Replacing standing rigging, wasn't expecting this and some mast advice.

[steve yates]

Mast is off to remove and replace standing rigging on my wee boat. (bradwell 18) The cap shrouds and lowers go through a slot into the mast, (pic 1) then run up inside the mast and loop over something at top of the mast. (bolt or rod probably) I wasn't expecting that! (pic 2) There are no tangs or tball fittings or similar.
It looks like a simple concept but with someobvious flaws, with the line of the shrouds and the chance for wear at the slots. Pic 3 shows the cap shroud wearing a groove in the mast and pic 4 a crack at top of the slot where the lower enters the mast.



1) Has anyone come across this as a rigging method before? what are the pros and cons and would you keep it or change it completely?

2) To access it I need to remove the mast head, any tips and advice on removing it before I blunder in?

3) If I start from scratch, can I utilise the slots in the mast?

4) Whats the best way to repair that crack in the lower slot?

and the big queation for me,

5) If I change the way the rigging is fitted, whats the best way to measure up for what is effectively a new rig without the old one as a template? (the cap shrouds couldn't be tightened enough anyway previously) The old rigging had swaged studs that threaded into bottle screws. I was hoping to reuse these but I'm thinking my only realistic method is to use stalock or similar as I can't see how I can measure this up accurately enough?

Thanks.

 

[chris-s]

We had a similar arrangement on our previous boat, a little Pegasus 700. The cap shrouds had a talurit eye in the end and were just passed over a bolt that went thru the mast. We had similar wear but no crack. To repair the crack, I guess there are several options, one might be to fit a band over it, but not sure what that might interfere with on your mast. Sure it could be welded.

 

[B27]

Dinghies were rigged like that in the 60s.
That slot would concern me, the copper ferrule has perhaps eaten the mast from inside.
Can you see it from the other side?
It looks close to the front of the mast is that the case?

 

[Graham376]

I would drill a hole at the end of the crack and then pop rivet a plate over the area.

 

[steve yates]

Dinghies were rigged like that in the 60s.
That slot would concern me, the copper ferrule has perhaps eaten the mast from inside.
Can you see it from the other side?
It looks close to the front of the mast is that the case?

Its a different slot at same point on the other side, for the other shroud. No crack on that one.
And no, its pretty much in the centre of the coloumn at the side, prob just the angle I took the pic at.

 

[William_H]

The crack if it is in the slot near the top of the mast will not be under a lot of stress and could be ignored or patched over. It is the area of mast in between stay support that gets the most stress. (possible sideways buckling)
The mast cap may have to be removed. Should not be a major problem although almost always the ali plug part will be corroded in to top of mast. Use hot wateer etc after removing rivets. Worst case scenario cut through the mast below plug and shorten mast by 40 mm or so.
The existing stay attachment is probably OK although I would not love it. I don't like the way wire seems to go forward inside the mast which must put sideways pressure on the wire through slot. (if i am seeing correctly from photo).
I would drill a hole from one side of mast to other through the plug of the cap and fit tangs (2 plates each side say 40m mm long with a hole for bolt and a hole for clevis pin and attachment of swage and thimble of wire.
Any variations to attachment should be easy enough to calculate required wire length change. You should have plenty of adjustment in turn screw to allow for inaccuracies of wire length. The bottom swage end with threaed part that goes in to turn screw is a neat good system which is very common. I would give the rigger the old wires with instructions on any variation opf length required. ol'will

 

[Iliade]

The crack could progress if untreated, so I'd simply drill* a hole of the same diameter as the slot just beyond the hole, then cut out the material in between to extend the slot to the pretty much the length it should have been in the first place.
(*Pilot drill then increase size steadily and don't drill into the gubbins inside!)

Otherwise, the loads are small and the setup has already stood the test of time...

Slightly disturbing that the cap shrouds were loose though. Has the mast foot started to cave into the deck? Is the mast support strut/main bulkhead ok? Were they designed to be loose, or at least not tight?

 

[Black Sheep]

That's not what the rigging on River Rat looked like when she was bermudian! I think I had tangs. I did replace the standing rigging using an Ormiston splicer - slow but sure. I think in your position I would be tempted to think about using dyneema, running it round the outside of the mast - cheapish, easy, and more scope for adjustment with an appropriate lashing at the lower ends.

 

[Daydream believer]

As suggested above, remove the wires, pop rivet 2 tangs externally each with a shackle. You could hook the tangs so they just go over the top of the mast by 10mm to help & not be totally reliant on the rivets.
Fit dynema rigging. Make a neat job of tensioning each side with a pair of small friction rings & a couple of turns to apply tension. Job done & no issue with length. The furler can be replaced as is but you should be able to do the backstay in wire or dynema- your choice.