The mast went up smoothly. Just like the last two times. Did some work--a lot of work, and it was time to take it down. After I unhooked the shrouds, it slowly pitched forward and I couldn't hold it. I opted for a controlled crash to the roof rack on the pick-up. The mast isn't hurt. I wasn't hurt. The hinge failed catastrophically. Thank goodness we had used wood plugs. They failed and didn't hurt the mast. If they had been aluminium castings, the mast would have been ruined.
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| Fortunately the oak spit. If the plug were metal, it would have bent the mast. |
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| Pretty scary, huh? |
So what went wrong? As I sat and had a Jack Daniels, I realized that when I released the shrouds there was no back pressure on the mast.It just decided to rock forward. I was just lucky the first two times. So, What to do. I am not going back to the old system.
I have already ordered a new hinge from DR Marine. We need to move the pivot point of the A-frame forward so the shrouds can be hooked into the chainplates at all times. I already have a plan for this.
Really this was a lucky mistake. We discovered a major flaw. It happened on a dry sunny afternoon in the driveway--not a cold, dark, rainy night at the marina. Nobody was hurt. The mast and truck are fine--me too. And the next iteration will be much better. And -- We still have the original mast hanging in the overhead of the carport.
The fixes should be ready in about two weeks. Plenty of time before the first race--I hope. When this is repaired I'll show the improved traveler.
Wow, glad you and the boat are okay. The risk of dropping a mast is a little too real. Unfortunately in the past Spy Hop's mast was dropped and didn't make out as well as you have. Good to hear that you have a good fix in mind both for the mast as well as for the stepping process.
ReplyDeleteYeah, when I dropped the mast on my Mega 30 (all 38feet of it) it swung sideways, destroyed the hinge, and landed on the hood of a guy's suburban making a nice dent. So I stopped putting it up and down each time and took to driving around from the ramp to the dry storage lot with the mast up, and promptly took out a streetlight, the first time I used the curb lane, which broke the hinge, the mast, and the streetlight, and put Ballard into darkness for four hours. And it was race day in Shilshole so every racer in town was in the parking lot and saw it. I was famous. Then I sold the boat.
ReplyDeleteSo, yes, keeping the shrouds on will help, so will a backstay. Most important, don't go driving with it up.
I knew the basic part of the story, but I did not know all the other consequences. Does it seem funny now?
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