Mast step saga

[commanderpete]

I never did hear from any Commander owners as to what their mast step looked like. So, I'm proceeding with the original plan.

I took the original delaminated mast step (which I replaced two years ago) and put a few layers of fiberglass on it. It still needs to be cleaned up and shaped. I have to make sure the bottom fits the camber of the deck nicely.

I'll paint it before installation so it looks nice.

[commanderpete]

I think the mast steps on the Commander and Ariel were different. On the Commander, the mast step sits on a sloping portion of the cabin top. By building up the front of the mast step, the surface for the mast base will be level (possibly).

[commanderpete]

It looks a little cloudy because I put a coat of epoxy with silica on it.

The back end had been mushed down because of the delamination. I built that up a little. I glassed in my two lucky 1965 coins there.

Hope this works.

I should have left well enough alone.

[drm901]

In the recent newsletter, the article talked about simply fixing the void under the plywood deck mast step.  In my article in the previous newsletter, that is what I recommended.  I had a major void in the balsa core under the mast step.  Filling that with West Systems epoxy solved 90% of my problem.

I suggest before you assume the problem is the strong back, you literally do some digging first - into the deck core to see if that is the root of your problem.  That fix is significantly faster & easier than replacing the strong back.  

The other way to look for the root problem is to take the pressure off strong back by unstepping your mast (ideally) and see if the strong back is bowing.  

Just a suggestion!  I know it worked for me.

[Brent]

Here's the strongback on #66. There is a piece of wood screwed to it with three steel screws, now very rusted.

Suggestions for removing the screws and the wood?

Also, what about the glimmer of light at the upper left? There appears to be a gap here, but I am not sure if that is "normal" or not. Should I be concerned about the strongback if it has not been loaded in over 10 years?

[Brent]

Here's a closer look at one of those screws...

[ebb]

Trash it

Let me amend that.  Take it off.  Trash it.  It's awful.  Trash it.
(assuming of course you have the mast off  the boat)
3 iron screws do not make a strongback.

If your beam on the other side is rotton and you are RESTORING my oak pieces are all in good shape and you can have them.

But you'd be better off refitting in fresh live wood

[ebb]

Hey Mr B, you gotta go thru all this good stuff here and the Manual,  You'll find plenty of info on the compression beam and strongback.   If you have a problem here IMHO you have no choice but to remove the mast to relieve the pressure on the coachroof.   You have to find out what degree of a problem you have.   Or as I personally discovered maybe you don't if you're lucky and it's just some shims you need.

You might find it all in the ARCHIVE FORUM.:rolleyes:

[drm901]

Based on the picture, I agree the strong back needs to be replaced.  Here is a picture of a "new and improved" mast step.  I figure if you are going to pull it off, put a better one down.

This distributes the load over a greater area, and also allows you to move your blocks so they aren't thru-bolted - and leak.

[Brendan Watson]

Has anyone changed the mast step on their boat? I re-made the pad
step pad on mine about 5 years ago and have had no problem
with it. My intrest in changing the original set-up is to see if I
can find and fit a robust mast step that incorporates a tabernacle.
Not the cheapie jobs that can be seen on various boats, but an
honest , strong, stainless, collection of thoughtfull metal that
would improve the load carrying ability of the mast step area
and, by changing the bolt configuration enable me to raise and
lower the mast with one or two other people without gougeing
up the cabin top. I've had the mast down a couple of times and
I'm tired of paying what amounts to about a thousand dollars
an hour for a fifteen minite job.

If anyone has any any ideas about hardware I would appreciate
the tip. Also any ideas on stepping and un-stepping the
Commander /Ariel mast would be most appreciated. How about
a town dock on the western part of Long Island Sound with a
free gin pole? Thanks, B. Commander #215

[Bill]

The manual has plans for a mast tabernacle.  Also,  Scott Galloway in Santa Cruze, CA  may have what you are looking for.  He might post a photo.  Give him a hail:

scottg@solopublications.com

[Brendan Watson]

Thanks Bill

I'm sending for the manual today and  I e-mailed Scott.

[Bogle]

I have no experience with stepping masts, but I ran across some products by DwyerMast that may be appropriate.

http://www.dwyermast.com/hinges.htm

[Scott Galloway]

Brandon and Bill,

Regarding photos of a stainless steel mast base adapted for a tabernacled Pearson Ariel, please see the web site discussed below. I will endeavor to send two photos to the forum, but there are more on my web site.

I have posted a number of photos on my Ariel photo page. That page is subordinate to my primary Pearson Ariel web page listed in the member's list on this forum. My Ariel page is one of the feature pages on "This Sailing Page" which I edit on the web. Other feature pages are provided on The Marieholm 26 and IF Boat, the Lapworth Gladiator page, and a Columbia related page.

The URL for the Ariel photo page is:

http://www.solopublications.com/sailarip.htm

I need to work on the format for that page, since the sheer number of photos on the photo page make the page slow to load, but you will find photos there of the mast step on the tabernacled Pearson Ariel "Augustine", hull #330. The photos also show a recent adaptation that utilizes two 316 stainles steel plates on either side of the mast to permit attachment of turning blocks to lead the boom vang, downhaul, halyards etc back to the cockpit.

By the way, if you have the patience to let all of the photos on the page load, you will also see:

1. The rather unconventional stanchion-less lifeline system that I designed and installed last summer.

2. A jack line system and boarding ladder system for single handers, which I designed and installed.

3. Gene Roberts and Myron Spaulding's wonderful adaptation of the Garhauer lifting davit for the Pearson Ariel motor well, which I installed on "Augustine", based on the Ariel Manual and my discussions with Gene.

4. A mess of interior and exterior photos including my first "at sea" photos taken in September and October 2002 after a yearlong restoration project on Augustine.

As you will seem, I have some work left to do yet, but I managed to squeeze in 27 sailing days between the Labor Day inaugural sail and Thanksgiving when winter storms filled the harbor channel with sand.

[Tony G]

Scott
Nice web site!  Did you recently expand it or was I just missing it before?  Did you modify your backstay or any of the standing rigging to facilitate your tabernacle addition?  Also what's the 'wrinkle' with the stainless brackets/flanges on the forward hatch?  And just one more-how many hands does it take to step your mast using the tabernacle?  Thanks for the pics, Tony G.

ps nice to see a painted mast.....looks sharp