You won’t get much bend on a 30-1. The mast is a telephone pole. I have had 
many experienced sailors and sailmakers on mine and the usual comment is all 
you are going to do is stiffen up the forestay when you haul on the backstay. I 
have a 4:1 purchase on a vang-like split backstay adjuster. I have never had a 
problem with the wedges, but they are quite tight when installed.

 

Gary

 

From: CnC-List [mailto:cnc-list-boun...@cnc-list.com] On Behalf Of Michael 
Brown via CnC-List
Sent: Sunday, January 1, 2017 1:17 PM
To: cnc-list@cnc-list.com
Cc: Michael Brown <m...@tkg.ca>
Subject: Re: Stus-List mast wedge and hatch lens

 

I did not have much success keeping hardwood wedges in place and tight on 
Windburn.
Spartite is an option but after some discussions with a fellow racer that does 
rigging and
a sailmaker I tested to see how much mast bend I get under normal maximum 
backstay
tension. The sailmaker looked and said it was negligible, my untrained eye 
didn't see any.
The concern is that I am getting additional rake which tightens the headsail 
luff but is that
effectively transferring a lot of force into the cabin top / mast collar ( 
backwards ) and
mast step ( forwards ) while requiring extra backstay tension? I understand 
with "flexible"
masts that blocking at the mast collar is required and inducing bend flattens 
the main.
I don't see much of that on my C&C 30-1.

So I wondered what the pro / cons were for blocking tightly. I made some 
measurements,
tested hard rubber strips for minimum compression and fitted Windburn with them.

Maybe the backstay requires a little less force to fully tighten, other than 
that I have not
noticed any change in tune or sailing characteristics. The mast is snug but can 
move 3/16"
forward and back ( rough measurement ) in the collar.

The wedges might hold the mast collar down, opposing the effect of halyards 
trying to
lift it and cabin top compression from the chain plates. Windburn has split 
mast collar
hold down brackets with a bolt adjustment. Another tuning step every spring.

Michael Brown
Windburn
C&C 30-1

 



 


From: Jeffrey Nelson <jhnelso...@gmail.com <mailto:jhnelso...@gmail.com> > 


If you have access to a bandsaw/tablesaw, it's fairly easy to make your 
own wedges from a chunk of hardwood.  I don't know of anyone 
who has them comercially available.  I milled my own a while back from a 
chunk of wood I grabbed off my wood lot.  The wedges are 
tapered on one side.  I cut the taper on my table saw on a wide board, 
then ripped the board into the width for the wedge to make a 
bunch.  2 inches seems wide for the wedge.  More wedges and narrower 
will make fitting easier.  I think I've got 8 or so around my 
mast.   You must have a place like: 
http://www.kjpselecthardwoods.com/ 
around Kingston somewhere as a good source for some 4/4 or 6/4 hardwood. 

Another option is to use a product like: 
https://www.spartite.com/Default.aspx?SiteID=3 

I replaced my forward hatch lens a number of years ago for much of the 
same reasons you are now.  I don't remember the 
exact product, but I suspect it wasn't acrylic.  Some other 
polycarbonate.  Any plastics shop should be able to recommend the 
righ material for UV resistance and strength. 

Hope this helps. 

-- 
Cheers, 
    Jeff Nelson 
    Muir Caileag 
    C&C 30 
    Armdale Y.C. 
    Halifax 

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