Masthead hardware

[Redbeard33]

spring is coming and I have started to look at my standing rigging once again, here are a few pics of my masthead hardware. I am cleaning everything shown, should anything be replaced regardless of appearance? such as the bushings for the halyard sheaves? I have also been warned about stainless connections aging poorly, what warning signs of metal fatigue should I look for? Also, I plan on wiring my mast prior to installing fixtures, what should I run to the mast head (tricolor, VHF, wind sensor, maybe WIFI?) and what should I stub out at the spreaders (deck lights?)

Thanks in advance,

Mike

 

[caguy]

I don't know what he Hunter is like but the ss sheave pins on the Catalina are always fozen. If yours were difficult to get out, while on the bench, I would ream the holes out a touch and use antiseize just in case you ever have to go up on the mast and remove them.

 

[Ed H]

Redbeard- I realize this is not responsive to your question, but I have never seen what is at the top of my mast. I hope to add a halyard for an Asym Spinnaker and a spare halyard aft of the mast. Is there room for those up there? Thanks. Ed H

 

[Paul F]

Ed, it is likely that your mast head like mine and Redbeard's has four sheaves. Two forward and two aft. I learned that it is not an easy matter to thread a halyard through the sheave. I had to hire a rigger to restring the forward Genoa halyard. He had to take off the mast cap to do it. You should be able to check that the mast contains four sheaves by using binoculars.

 

[Ed H]

Thanks, I will give it a look next time I am at the boat. Ed

 

[DianaOfBurlington]

Masthead musings...

Mike, judging by those pics you posted of the masthead sheaves, I have one question: can you say 'REPLACE THEM'? Check out my friends at Dwyer Aluminum Mast Co in Connecticut who will have those parts. All-delrin sheaves are all right; they just need to be looked-at every 3-5 years. Otherwise the aluminum ones are the way to go. They should have pressed-in oillite (naturally-oily) bronze bushings. Lube them up with marine-grade white lithium grease or one of the better products expressly made for this.

I was advised against a tricolor at the masthead by a good friend of mine but I still don't know why I agreed. (He said that huge hunk of plastic was too ungainly and ugly for my boat. Maybe he was right.) So I wired my mast without it. I did however do away with the hull-mounted lights and am putting a new bi-color at the top rail of the pulpit. For most of the sailing I will do with this boat that's sufficient. At sea, performing a 'flare-up'-- shooting a high-powered flashlight at the sails-- is acceptable. If you plan to solo at sea, spending long hours off-watch, I would run wiring for the tri-color. You can always add it later.

One trick (which I thought of but will not use on Diana) is to provide a SPDT on/on switch on your panel, wired between the breaker and the navigation lights. With this you can select 'at sea' or 'coastal' modes, choosing between the masthead tri-color and the lower ones. The low ones are best for in the ICW and other places where much of the traffic is motorboats or sailboats under power that aren't looking 35 feet up for your navigational colors. I might like a tri-color but not if it's all I have.

I got in touch with Sean at SR Mariner who told me about 90 percent of basic anemometers can be wired with any two-conductor wire. He reported he used 22-gauge zipcord once. I wired mine with tinned-copper 18-gauge speaker wire. Sean said that's perfect. Other than that I have the VHF and the anchor light up there. I don't have an apparent-wind indicator. The Windex is the AV model that sits on the antenna. You have to press a rubber grommet down onto the antenna because the Windex vane has a tendency to fly off. I designed and bought stainless-steel flat stock for a masthead bracket that encompasses the VHF, Windex ears, flag halyard, spinnaker-halyard bail and anchor-light mounting. It's just a long tang with a stiffener underneath. Looks pretty cool.

My stereo shares the VHF antenna using a Shakespeare 'automatic' switch. I haven't tried this yet but apparently for the short times you use the mic the stereo reception may suffer. In any case this is the simplest and cheapest way to go as having two separate antennae at the masthead and their wires leading up to it is just about senseless. I have seen stereo antennae set on the backstay fish plate and other locations. I just can't be bothered with that-- 9 times out of 10 I will prefer a CD or, if at the dock, there is WiFi.

I have not hooked up my Sirius/XM account yet so I don't know how that works.

I have a double-sheave masthead channel like yours (which I installed because the H25 came with only single halyards). I cut a wider groove in the mast for it and it's installed with an aluminum tube running through it as a bushing to accommodate the pin for the upper shrouds. It came with a really flimsy-looking spinnaker-halyard bail which I at once disregarded and instead I drew up the new fitting. Remember spinnakers need a limited-swivel block-- not one that is free to turn at will. Using two shackles together provides enough universal-joint action that it will yield to pretty much any way it should go. This is why spinnaker-halyard bails are always round rings rather than straightforward clevis-pin holes.

The most common deck downlight-steaming light combination fixture is probably the Aqua Signal one with its awkward-looking triangular ears to be riveted onto the mast. I chose the more elegant Forespar one. This eliminates the need for leading wires out to the spreaders (and leaves me with a hole in the side of the mast, which I have to fill somehow). Opinions vary; but I prefer the halogen downlight because it has kick-A brightness. Leave the LEDs for running and navigation lights. Any of these common fixtures can be adapted to take modern LED bulbs. Seek out Sailor Solutions or Doctor LED online who have all the adapters necessary.

As far as I know stainless steel is the worst at giving anyone fair warning. I've seen enough rotten stainless in this business to know not to second-guess it. The general rule should be that if you have any question, replace it. Boats of ours' vintage deserve new hardware. Remember tangs and chainplates should be type-304, but please make sure it's US or Western-made (the Asian 304 is really poor and this is why hardware makers like Sea Dog use cast-316 especially). Type 316 is stronger but more brittle, better for clevis pins that are under constant load. If it's bolted to the boat, make it 304. If it's a link in a chain (such as in rigging), make it 316. Dwyers are very good with tangs and clevis pins and they are not expensive. Tell them I sent you.

Remember to insultate/isolate the stainless from the aluminum, especially for rigging fittings not easily inspected. There are many ways to do this. Captain Mike Lawrence (C48 Munequita) insists upon delrin sheets under each fitting. Some people shave bits of Starboard to mount things on. Others use nylon washers like behind boom bails and such. My patented budget-minded system is to stick white electrical tape on the bottom of the fitting, trim the edges and then use insulating Loc-Tite on the screws. As long as it can't allow metal-to-metal transfer, it's good enough.

Looking forward to you getting that project under way soon.

* * *