On Grenadine I use the NGA-18 tapered rubber wedges from Rig-Rite - http://www.rigrite.com/Spars/SparParts/Mast_wedges.php <http://www.rigrite.com/Spars/SparParts/Mast_wedges.php>. I’ve got a dozen of them, and insert them all around the mast. Grenadine came with hardwood wedges, but their lips were breaking off, and they would fall out.
I remove my mast every offseason. Every spring I slightly tweak the position of the mast base and therefore the mast’s position in the collar, based on what I learned the previous season. I made a set of 1/4” teak shims for positioning the base fore-and-aft in the mast box. After tuning the rig - centering transversely, ensuring it’s in column, and setting the rake - I put the wedges in. My mast is so frickin’ stiff fore-and-aft I don’t think there’s any way in hell my vang induces bend in the lower section. All I use the vang for is keeping the boom down and controlling mainsail leech tension off the wind. Since these are masthead rigs, the backstay only affects forestay tension therefore headsail draft, and rake therefore helm balance (secondarily to sail selection). It’s not at all like a bendy J/22 mast and fractional rig. Some rubber wedges still fall out over the course of the season, which makes me think I haven’t got the mast perfectly centered in the collar yet (hence the annual tweaking). Or there may be a bit of play from adjusting the backstay, or forces on the rig while sailing. However I’m afraid to go to a “permanent” solution like Spar-tite because I think that would make it a lot harder to unstep and re-step the mast every year (using a hand-cranked gin pole, at that). Regarding the step, my write-up of my mast step support re-build project may be of use to you. It also contains some discussion of the rig tuning aspects. It’s at https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B-NqAxQ6JxFTUlhmbUs4YTZlZnM <https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B-NqAxQ6JxFTUlhmbUs4YTZlZnM>. Cheers, Randy Stafford S/V Grenadine C&C 30-1 #7 Ken Caryl, CO > On Feb 6, 2019, at 7:58 PM, Steven A. Demore via CnC-List > <cnc-list@cnc-list.com> wrote: > > I had my C&C 30 MK1 dismasted yesterday to do some work on it. The boat came > with no wedges in the deck collar, so I made some one day, just to get > through summer. While taking down the mast yesterday, I asked the rigger > what kind of wedges it should have. He said he wasn’t sure whether C&Cs came > with wedges, or a metal spacer. Does anybody know what the factory used to > support the mast through the deck? > > Also, while I am at it. Any suggestions on anything I should be checking on > the mast? I’m replacing the wiring, going to LED lights, replacing all of > the running rigging, new blocks and sheaves, and checking out the step. The > boom has the internal blocks and wire for tensioning the foot of the main, > but I don’t know whether that is accessible for maintenance or not. > > One last thing. I was planning to mount steps (the triangular aluminum ones) > on the sides of the mast. The rigger recommended against it because of the > number of holes in the mast. Anybody have thought on whether a series of > small holes (1/8, 3/16??) would weaken the mast? > > Thanks, > Steve > _______________________________________________ > > Thanks everyone for supporting this list with your contributions. Each and > every one is greatly appreciated. If you want to support the list - use > PayPal to send contribution -- https://www.paypal.me/stumurray >
_______________________________________________ Thanks everyone for supporting this list with your contributions. Each and every one is greatly appreciated. If you want to support the list - use PayPal to send contribution -- https://www.paypal.me/stumurray
