the bracket..... but... you could easily redirect the wire with a small, strategically placed fairlead on the mast. http://www.jmsonline.net/fairlead-9...gle_shopping&gclid=CP_p3bXBisQCFdcRgQod4ZMAYw

 

[mudtertel]

in the groove

How about some JB Weld It comes as two part . Fill it up let cure then find some core10 wear plate . screw it on to your mast . Just saying I hope that helps

 

[Scott T-Bird]

I think Joe is on target with the fairlead(s). It would help to clarify your problem. Where is the bracket mounted to the mast? What kind of navigation light?

Is this a bracket mounted to the side of the mast, or is it in front of the mast or behind the mast? Is it halfway up the mast (for a steaming light application) or all the way at the top, for anchor light? Do you have tri-color lights at the top? The type of lights isn't really important to the problem, but I'm having a problem understanding why you need a bracket. Why not just remove it (since your mast is down for the winter). Steaming lights can be mounted directly on the mast. If this bracket is at the top for navigation tri-color lights or an anchor light, I don't understand how it interferes with the halyard.

I assume your halyard is external, so you have a working end attached to the shackle and a bitter end side coming back down the mast. Which halyard is it? If it is the mainsail are you dealing with the wire coming back down on the front side of the mast or if it is the head sail are you dealing with the wire coming back down on the aft side of the mast?

I would guess that fairleads could divert the halyard away from the bracket and there would be no need to do anything with the groove. But I would also guess that you could eliminate the bracket, too.

It's your boat, there are few hard and fast rules on how you set it up. I'd eliminate wire halyards as the first step.

 

[Sunday Sailor]

It is half way up and there is the same bracket on the other side for steaming lights. The halyard is external and it is for the main and comes down the starboard side. I would use a fairlead or 2 but not sure about securing them to the mast.

 

[Scott T-Bird]

There are brackets on both sides of the mast for lights? Why? Anchor and navigation lights should be at the top of the mast. A steaming light would be halfway up and could be mounted to the front of the mast directly with the wiring internal. What else do you have, half way up the mast? If you like to have a deck light, you can get a combo with the steaming light. Are the brackets above the spreaders? (is it the spreader brackets which are the issue?). I guess I'm still not understanding why you have brackets for lights half way up the mast.

Fairleads can be attached to the mast with ss screws sized for the fairlead (it should be specified with the fairlead). They can be small. I would use a machine screw, not self-tapping. But self-tapping are probably ok, too if there is nothing internal to the mast. But it is easy enough to tap the holes to accept the machine screws.

That's a really nice looking boat in your avatar, btw. She is worth taking care of for sure! Not to diverge, but what kind of mast section do you have? Is it possible to convert to internal halyards? I like to think outside the box sometimes for a worthwhile project. The boat has nice lines and a good looking sail plan.

 

[Sunday Sailor]

There are brackets on both sides of the mast for lights? Why? Anchor and navigation lights should be at the top of the mast. A steaming light would be halfway up and could be mounted to the front of the mast directly with the wiring internal. What else do you have, half way up the mast? If you like to have a deck light, you can get a combo with the steaming light. Are the brackets above the spreaders? (is it the spreader brackets which are the issue?). I guess I'm still not understanding why you have brackets for lights half way up the mast.

Fairleads can be attached to the mast with ss screws sized for the fairlead (it should be specified with the fairlead). They can be small. I would use a machine screw, not self-tapping. But self-tapping are probably ok, too if there is nothing internal to the mast. But it is easy enough to tap the holes to accept the machine screws.

That's a really nice looking boat in your avatar, btw. She is worth taking care of for sure! Not to diverge, but what kind of mast section do you have? Is it possible to convert to internal halyards? I like to think outside the box sometimes for a worthwhile project. The boat has nice lines and a good looking sail plan.

I don't really know why those brackets are there (in their exact place), just got the boat last year. Pretty sure I couldn't do internal but thanks for all the suggestions.

 

[Ron20324]

A: I'm not sure why you need to "fix" the groove. I wonder why the light was not mounted to the mast? I assume the light is the steaming/motoring light.

B: Anything you do will happen again if you don't do something to move the wire halyard. Any arrangement that has two pieces of anything rubbing means that one of them will wear through sooner or later. If you put in a fairlead, it will eventually wear through, but at least it is replaceable.

C: There must be some way to run the halyards in the mast. If you made that one light alteration and it caused a problem, then you gotta improvise something to overcome the problem.

 

[Joe]

I don't really know why those brackets are there (in their exact place), just got the boat last year. Pretty sure I couldn't do internal but thanks for all the suggestions.

Using this picture as a reference, where exactly is the bracket located? Is there any chance you are talking about the spreaders, and the spreader lights which illuminate the deck? Those are not navigation lights. The spreaders are part of the mast's rigging.

 

[Sunday Sailor]

The brackets are 3 feet below the spreaders (and I don'thave deck lights)

 

[Ron20324]

The brackets are 3 feet below the spreaders (and I don'thave deck lights)

That must be plate aluminum if it's welded? Perhaps the bracket can be re-made, cut that one athwartships close to the mast, but leave enough (one inch) to tap holes, add a new piece (or just move over what you cut off) and remount it off-center? Or re-weld the cut off piece to the new "base" on the mast?

 

[caguy]

If It were me I would go up the mast with a propane or butane torch and fill it in with Durafix. I saw this stuff ddemonstrated at the Dana boat show a couple of years ago, and the stuff is amazing.

 

[Sunday Sailor]

Formulating a plan; cut off the bracket and reattach new plate with fairlead attached to it and run halyard thru it. Re attach light. A little bit of work but since mast is off the boat, easier to work on.
I might try the durafix but perhaps on something other than my pieces of the boat, first.
Thanks for all your help.

 

[woodster]

If It were me I would go up the mast with a propane or butane torch and fill it in with Durafix. I saw this stuff ddemonstrated at the Dana boat show a couple of years ago, and the stuff is amazing.

frank be careful up there with that heat ya might melt the mast and cause it to buckle under your own weight :stirthepot:

 

[caguy]

frank be careful up there with that heat ya might melt the mast and cause it to buckle under your own weight :stirthepot:

That's true, but I would worry more about dripping molten aluminum onto my lap.

 

[woodster]

now that would a lap dance to remember lol

 

[Joe]

Just get rid of the bracket.... move the steaming light to the normal location.. above the spreaders on the forward side of the mast. No welding.. just a simple screw mounted bracket for the new light... like this: