Headsail and Mast

[Steve115]

Advice wanted!. I'm not great with sailing / rigging terminology so hope someone out there can help with this problem. I was hoisting the headsail today when I noticed that some of the sail hooks kept coming away from the mast. Just above the gooseneck where the sail goes into the mast, there is a plate that you can slide forward and back. When held forward it stops the hooks sliding out of the mast. When held back the hooks come out and allow you to take off the headsail. This plate is held fast by a screw directly into the mast. The screw now won't tighten as it looks like the ruts have worn away on the mast hle (not the screw itself). Has anyone had this problem, and if so, how do you go about fixing?

 

[Peegee]

Hi Steve. I had same problem which I fixed by changing the screw for a stud. I Bought a bolt and thumbscrew(instead of a nut) from local chandlers. cut off head of nut, which I then fixed in place with chemical metal, and hold the slide gate on with the thumbscrew. worked a treat and still good five years later. There is a gadget that you can buy which you slip into the track after the last sail slide and then tighten to stop the rest sliding down to the gate. but why bother...good luck

 

[William_H]

Hi Steve pst I think you are talking about te "Mainsail" the headsail being that one up font. good luck olewill

 

[roly_voya]

Yep its the mast gate in the mainsail track. Its a common problem because they put a stainless steel screw into an alloy mast and they corroded like mad as soon as the anodising wears off. I sorted mine by tapping a hole into a S/S plate to take the origioanal mast gate and the riviting the plate to the mast making sure tis time it was insulated.

 

[Twister_Ken]

Quick and dirty fix is to replace the screw (probably a bolt) with the next size up, use some beef as you put it in and it will cut itself a new thread.

 

[Steve115]

Thanks all for the advice (and yes I was talking about the Mainsail - not the headsail!)

 

[30boat]

Better use a tap for that.Aluminium is a very grippy metal and if you try to force a screw into an untapped hole it'll grab and brake,especially if it's under 6mm in diameter.

 

[Steve115]

Sorry for Ignoranc but what is a 'tap' ?

 

[Twister_Ken]

Cunning device for pouring beer into a glass...

...or cunning device for cutting a thread on the inside of a hole.

 

[alan17]

Problem with tapping a thread is the thickness (or rather the thinness) of the mast material.

If it were my mast I would look seriously at using pop rivets made of monel

 

[Twister_Ken]

Alan,

How do you pop rivet a moveable keeper plate?

 

[alan17]

With difficulty!
Sorry I missed that point!
Must read the initial post more carefully.