More on Mast Hinge

papasbackhoeinc · Jan 25, 2008

Thanks for the info, I'll be calling them today! Hope it's tough enough for a 27 foot sailboat mast. Again many thanks for your help. Andi

pjacobs55 prjacobs@... wrote: Rig Rite has an interesting looking assembly that will hinge either
fore or aft. Remove the Vega step, bolt the lower hinge piece to the
deck, bolt the Vega step to the upper piece, and you have a
tabernacle.

Kenyon K-1374 Hinged Mastplate Assembly

I don't know how much the assembly raises the mast (it doesn't look
like much) but you may need to shorten the mast by the same amount if
there is not enough adjustment left in your rigging screws.

Lowering the mast aft with this kind of hinge won't work, as the
forward edge of the cabin top will be in way before it comes down far
enough to support it by hand.

Lowering it forward seems to be the easiest way. Chuck Rose has a
very good page at
http://tinyurl.com/24puac
complete with pictures. The beauty of this method is that the boom
can be used as a gin pole.

Peter
#1331 'Sin Tacha'

damselvega · Jan 25, 2008

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groundhogyh · Jan 25, 2008

Would it be better to have mast steps or have a mast hinge/tabernacle?
With the steps you could go up while you are out on the water if needed, right?
rb

Nathan Wagner wagnern@... wrote:
"No Reply"notify-dg-AlbinVega@yahoogroups.com writes:

capt_sail · Jan 26, 2008

Depends on why you want to go up the mast in the first place. Most any repair or installation at the masthead or spreaders will be much easier with the mast down compared to working aloft. You might also want to unstep the mast for winter storage or to transit a canal or under a bridge... Of course mast steps are great to just retrieve a halyard that got away or to unjam a roller furler (no, I'm not starting that discussion again...)
Bill
V1390

papasbackhoeinc · Jan 26, 2008

Nathan,

I am currently rebuilding my Vega here in Texas. My boat has mast steps on the mast but no tabernacle fitting. I believe that both are required for myself. I want to be able to lower the mast whenever I need to but also believe that the steps would come in handy. The steps on my boat were installed over ten years ago so I am thinking of corrosion with the dissimilar metals. I'll let you know when I get down to tearing the mast apart. Andi

groundhog groundhogyh@... wrote:
Would it be better to have mast steps or have a mast hinge/tabernacle?
With the steps you could go up while you are out on the water if needed, right?
rbNathan Wagner wagnern@... wrote:
"No Reply"notify-dg-AlbinVega@yahoogroups.com writes:

rchrdcoe · Jan 26, 2008

On my first vega I had mast steps. I liked them for working aloft but
my halyards were forever getting hung up on them.
Richard

pelagicasd · Jan 26, 2008

Lyric has mast steps. We love them. Changing out a light bulb working on the antennae, etc made them wothwhile. We ran a length of line along the outside edge and seized it to each step to deal with the tangled halyards problem. Worked well. My only concern about the hinge is how do we secure our mast step to it? The step is screwed to the cabintop, only gravity and the stays hold it there. WaltTo: AlbinVega@yahoogroups.comFrom: coe.richard@...: Sat, 26 Jan 2008 15:16:38 +0000Subject: [AlbinVega] Re: re:More on Mast Hinge

On my first vega I had mast steps. I liked them for working aloft but my halyards were forever getting hung up on them.Richard