I replaced the upper shrouds on my 23.5 yesterday. I noticed a few popped strands in the steel wire where it is swedged to the t-ball at the top. It was somewhat annoying since it was on my winter maintenance to-do list. But I failed to actually do it until stepping the mast for the spring float. So, she's been unseaworthy for the last month since putting her in the water.
It seemed like a simple swap, with most of the work being putting the boat back on the trailer and dropping the mast. I estimated it would take about an hour and a half to trailer, swap, and then put back in the water. Took more like 2.5 hrs. Part of that being some trailer loading bofoonery. (I knew I was screwing up when some folks sitting by the shore turned their chairs to watch). The only thing needing "broken down" was taking the bimini off. Ive got a roller jib, so I just pulled the jib sheets and roller furler line. I was able to leave the main boom and sail fully attached. Dropped the mast like normal. The swap of the shrouds got slowed down by fiddling around with the position of the keepers at the tip of each spreader. Their position had to be fairly close or it would stress the spreader up or down, not perpendicular, to the mast. And then the cotter pins that fasten the shroud pins to the "chainplates" (not really chainplates on this size boat). are annoyingly hard to access.
But in the end, she's back in business. And the day started out rainy and cloudy. By the time we were done around 5 pm, most people had left the lake and it cleared with a nice steady light breeze. Had a great evening sail and dinner.
Props to the Hunter Parts Store. New shrouds shipped fast and fit perfectly. Not bad for a 24 year old boat.
It seemed like a simple swap, with most of the work being putting the boat back on the trailer and dropping the mast. I estimated it would take about an hour and a half to trailer, swap, and then put back in the water. Took more like 2.5 hrs. Part of that being some trailer loading bofoonery. (I knew I was screwing up when some folks sitting by the shore turned their chairs to watch). The only thing needing "broken down" was taking the bimini off. Ive got a roller jib, so I just pulled the jib sheets and roller furler line. I was able to leave the main boom and sail fully attached. Dropped the mast like normal. The swap of the shrouds got slowed down by fiddling around with the position of the keepers at the tip of each spreader. Their position had to be fairly close or it would stress the spreader up or down, not perpendicular, to the mast. And then the cotter pins that fasten the shroud pins to the "chainplates" (not really chainplates on this size boat). are annoyingly hard to access.
But in the end, she's back in business. And the day started out rainy and cloudy. By the time we were done around 5 pm, most people had left the lake and it cleared with a nice steady light breeze. Had a great evening sail and dinner.
Props to the Hunter Parts Store. New shrouds shipped fast and fit perfectly. Not bad for a 24 year old boat.
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