Teak winch pads

[zoidberg]

I need to mount a pair of halyard winches, and so need angled winch pads of about 140mm face diameter.
There are Selden castings available, but at hefty prices. Teak pads, also available, cost less than 1/3 the 'posh' ones.
I reckon I could make a pair of teak pads for 'not very much mullah'.

Care to share any experience of teak pads mounted on an alloy mast?

 

[pcatterall]

I need to mount a pair of halyard winches, and so need angled winch pads of about 140mm face diameter.
There are Selden castings available, but at hefty prices. Teak pads, also available, cost less than 1/3 the 'posh' ones.
I reckon I could make a pair of teak pads for 'not very much mullah'.

Care to share any experience of teak pads mounted on an alloy mast?

My instinct says teak!! I see lots of allu castings sitting on teak and i think the pads on my mast winches are also teak.

 

[MontyMariner]

I would buy a length of anodised aluminium sheet and get a metal fabricator to bend some angles in it.
_|-------\_
Or you could use anodised aluminium bar and bend it yourself, two bars per winch.

 

[Blueboatman]

Your problem is going to be how you envisage mounting a tapered wooden block to the mast
And then bolting the winch bases to the teak
And you have to set the teak grain and profile the base to match that of the mast
Sorry
I think if you know the part number that wil fit to the mast profile, perhaps a call to those topical boat recylers in Portsmouth. Or adress smimbos HoneyDo list and hope for a very nice christmas present x2

 

[KevinV]

I'd go with thickened epoxy, or polyester body filler in a bag - perfect fit guaranteed, cost=peanuts

 

[ducked]

I'd go with thickened epoxy, or polyester body filler in a bag - perfect fit guaranteed, cost=peanuts

Concrete-in-a-bag would cost about one dried pea, maybe half a dozen optionally with glass microballons as aggregate. Might not look very "yachty" though.

Maybe cover it with an aluminium or SS mounting plate, which could be bent at the edges to partly or mostly hide the ugly load bearing filler underneath

 

[KevinV]

Concrete-in-a-bag would cost about one dried pea, maybe half a dozen optionally with glass microballons as aggregate. Might not look very "yachty" though.

Maybe cover it with an aluminium or SS mounting plate, which could be bent at the edges to partly or mostly hide the ugly load bearing filler underneath

Just sand it to shape and you'll never notice it - or paint if you're really fussy.

 

[Neeves]

Just sand it to shape and you'll never notice it - or paint if you're really fussy.

Do you really need to locate (2?) halyard winches at the mast. Understand this yacht will be sailed single handed and if you want 2 halyard winches one is probably for reefing. The last place you want to be when reefing is at the mast (though its a common enough practice). Instead of winches at the mast is there no chance of routing the halyard (and reefing lines) to the cockpit - making the exercise much safer.

If you insist on mast locations two aluminium saddles would be my choice, 'sort or' "U" shaped to fit the mast. Here you could buy them from stock - any mast builder should have something. If aesthetics are important a slice of teak between winch and saddle.

Jonathan

 

[zoidberg]

Do you really need to locate (2?) halyard winches at the mast. Understand this yacht will be sailed single handed...

Na! You're likely one of those 'old school jocks' who send your wimmin forward to do a man's job*! Been there, done that, etc.

Those halyard winches are wanted firstly, 'cos I have the winches gathering dust and spiders' webs; second, 'cos they're intended for the two headsails; third, 'cos this auld and getting-frail reprobate feels the need of a modicum of mechanical advantage now and then.

Yes, I can 'sweat' up a halyard to get a quite-firm luff on a genoa. Done my time on that, in spades! Still can...

OK, OK. I'll compromise. The mainsail halyard will feed back to an adequate winch on the coachroof. That'll do nicely for tweaking up the last 6 inches or so ( 150 mm for antipodeans ) at full hoist and at reefing - and I will also have the option of 'sweating up' when I feel the need for that form of exercise.

* I have a mate who had a 'racing snake' Outremer 43. It was a double handful at times. His gorgeous 'stop-the-traffic' lady wife was all of 5' and 100lbs, and it was her who got sent to the mast to wrestle wi' the mainsail reefing when it had been blowing up, half an hour after the reef should have been pulled in.

A game lass she certainly was - but that was simply ridiculous.

 

[Neeves]

Na! You're likely one of those 'old school jocks' who send your wimmin forward to do a man's job*! Been there, done that, etc.

Those halyard winches are wanted firstly, 'cos I have the winches gathering dust and spiders' webs; second, 'cos they're intended for the two headsails; third, 'cos this auld and getting-frail reprobate feels the need of a modicum of mechanical advantage now and then.

Yes, I can 'sweat' up a halyard to get a quite-firm luff on a genoa. Done my time on that, in spades! Still can...

OK, OK. I'll compromise. The mainsail halyard will feed back to an adequate winch on the coachroof. That'll do nicely for tweaking up the last 6 inches or so ( 150 mm for antipodeans ) at full hoist and at reefing - and I will also have the option of 'sweating up' when I feel the need for that form of exercise.

* I have a mate who had a 'racing snake' Outremer 43. It was a double handful at times. His gorgeous 'stop-the-traffic' lady wife was all of 5' and 100lbs, and it was her who got sent to the mast to wrestle wi' the mainsail reefing when it had been blowing up, half an hour after the reef should have been pulled in.

A game lass she certainly was - but that was simply ridiculous.

Our cat had 2 winches on the mast - for the headsails on furlers, so not used too often. I swore having had halyards and reefing lines at the mast - "never again" and demanded the main halyard, and reefing lines all came back to the 'cockpit'. I also demanded a third reef in the main (which was used frequently).

Thank you for the conversion of 6 inches, inches?? - to a sensible metric measurement.

what's all this 5' and 100lbs - we hope to measure our Sheilas in the same way you, in the UK, measure horses .

Though I must confess to now being a bit old for such measurement, and also spoken for - by she who also owned the cat, hence Josepheline

You could always sell those dusty winches - they must be worth a decent bottle of malt, or two.

Jonathan

 

[Stemar]

Move the winches aft and bring the lines to them. End of problem.

You'll thank me when you've left it a bit late to reef in a nasty sea.

 

[RunAgroundHard]

I tried looking on line for second hand pads, none that I could find. I would contact the boat breakers as they may be able to get them off a mast before scrapping. I imagine that they would just end up in the scrap pile with the mast after the winches were removed for reselling.

Ignore the lines lead after brigade, stay fit and do balance exercises and mast work is easy for the aged sailor.

 

[zoidberg]

...what's all this 5' and 100lbs - we hope to measure our Sheilas in the same way you, in the UK, measure horses

I take it you're not referencing any known SI units, but rather 'Standard British Handfuls'...

And she was both a handful - and an eyeful!

 

[Neeves]

I take it you're not referencing any known SI units, but rather 'Standard British Handfuls'...

And she was both a handful - and an eyeful!

At least someone does not take life too seriously.

but I assume two hands, not 'a' handful.

Jonathan

 

[noelex]

Teak on aluminium is not a good combination, especially on a mast which typically uses 6061 aluminium.

A bent aluminium plate is a much better option. Selden offers a commercial product, but this is expensive. It should not be difficult to fabricate something similar for a lower price.

 

[Tranona]

If you are not into tweaking jib halyard tension while sailing then why not take the halyards back to the cockpit winches and use a clutch on the mast to hold the tension and stow the tails at the mast. That is what I did on my Bavaria for the furling mainsail and Gennaker as there were not enough clutches aft. You just need turning blocks at the base.