Forestay Bow Roller Fitting

[Tam Lin]

I had to replace the bow roller on my Centaur as it was cracked. I chose to put on a double roller and also had the boat’s rigging replaced. The problem is that the forestay toggle is rather large and along with the clevis pin takes up a lot of space making it difficult to use one of the rollers. As the boat sits on a swinging mooring the bow roller is in regular use.
I had thought of disconnecting the toggle and putting it in a vice to squeeze it shut then using a shorter clevis pin, or I could replace it with a thinner one.
A well respected sailor told me that there should be some slack to allow for movement. I did an Internet search and found some support for this but also advice to pack it tightly with washers to restrict movement.
What does the panel think is the best way to create some space over the second bow roller?

 

[TC Tuckton]

I have a similar problem on a Centaur double roller. I have considered a triangular ss plate bolted into the spare holes on the central web to raise the forestay attachment point by 15mms or so (the maximum I could accommodate on the forestay bottom fitting adjustment). However I suspect the added bending moment on that central web would be a risk; especially as the metal on mine is thinner than on the example shown in the photo.

 

[Yngmar]

This is a double toggle, so it has movement in both axis by design. It should be just loose enough for both pins to be able to rotate (not slide sideways), but yours is way too open and therefore the pin sits at one side, causing its axis to be at an angle to the hole, which will cause undue wear on pin and hole.

Squeezing it in a vise will probably not work, as you'd squeeze shut the the strap and prevent the T-bar on the stud from rotating in it, so probably best to replace with a narrower strap (which in most cases comes with a new stud). Yours seems to be a left-handed thread on the bottom by the way, something to watch out for when ordering.

Sta-Lok has studs with straps and provides dimensions online, although cheaper alternatives can be found: https://www.stalok.com/category/turnbuckle-spares