Mysterious looseness in rigging

[adamk]

Hi,

The mast to my 1978 O'day 22 broke off in a storm a few weeks ago. I fixed the mast and replaced the section of the backstay that broke (called the "backstay tailpiece" on the O'day 22), but then when I stepped the mast the backstay and forestay were absurdly loose--even after I tightened all turnbuckles as far as they could go.

The replacement backstay tailpiece is very close to the same size as the old tailpiece, so the backstay is not measurably longer than it was before. The forestay is exactly the same as it was before the mast fell. Although the mast cracked off its base when it fell, I was able to fix it without altering the size of the mast at all, and the mast does not appear to be bent.

Any ideas on why my rigging is so loose?

 

[RichH]

Are you SURE you didnt lose your mast step casting when the rig went 'overboard'. The casting fits onto the butt of the mast and if this is 'missing' the total mast length dimension will be 'short' .... and the backstay/forestay dimensions will be 'too long'.

http://www.drmarine.com/products.asp?cat=158 and the mast step casting is about the 17th item listed on this page.

 

[adamk]

Thanks for the response! Yes, I have the mast step casting (that's actually what the mast broke off of when it fell--the casting stayed with the boat).

 

[Ross]

If the length of the mast hasn't changed and if the length of the boat hasn't changed then the third leg of the triangle has to be the stays. Since you didn't change the forestay but did change the back stay then either the back stay is longer or your chain plate has shifted. The other posibility is you bent the boat in the middle. Naw! Idon't think so.

 

[jsalley]

How bout the swaged terminals on the ends of the stays? Could the wire have partially pulled out of the swages? Any broken wire strands over the length of the stays?

 

[RichH]

Thanks for the response! Yes, I have the mast step casting (that's actually what the mast broke off of when it fell--the casting stayed with the boat).

OK, but also look for 'shadows' on the coachroof where possibly there as a 'spacer' between the mast step casting and the coach roof. Sometime folks will put a 'spacer' below the mast to help raise it a wee bit ... to aid in tightening ALL the rigging, etc.

Did you *have* to significantly adjust (tighten) the cap shrouds when you reinstalled the mast? If the caps required a LOT of tightening, then a 'spacer' being lost overboard becomes more probable.

 

[Joe]

I would shorten the "backstay tailpiece"..(tang) you could have the wrong part, or the old part could have been modified by the previous owner... Anyway, buy a shorter one or just relocate the mounting holes to accommodate the difference... don't forget to allow for adjustment.

 

[Ted]

Check to see if there is any crushing of the deck area below the mast step due to excessive compression loads. Cored decks with poor sealing of the fasteners at the mast step could have rotted the core material.