Tanzer 16 Hinged Mast Retrofit -- Part 5 -- Installing the brace and and the base (step) for the king post

Tanzer 16 Hinged Mast Retrofit -- Part 5 -- Installing the brace and and the base (step) for the king post -- September 14, 2014.  Installing the deck brace was pretty straight forward.  The base was another matter.  Remember--you are seeing this as I build it.  I haven't finished yet.  There will undoubtedly be mistakes made along the way.  Don't take a hacksaw to your mast until we see if this works.  jim

To install the brace, I just clamped the brace in place, drilled some holes with counter sinks and fastened it all together.  Well, it was almost that easy.  First I spent an hour agonizing over the exact location.  I used jacks to level the trailer, dropped plumb bobs, and messed about with levels.  I don't know what exactly I was looking for, but I couldn't find it.  Finally I realized that for 41 years, the mast has just been rattling around inside the over-sized slot and the bottom hasn't been fastened to anything.  So,  what the heck!  Let's just get it close that will probably be better than it was--And, when the boat is sitting in the water, we can drop a plumb bob and shim the mast to true vertical.  Therefore  I just centered the hole in the slot and called it good.

The caulk is important to keep water from entering the plywood substrate

of the deck.

Installation of the base (step) was a little more interesting.  It was tight--really tight.  To drill the holes through the keelson I needed a very short bit and a right angle drill.  Like this:

It did go in, but in retrospect, maybe I should have stuck with the original fitting bolted to the keelson or just used one bolt in the middle of the base assembly.  When I cut the mast, I will hedge my bets by leaving an extra 3/4" so that the base mount can be changed back to the original fitting if needed.

To get the final fit, the port side needed some extra planing and the bottom

had to be shortened by one inch.  But, it is a sturdy little momma!

Next:  It's time to sailor-up and cut the mast.  This will be the first irreversible thing we have done.  I already made the special miter box for this operation and I think I know how to support the 24 feet of mast while we cut it.  (Work bench, table saw and rolling table with some spacers added.)  But, first I need to take a week or two off and do some leaf raking, firewood splitting, and actually do some things for my day job.  I will get back to you.

Today's Cliche:  God gave us the White Sox to remind us that anybody can have a bad century or two.