Using a hand drill on the mast?

[Cuan]

Make sure that you have the rivet gun on a lanyard, my son in law dropped mine from the above the cross trees when he was riveting in blocks for lazyjacks. It bounced off the deck next to me and over the side, missing me by a few inches.
I shouldn't have told him about the will.

 

[Bosun Higgs]

Has anyone used a hand drill to make 4 x rivet holes in similar circumstances?

Any advice to offer?

.

No - I used an electric drill because that allows you to use one hand to steady yourself whilst drilling with the other. Two hands on a hand drill would be difficult / dodgy.

I am not completely clear what your problem is, but halyard wraps are usually avoided by using an omega shaped pressing known as a diverter.

 

[chewi]

Thats how the Titanic was built

with 4mm Poprivets & a hand drill?
No wonder it sank.

 

[sailorman]

with 4mm Poprivets & a hand drill?
No wonder it sank.

 

[Skylark]

Many thanks for so many useful and informative replies.

I probably will fit a diverter per the majority advice. I've also since found two other possible alternatives.

This looks interesting as it simply clamps to the top of the shroud:-

http://marinestore.co.uk/PL18656-CLS.html

This Harken device looks close to what I had in mind (but requires 6 rivets!)

http://www.ar-marine.co.uk/harken-small-halyard-restrainer.html

I confess that as a cruiser, my headsail halyard doesn't receive too much attention during the course of an average season.

 

[wklein]

Harken one looks good if a little expensive for what you need, plastimo one looks like a piece of junk. Nearly everyone uses selden ones which are cast chrome bronze (or brass), especially if they have a selden mast. Comes with isolation pad and rivets. Only prob is if your using wire halyards, they can cut through them pretty quick. If you get stuck let me know and i can get hold of them.

Here is one in ss which will work for wire at a very good price:
http://www.seateach.com/details.asp?ProdID=799

 

[VicS]

If you fit the Harken one or anything that stands as proud from the mast as that does be sure that if/when the mast is taken down the foil can lie against the mast properly.

 

[William_H]

Attaching fittings to the mast

yes definitely use a battery powered drill. I would go for machine screws and a tap to fit the part chosen.
Use the electric drill to drive in the tap. Use in reverse to remove again. Make sure you have the correct sized drill for the tap. Not to small as tap will be too hard to run in not to big as that will have less thread for the screw to hold onto. Of course use duralac. good luck olewill

 

[sailor22]

See my post on the For Sale element of the forum for a suitable halyard diverter.

http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?t=310517

Fix them with a battery drill, 2 off 4.8mm monel rivets and a decent rivet gun (the long handled ones are best and if you are in the Gosport area I can lend you one).

It is not difficult. I have just drilled nearly 150 rivet holes in my mast for various fitting including a full set of mast steps at 5 rivets apiece.

Do make sure that you use a centre-pop to mark the centre of your hole (the automatic ones are best), fit the insulator and dip the monel rivets in some Duralac to keep corrosion at bay.

 

[BAtoo]

I think the normal solution is to add a halyard diverter. Only 2 rivet holes too!

+1 for this.

Did it on my boat - on the ground though - - as instructed by my rigger friend.

+1 for electric drill(& decent quality bits)

+1 for lazy tongs because I doubt the other sort will be man enough for the size rivet needed

+1 for tying everything on to you or something

 

[cmedsailor]

Just wondering if I'm mad or if anyone else has done something similar?

Hello partner!!
Same boat, I have actually installed that specific diverter with two rivets and it works fine, I have used a battery powered drill so now you know it can be done! Just make sure you use good quality steel drills and overall it's a 10 minutes job.
Don't worry about friction. The halyard doesn't really move up or down. A block is not necessary at all.

PS: Besides the diverter it's very important to make sure that the halyard swivel rotates freely (it didn't mind, the halyard was trying to turn around the forestay but the diverter was preventing it until I cleaned it last week). Lift the dust cup of the swivel so you have access to the ball bearings, wash with warm fresh water, spray with WD40, wash again with plenty of fresh water and then lubricate with water proof grease or even better Mclube one drop.

Good luck.

 

[Skylark]

Here is one in ss which will work for wire at a very good price:
http://www.seateach.com/details.asp?ProdID=799

Thanks for this, wklein,

I'll need the larger size, suitable for the 811 system, I believe. My boat is 36 ft, mast head rig. The headsail halyard is 10mm polyester.

Do you know the diameter of the rivet required for this product?

Monel rivets are notoriously hard to fit. The larger diameters, even more so. I do have a set of lazy tong riveters but I need to do this at the very top of the mast. Not an inviting proposition.

My boat is still in its cradle until 20th April and, weather permitting, I'm planning to fit something that weekend.

 

[Bosun Higgs]

6 mm monel. did the job this winter since the horrible wire halyards oin my boat had cut half way through the bronze diverter in just 2 years. changed to 10mm dynema at the same time.

you are worrying unnecessarily. taking it slowly and with a decent comfortable bosuns chair, its an easy job. not like taking off the forestay to replace a missing link which I am about to do. everything gets wobbly.

 

[reeac]

Plastimo used to, and maybe still do, use a bent shackle to attach the halyard and divert it away from the foil. Worked perfectly well on my previous boat and it obviates climbing the mast.

 

[CreakyDecks]

An automatic centre punch will help and use a decent quality sharp drill bit.

 

[chewi]

PS: Besides the diverter it's very important to make sure that the halyard swivel rotates freely (it didn't mind, the halyard was trying to turn around the forestay but the diverter was preventing it until I cleaned it last week). Lift the dust cup of the swivel so you have access to the ball bearings, wash with warm fresh water, spray with WD40, wash again with plenty of fresh water and then lubricate with water proof grease or even better Mclube one drop.

Good luck.

I would think the grease would dry out after a while and make matters worse. It did on my lower bearings

 

[cmedsailor]

I would think the grease would dry out after a while and make matters worse. It did on my lower bearings

Grease was the facnor dealer's suggestion. I have used Mclube one drop instead which definately it's suitable (and I find it an excellent product for roller bearings in general).

 

[wklein]

Thanks for this, wklein,

I'll need the larger size, suitable for the 811 system, I believe. My boat is 36 ft, mast head rig. The headsail halyard is 10mm polyester.

Do you know the diameter of the rivet required for this product?

Monel rivets are notoriously hard to fit. The larger diameters, even more so. I do have a set of lazy tong riveters but I need to do this at the very top of the mast. Not an inviting proposition.

My boat is still in its cradle until 20th April and, weather permitting, I'm planning to fit something that weekend.

Holes are 1/4" so can use quarter rivet, or just tap in a m6 bolt with isolation paste on it, not as strong but you will end up with all your digits in tact.

 

[chewi]

Holes are 1/4" so can use quarter rivet, or just tap in a m6 bolt with isolation paste on it, not as strong but you will end up with all your digits in tact.

If you prefer you can fit a "rivscrew", a kind of poprivet with a threaded hole.
http://www.avdel-global.com/en/products/speed-fasteners/rivscrewr.html

You'd have to find someone with the tooling to fit it, maybe a local sheet metal works?

You could do this afterwards if the tapped holes are not up to it.

 

[merlin3688]

A quick tip when using a rivet gun and after you have checked it fits the hole is to put the rivet in the gun first and pull up to first bite without pulling the rivet up, if you put it in the mast first often the stalk goes in the mast and it will not grip, up a mast is even more important to get that first grip, if the stalk does go in you would need a thin screwdriver to hold the stalk while pulling up the rivet, hard to do on land let alone up in the air!