posted June 12, 2002 02:45 PM            

kengoodings@sympatico.ca

posted June 13, 2002 09:51 AM            

Supposing that your mast step is the stock unit from C&L. In that case the mast must be lifted manually (three people is best) and socketed into the receiving part on the cabin roof (tabernacle)

Two people to lift the mast, while the third person steadys the mast rigging and then connects the forestay to the bow casting. The mast should initially be laid along the length of the top of the boat...protruding over the stern. The two shrouds on both sides can be loosely connected first before raising the mast. When the mast is vertical, connect the forestay, then tighten all three turnbuckles.
I cannot advise how tight they should be, as every setup is different, but the mast should be raked back at a slight angle from the vertical.
Tighten the three turnbuckles until the mast is straight along the boat's centre line with a rake backwards. This backwards rake is necessary on most boats to reduce sail imbalance which will potentially cause the boat to have a dangerous steering condition known as lee helm.
This is defined as a tendency to go down wind when the tiller is released and is a very undesirable trait.
Ideally, in moderate to strong winds the boat should round up into the wind when you release the tiller, (slight weather helm)
You might have to play with this angle of rake to achieve a slight amount of weather helm in moderate winds. This is achieved by adjusting the forestay turnbuckle a bit and then taking up the slack by adjusting the two shroud turnbuckles. I had to put an extension fitting on the forestay to achieve good weather helm trim. The whole idea is to get the centre of total sail effort slightly aft of the center of total underwater lateral resistance caused by the centre board when sailing to windward with both jib and mainsails.

How tight should the shrouds be? This is a simple three part rig, and without inner stays to provide maximum support, the mast will flex slightly while on a beat in moderate to heavy winds. The leeward shroud will slacken...it's quite unnerving at first until you analyze (and accept) the dynamics of such a simple rig. The shrouds should be reasonably tight while the boat's at the dock or on the trailer.....without breaking any deck hardware by over-tightening.

The angles between the upper and lower parts of the shrouds and the spreader should be equal. This is important in order to prevent bending stresses on the spreaders. I have crimped copper sleeves onto the shroud wires on either side of the spreader to keep it in position. Either buy a white rubber spreader boot or tape up the connection with white rigging tape. This will reduce abrasion to the mainsail when on a run downwind.

Make sure the Windex is properly mounted and protected while the mast is horizontal. They're $50 and easily broken.

The use of split-ring keepers rather than cotter pins on turnbuckles and all other rigging fittings will prevent snagging fingers and toes.

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There's a pivoting tabernacle on my boat. I attach the bottom of my mast to it with a single 5/8 " stainless bolt. With the wooden "A" frame shown in the attached drawings, and using a line around the mainsail winch, the whole mast goes up or down single-handed. The first owner devised this system to motor under a causeway and then raise the mast when out on the lake. While motoring the mast remains bolted to the pivoting tabernacle and protrudes over the stern. The wishbone "A" frame remained on deck whether sailing or motoring. I raise the mast on the trailer and then remove the "A" frame after rigging. "ShortWave" remains on a mooring all summer.
The shrouds remained connected and properly adjusted, and the forestay was connected with a quick release pin through the bow casting and then tightened to a predetermined setting using a Wichard cam-locked lever.

I've attached two drawings of the mast stepping rig, a line drawing of the Sandpiper 565 from the manual, and a picture of ShortWave at her mooring.

Regards......Ken

The hard part is getting the forestay fastened against the tension of the rig. I find that my turnbuckles don't offer enough extension and the forestay just does not want to reach. I have spent time drooling over the West Marine catalog and considering quick-release shroud tensioners.

posted June 18, 2002 11:38 AM            

kengoodings@sympatico.ca