Mast chocks

sighmoon

sighmoon

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Is there an easy way of putting a mast chock back in it's rightful home? The aft one is particularly awkward.

I tie a rope around it to a spinnaker pulley tied to the bow cleats and lead it back to a winch. It creaks and clunks alarmingly before I manage to get the chock in, and I'm always worried something's going to break and get catapulted into someone's head. I'm sure there's a better way; what is it?
 
I am not sure there is an easy way. What I do with my rubber chocks is:

Loosen all standing rigging.

Put my aft, softer, chock in first. It will normally go in with a wiggle and washing up liquid.

Double a strop around the base of the mast and draw it back as hard as possible using the coachroof winches.

Wobble in the forward , harder, block. I have chamfered it's leading edge and sometimes belt it with a mallet, depending on mood.
 
You can use a rubber sealant type compound. It's not sealant but marketed for mast chocking.
My mast comes out in a couple of weeks and I intend to use it as i always get the odd chock falling out over the year (yes I know that's am sign of bad fitting in the first place)

Can't remember the trade name, but I'm sure if you talk to a rigger they will point you in the right direction; that's what I'm hopping anyway.
 
Boat441 said:
You can use a rubber sealant type compound. It's not sealant but marketed for mast chocking.
My mast comes out in a couple of weeks and I intend to use it as i always get the odd chock falling out over the year (yes I know that's am sign of bad fitting in the first place)

Can't remember the trade name, but I'm sure if you talk to a rigger they will point you in the right direction; that's what I'm hopping anyway.
Click to expand...

I think you're referring to Spartite:

http://www.spartite.com
 
You can put the backstay on hard to move mast fwd at deck. Put washing up liquid on chocks to reduce friction. Then winch forward as you have been. I would do the aft one before the fwd one though as you won't have obstruction from kicker bracket
 
I'd owned the boat for 18 months and sailed to Portugal before I got round to adding chocks. It was the first time I'd had a keel-stepped mast! - we just made wedges out of scrap wood and dropped them into the gap at deck level. Being wedges they tended to tighten rather than pop out. We did meet another Ericson 39 and he had used spartite -a rubber solution which sets pretty hard (like car tyre rubber) and obviously seals the mast against water - so no need for a gaiter. I have NO IDEA how you get the mast out again if it's sealed this way..
 
You grease the deck ring before pouring. Either it comes out or you start lifting the boat out of the water. If there are any imperfections it sticks like crazy.
 
Dont assume the hole in the deck is in the middle of the boat. Set up the rig under light tensions, check that mast head is in the middle of the boat. Now measure for chocks with the mast pushed forward from the aft face of the hole. this will also help to induce some prebend into the mast.
If you are using spartite pour it in at this point and then add the tensions when spartite is set. Alternatively fit rubber chocking pads available in different thicknesses from a mast spares specialist. you will need a second mortgage for the spartite. PM me if you need more help.
 
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