New Mast

[ginwoodf]

I'm currently looking at a beautiful Kestrel 22 that is still on its original mast boom etc. This is all around 30 years old now with an awkward reefing technique. Has anyone got any idea of the replacement cost of a mast etc?? There is room in my offer for a fair amount of expense and the rest of the boat would justify digging deep....... Any riggers out there????
Gordon Inwood

 

[tillergirl]

You don't say if your mast/boom is/are wood or ally, nor whether it's in bad condition. I have a 40 year old boat (not a Kestrel but wood none the less) with original mast and boom, ally mast, wood boom. The mast is still fine if a bit grim looking because the anodising has worn over the years - I don't think this has affected the integrity of it. When last surveyed, I was told that it was fine and if I was concerned with the looks, I should paint it. I think the first consideration unless you can see a problem with the mast is to examine the standing rigging. If that's original, if its galvanised a good check over will show up obvious problems. If its stainless and original it probably should be replaced. I've done that with mine. As to the reefing, I have a roller on the boom at the gooseneck but I've added slab or jiffy reefing to the boom which is fine. I have to go to the mast to do it admittedly. In short, I'd be more concerned with the standing rigging and mast fittings first.

Hope this helps

 

[ginwoodf]

Thanks for your help and advice, My position is the same as yours with regard to the state of the ally mast,it looks a damm site worse than it is.I'm o.k. with the roller reefing, there are plenty of kits out there for sensible money, but how did you go about adding the 'slab'reefing?? please excuse my ignorance, I'm a born again motor boater (yes yes o.k.) is this a diy proposition??

 

[tillergirl]

Sorry, I wandered away to have a cup of tea. Barton or Harken used to do a slab reefing kit which is adjustable but I put two ball bearing cheek blocks on the right position on the boom (one either side), one for each reef and some eyes to feed the rope along the boom to a jam cleat either side of the boom. I suppose to list all the components it goes like this.

First the mainsail needs matching reefing eyes on luff and leach (front and back edge of the sail - sorry if this is telling you something you know already). If I remember correctly from the last Kestrel I saw, they have two reefing points so you should need to do nothing. It may be that you have three reefing point which we would have to talk some more about. Lets assume you have two - probably given the Kestrel history you will have a line of reefing ties between the eyes. At the front of the boom you will need some means of fixing the reefing eye at the boom when putting in the reef. At the back, you ave a reefing line for each reef permanently rove. It goes like this - one end of the reefing line is tied to the becket on the cheek block and then goes up the sail, through the reefing eye at the back of the sail, down the other side, turns through the cheek block and runs along the boom to one of the jam cleats on the side of the boom at the gooseneck. To put the reef in, I go to the mast, ease down the mainsail until the reefing eye can be hooked onto its fixing point right about the gooseneck (I have a double pronged inverted hook which I think is a barton fitting). Tightening up the luff secures the eye in the inverted hook. I then pull the reefing line through the jam cleat which brings down the reefing eye to the rear of the boom. Positioning of the cheek block is pretty important here - you need to be pulling out and tensioning the reefing eye backwards along the boom at the same time as pulling the eye down to the boom. Jam the jam cleat and the slab is in. I usually tie off the reef so that there is no 'loose foot' and because it makes my sail set a bit better - however some people don't bother. If a second reef becomes necessary, repeat the process.

I have a wooden boom so fixing the bits was easy. For an ally boom you will need to pop rivet the fittings but it shouldn't be too difficult. Modern stuff has the reefing lines running inside the boom which is pretty. It is also pretty difficult if it comes undone and pulls through! The disadvantages are a bit of gear on the side of the boom. The kit made by Barton and Harken had some adjustable channels of the block so it could be moved to get the position exact. I thought these just added unnecesarily to the gear on the boom because once you've got the right angle, you'll never move them again (and it was dearer). I used this system on two boats now, a 25' clinker centreboader (bit like a Finesse) and now my 32' one off bermudan sloop.

I hope I have not offended by describing this in two much detail. If you need further I'll see if I've an article or photo I can e-mail. Are you on the East Coast?

 

[Jacket]

I added slab reefing to my boat a couple of years ago, leading the controls back to the cockpit. It was very easy- got it done in a morning, using easily available off the shelf components.

A few years ago PBO did an article on slab reefing, showing all the different layouts possible and that sort of thing. I found this invaluable- you should be able to get a copy of the article from their copy service.

 

[dickh]

If an Alloy mast and looking rough, clean it up with one of the varnish type finishes I think it's DEKS OLJE or something like that - You just rub it on with wire wool, then wipe it off - works very well. I did a Vivacity mast & boom about 12 years ago like this. The chances are there is lots of life left in the mast as they were quite thick in those days.
For a new mast try Z-Spars in Hadleigh - very reasonable priced spars and v friendly.
If you need the correct name of the 'varnish' stuff I can get it for tomorrow.
See the previous post regards slab reefing - I also did this on the above vivacity and on a Halcyon 23.

dickh
I'd rather be sailing... /forums/images/icons/smile.gif

 

[ginwoodf]

thanks for a very , and necessarily, detailed reply. You have given me a lot of food for thought, I will go back to the boat next weekend and try to figure out how things would all go together. I'm in Kent (Conyer actually) and very puzzled!!