Forstay fitting. It may look ok, but is it!

[pmorris]

Just a warning.

I had to remove my stainless steel fitting on the mast, which houses two halyard sheeves and the forstay connection. The only thing holding it there was four stainless set screws tapped into the 3mm thick aluminium mast section. One of which when it was unscrewed half a turn, just pulled straight out because it had corroded the mast.

I don't know about anybody else but it didn't seem good enough too me. So I've had SS plates rolled to the same curve with nuts welded to them so I can now sandwich the mast section between those and the fitting. Does this seem ok or would you suggest another way?

Somebody's told me theirs a paste that you should put on the fittings to create a barrier inbetween the mast and the SS. Does anybody know what its called and where I can get some.

Cheers Paul

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[Heckler]

duralac
stu

<hr width=100% size=1>http://www.beneteau-owners-association.org.uk

 

[dickh]

The paste is called Duraloc or similar and can be got from chandleries. Coal the ss parts in contact with aluminium and it prevents corrosion between the dissimilar metals

<hr width=100% size=1>dickh
I'd rather be sailing... /forums/images/icons/smile.gif

 

[alan]

As already said Duralac is the stuff. I had my deck organisers apart the other day to give them a clean and lubrication and noted that the bodies are of alluminium and they were fitted using s/s bolts; all around the bolt heads where they are in contact with the alluminium there was a deposit of a whitish residue. Obviously whoever fitted them (Beneteau !!!) did not use Duralac (or plastic sleeves or some other method of separation). In the case of a deck organiser a failure is unlikely and would not be catastrophic in any case but for mast fittings .............. so use Duralac !!!

Alan.
Nettuno, Italy.

<hr width=100% size=1>Alan Cloke

 

[SlowlyButSurely]

Alternatively, you can use ordinary grease.

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