Gathering supplies for ZIP's hull repair.
THIXO Wood for the letterbox scarf. TotalBoat Wet Edge Fire Red for the repaint, using Mighty Mini roller kit, all from Jamestown Distributors.
1/2 inch A/B marine grade plywood.
Log of ZIP.
Friday, April 24, 2020
1953 Alcort Sunfish ZIP 24 Apr 20 Hull Repair Supplies
24 Apr 20:
Gathering supplies for ZIP's hull repair.
THIXO Wood for the letterbox scarf. TotalBoat Wet Edge Fire Red for the repaint, using Mighty Mini roller kit, all from Jamestown Distributors.
1/2 inch A/B marine grade plywood.
Log of ZIP.
Gathering supplies for ZIP's hull repair.
THIXO Wood for the letterbox scarf. TotalBoat Wet Edge Fire Red for the repaint, using Mighty Mini roller kit, all from Jamestown Distributors.
1/2 inch A/B marine grade plywood.
Log of ZIP.
Wednesday, April 22, 2020
1971 O'Day Day Sailer II CYANE 22 Apr 20 Beach Launch
22 Apr 20:
Launched CYANE from the beach, pushed the trailer down, shoved the boat off and used a strap and our van to pull the trailer back up the beach.
Skipper towed the boat over to the lift while I lowered the straps, one of favorite things to do.
Our strap lift video: https://youtu.be/FlwYTUvPd98
She's ready for the Spring.
Log of CYANE.
Launched CYANE from the beach, pushed the trailer down, shoved the boat off and used a strap and our van to pull the trailer back up the beach.
Skipper towed the boat over to the lift while I lowered the straps, one of favorite things to do.
Our strap lift video: https://youtu.be/FlwYTUvPd98
She's ready for the Spring.
Log of CYANE.
Grumman Canoe SCOUT 22 Apr 20 Rudder Sea Trials
22 Apr 20:
We launched SCOUT for rudder Sea Trials, Paddle Mode, total success once we remembered the uphaul line was jam cleated! To back up for a second, the rudder is being added to the arsenal for use with sailing rigs, but after the discoveries today during tandem and single paddling we might use it when just paddling.
Here's a photo to get a general idea of where the steering line and rudder uphaul line are routed.
First I needed to place a couple of blocks for the line steering to run through, to determine their location I laid out the steering line that came with the rudder and picked the nearest thwart, which turned out to be the midships thwart. I drilled a 1/4" hole in the gunwales just forward of the thwart and used 1/8" Dacron Cord from New England Ropes to tie a block to port and starboard. The blocks came from Capn Jack's stash, not sure where he found them, they might have come off of the USS Portsmouthfrom back in 1846. The I ran the steering lineup through the blocks and added a snap shackle to the end to connect to one side of the rudder horn. The line was barely long enough to where I could skip the snap shackle, pull it real tight and tie a Figure 8, but I deduced that the line had shrunk over time and it needed some work to stretch it back out. The line was too tight for my liking is why I added the snap shackle, plus it was more Capn Jack hardware that gets to see Sea Service on a small boat.
Next I contemplated how to rig the rudder uphaul, it needed a fairlead centered on the rudder horn so that it would not pull the rudder off center. I thought maybe I could run it under the pintle keeper but not only did the steering line pull loose when tugged on, it displaced the pintle keeper as well, which would allow the pintle to fall out if the canoe capsized. The next options considered were to add an eyestrap or drill a small hole, so I drilled a 1/4" hole angled aft top to bottom, centered on the horn, and fed the uphaul line up through that and forward near the stern seat. Next I needed a place to secure the line to keep the rudder up, and Capn Jack whispered "jam knot" in my ear. I tied a loop in the uphaul line at a position where Skipper can jam the knot into a small gap between the stern cap and the gunwale, and secured the rest of the line with some semblance of a clove hitch further up onto the steering line. More on that later, plus a video.
We launched SCOUT with Skipper in the stern seat and Moveable Ballast up in the bow seat. Set out to sea and paddled about 15 minutes. I asked Skipper if the rudder was working and she said not really. I thought about it for a bit and asked if the rudder had gone all the way down. She sail it was barely in the water, so I asked if she had released the uphaul. She said something to the effect of "what uphaul?" Note to self, I need to write up a Functional Check Float (FCF) test card and brief the Functional Check Pilot (FCP) on what items need to be checked during the FCF. Skipper released the uphaul, the rudder dropped and after that we Ported and Starboarded and Slipped and Skidded and Tracked all over the bay with ease, which is a feat. Our corner of the bay has a bayou nd a river that dump into it, plus we get strong fetch at times. Winds were NW, light at 7-9 knots, seas about a foot with short sets, and with the rudder I could do a 360 turn from the bow seat with 10-12 strokes from just the bow seat, with no Skipper steering. Without the rudder it took about twice many strokes that and some retired Jarhead aggressive paddling. We also found it was easy for her to set a little rudder trim and keep us tracking to a point vs the convoy zig zag we had been doing, counteracting tide, wind and current. Back to the beach, the rudder uphaul worked as advertised. Tandem FCF complete.
We got back to the beach and I took out the canoe for a single seat FCF, I paddled from the aft thwart, did some 360s, paddled backwards and played with the uphaul. Here's a photo of me outbound, will I make it back?
I found that I could slide the clove hitch on the end of the rudder uphaul line back and forth on the steering line to allow the rudder to drop and then raise it again, and there was enough tension to hold the rudder up.
Rudder uphaul video, don't blink, you might miss it: https://youtu.be/hhcpQvfvejY
Canoe maneuvering video: https://youtu.be/_a7gh3Wcbh8
Made it back to the beach again!
Another video to show the design elegance of the steering and uphaul: https://youtu.be/8CvouQjtCsI
FCF complete, no discrepancies noted, celebration time. Cafe du Monde from a Stanley thermos and mandarin oranges.
Next up, install the main mast step, rig the gaff, peak halyard, throat halyard, leeboard bracket, port and starboard leeboards, mizzen mast step, mizzen, bumkin, mizzen sheet, rudder, rudder steering line, rudder uphaul line, grab a cup of coffee, push Skipper and SCOUT out to sea, take pictures.
Log of SCOUT.
Important Apple Watch Note: The Apple watch has an annoying feature that tracks Activity - Move, Exercise and Stand rings. We always close our Move and Stand rings, but to close the Exercise ring the watch has to sense 30 minutes of exercise equivalent to a brisk walk. We have gone out brisk walking and even jogging (wogging) and the watch might count 14-20 minutes of our 30 minute WOG aka "brisk walk." A pleasant surprise was we found that if we select Workout - Paddling, it counts pretty much every minute, whether paddling or not. Now we can select Paddling, even when walking, and close that pesky ring :)
Log of SCOUT.
We launched SCOUT for rudder Sea Trials, Paddle Mode, total success once we remembered the uphaul line was jam cleated! To back up for a second, the rudder is being added to the arsenal for use with sailing rigs, but after the discoveries today during tandem and single paddling we might use it when just paddling.
Here's a photo to get a general idea of where the steering line and rudder uphaul line are routed.
First I needed to place a couple of blocks for the line steering to run through, to determine their location I laid out the steering line that came with the rudder and picked the nearest thwart, which turned out to be the midships thwart. I drilled a 1/4" hole in the gunwales just forward of the thwart and used 1/8" Dacron Cord from New England Ropes to tie a block to port and starboard. The blocks came from Capn Jack's stash, not sure where he found them, they might have come off of the USS Portsmouthfrom back in 1846. The I ran the steering lineup through the blocks and added a snap shackle to the end to connect to one side of the rudder horn. The line was barely long enough to where I could skip the snap shackle, pull it real tight and tie a Figure 8, but I deduced that the line had shrunk over time and it needed some work to stretch it back out. The line was too tight for my liking is why I added the snap shackle, plus it was more Capn Jack hardware that gets to see Sea Service on a small boat.
Next I contemplated how to rig the rudder uphaul, it needed a fairlead centered on the rudder horn so that it would not pull the rudder off center. I thought maybe I could run it under the pintle keeper but not only did the steering line pull loose when tugged on, it displaced the pintle keeper as well, which would allow the pintle to fall out if the canoe capsized. The next options considered were to add an eyestrap or drill a small hole, so I drilled a 1/4" hole angled aft top to bottom, centered on the horn, and fed the uphaul line up through that and forward near the stern seat. Next I needed a place to secure the line to keep the rudder up, and Capn Jack whispered "jam knot" in my ear. I tied a loop in the uphaul line at a position where Skipper can jam the knot into a small gap between the stern cap and the gunwale, and secured the rest of the line with some semblance of a clove hitch further up onto the steering line. More on that later, plus a video.
We launched SCOUT with Skipper in the stern seat and Moveable Ballast up in the bow seat. Set out to sea and paddled about 15 minutes. I asked Skipper if the rudder was working and she said not really. I thought about it for a bit and asked if the rudder had gone all the way down. She sail it was barely in the water, so I asked if she had released the uphaul. She said something to the effect of "what uphaul?" Note to self, I need to write up a Functional Check Float (FCF) test card and brief the Functional Check Pilot (FCP) on what items need to be checked during the FCF. Skipper released the uphaul, the rudder dropped and after that we Ported and Starboarded and Slipped and Skidded and Tracked all over the bay with ease, which is a feat. Our corner of the bay has a bayou nd a river that dump into it, plus we get strong fetch at times. Winds were NW, light at 7-9 knots, seas about a foot with short sets, and with the rudder I could do a 360 turn from the bow seat with 10-12 strokes from just the bow seat, with no Skipper steering. Without the rudder it took about twice many strokes that and some retired Jarhead aggressive paddling. We also found it was easy for her to set a little rudder trim and keep us tracking to a point vs the convoy zig zag we had been doing, counteracting tide, wind and current. Back to the beach, the rudder uphaul worked as advertised. Tandem FCF complete.
We got back to the beach and I took out the canoe for a single seat FCF, I paddled from the aft thwart, did some 360s, paddled backwards and played with the uphaul. Here's a photo of me outbound, will I make it back?
I found that I could slide the clove hitch on the end of the rudder uphaul line back and forth on the steering line to allow the rudder to drop and then raise it again, and there was enough tension to hold the rudder up.
Rudder uphaul video, don't blink, you might miss it: https://youtu.be/hhcpQvfvejY
Canoe maneuvering video: https://youtu.be/_a7gh3Wcbh8
Made it back to the beach again!
Another video to show the design elegance of the steering and uphaul: https://youtu.be/8CvouQjtCsI
FCF complete, no discrepancies noted, celebration time. Cafe du Monde from a Stanley thermos and mandarin oranges.
Next up, install the main mast step, rig the gaff, peak halyard, throat halyard, leeboard bracket, port and starboard leeboards, mizzen mast step, mizzen, bumkin, mizzen sheet, rudder, rudder steering line, rudder uphaul line, grab a cup of coffee, push Skipper and SCOUT out to sea, take pictures.
Log of SCOUT.
Important Apple Watch Note: The Apple watch has an annoying feature that tracks Activity - Move, Exercise and Stand rings. We always close our Move and Stand rings, but to close the Exercise ring the watch has to sense 30 minutes of exercise equivalent to a brisk walk. We have gone out brisk walking and even jogging (wogging) and the watch might count 14-20 minutes of our 30 minute WOG aka "brisk walk." A pleasant surprise was we found that if we select Workout - Paddling, it counts pretty much every minute, whether paddling or not. Now we can select Paddling, even when walking, and close that pesky ring :)
Log of SCOUT.
Tuesday, April 21, 2020
Grumman 17 Canoe SCOUT 21 Apr 20 Rudder Adapter Finished
21 Apr 20:
Sanded the adapter with 60 grit on a DeWALT random orbitals sander, then drilled a 3/8th inch hole for the mounting hardware.
Found a clevis pin and keeper ring, that should work. Skipper will find out.
Log of SCOUT.
Sanded the adapter with 60 grit on a DeWALT random orbitals sander, then drilled a 3/8th inch hole for the mounting hardware.
Found a clevis pin and keeper ring, that should work. Skipper will find out.
Log of SCOUT.
O'Day Day Sailer II CYANE 21 Apr 20 Mast Raising SInglehanded
21 Apr 20:
1:30 to raise and pin the mast and jib.
Raised the mast on our 1971 O'Day Day Sailer II CYANE, singlehanded, it took 1:30 to get the mast up, pin the tabernacle, get out of the boat and pin the furler at the bow. Rigged the furler jib, boom, topping lift, main, mainsheet, boom vang and sorted the spinnaker lines. Found out that the cockpit cover fits over the boom as well and makes and nice sun shade. One of the design features the George O'Day incorporated was the high boom, so sailors would not have to duck during tacks.
Mast raised. We got it up the first 30 degrees or so with the Armstrong Method then pulled it the rest of the way with a line from the furler, to a bow block and back to the cockpit. Once mast was up we pinned the forward holes in the tabernacle and installed the keeper ring.
Pinned and keeper ringed the furler to the forward hole on the bow tang. We leave the small shackle on the aft hole of the tang to remind us where to connect the mast raising block, but we take the block off. The 1/8th inch Dacron cored in the background is the furler drum line that runs back to the cockpit, and the first fairlead for that is on the foredeck.
Turnbuckles snugged down and stop nuts tightened. Second fairlead for the furler drum on the side deck.
When the jib sheet is pulled the furler drum takes up the furler line.
Furler line routed through side deck fairlead. The little hook is for the spinnaker line (sheet or guy, depending on tack).
White furler line cleats just above the ice box...that's tight, the Day Sailer II has an icebox. Jam cleat on outside of the coaming is for the spinnaker line. Red line is the jib sheet, run through a block on the sliding car.
Jib sheet is then held in teeth, never cleated, lest the Skipper launch into salty sailor talk. Hands kept free to tend to the main sheet. :) Blue line along boom is the main outhaul.
Furler demo.
G&G Sails, Fairhope Abalama.
G&G Sails, Fairhope Abalama, USA. They are at least 20 years old and still look good, Capn Jack stored them under his bed when not in use.
CYANE is Hull Number 4624, 1971 vintage. SHe'll be a Senior Citizen next year. 4624 was one of the first Day Sailer IIs, self bailing and self righting. Positive flotation compartment under the cockpit and cuddy, another flotation compartment in the bow. DS II transoms were thinner, which makes mounting a little kicker easier, we added the wooden pad on the starboard transom to protect it from the outboard bracket and mount screws.
Capn Jack's preferred mainsheet bridle, 2:1 purchase. DS IIs had mid boom sheeting, led to the aft end of the centerboard trunk. Note the nice scuppers along the outer edge of the cockpit seat and along the sides of the cockpit floor.
Mainsheet block below the boom. On top of the boom is the topping lift shackle and we added a micro block for the main outhaul. The topping lift keeps the boom from dropping into the cockpit when the sail is down, and it also keep the boom up while the main is raised, making it easier to get the main all the way up.
Mainsheet swivel cam cleat. Icebox built into port side seat.
Red lines are jib sheets. White line is centerboard uphaul, blue line is the cb downhaul. Inspection port for the flotation compartment are also a DSII feature.
Main halyard on starboard cleat. Spinnaker halyard and spinnaker pole halyard on portside cleat. I think we need one more cleat. Blue line is boom vang.
Our cockpit cover also fits as a basic boom tent.
Cut new 1/8th inch diameter Dacron cord for the cockpit cover, used for storage.
Outfitting next, maybe Yard Sail a spinnaker?
Log of CYANE.
1:30 to raise and pin the mast and jib.
Raised the mast on our 1971 O'Day Day Sailer II CYANE, singlehanded, it took 1:30 to get the mast up, pin the tabernacle, get out of the boat and pin the furler at the bow. Rigged the furler jib, boom, topping lift, main, mainsheet, boom vang and sorted the spinnaker lines. Found out that the cockpit cover fits over the boom as well and makes and nice sun shade. One of the design features the George O'Day incorporated was the high boom, so sailors would not have to duck during tacks.
Mast raised. We got it up the first 30 degrees or so with the Armstrong Method then pulled it the rest of the way with a line from the furler, to a bow block and back to the cockpit. Once mast was up we pinned the forward holes in the tabernacle and installed the keeper ring.
Pinned and keeper ringed the furler to the forward hole on the bow tang. We leave the small shackle on the aft hole of the tang to remind us where to connect the mast raising block, but we take the block off. The 1/8th inch Dacron cored in the background is the furler drum line that runs back to the cockpit, and the first fairlead for that is on the foredeck.
Turnbuckles snugged down and stop nuts tightened. Second fairlead for the furler drum on the side deck.
When the jib sheet is pulled the furler drum takes up the furler line.
Furler line routed through side deck fairlead. The little hook is for the spinnaker line (sheet or guy, depending on tack).
White furler line cleats just above the ice box...that's tight, the Day Sailer II has an icebox. Jam cleat on outside of the coaming is for the spinnaker line. Red line is the jib sheet, run through a block on the sliding car.
Jib sheet is then held in teeth, never cleated, lest the Skipper launch into salty sailor talk. Hands kept free to tend to the main sheet. :) Blue line along boom is the main outhaul.
Furler demo.
G&G Sails, Fairhope Abalama.
G&G Sails, Fairhope Abalama, USA. They are at least 20 years old and still look good, Capn Jack stored them under his bed when not in use.
CYANE is Hull Number 4624, 1971 vintage. SHe'll be a Senior Citizen next year. 4624 was one of the first Day Sailer IIs, self bailing and self righting. Positive flotation compartment under the cockpit and cuddy, another flotation compartment in the bow. DS II transoms were thinner, which makes mounting a little kicker easier, we added the wooden pad on the starboard transom to protect it from the outboard bracket and mount screws.
Capn Jack's preferred mainsheet bridle, 2:1 purchase. DS IIs had mid boom sheeting, led to the aft end of the centerboard trunk. Note the nice scuppers along the outer edge of the cockpit seat and along the sides of the cockpit floor.
Mainsheet block below the boom. On top of the boom is the topping lift shackle and we added a micro block for the main outhaul. The topping lift keeps the boom from dropping into the cockpit when the sail is down, and it also keep the boom up while the main is raised, making it easier to get the main all the way up.
Mainsheet swivel cam cleat. Icebox built into port side seat.
Red lines are jib sheets. White line is centerboard uphaul, blue line is the cb downhaul. Inspection port for the flotation compartment are also a DSII feature.
Main halyard on starboard cleat. Spinnaker halyard and spinnaker pole halyard on portside cleat. I think we need one more cleat. Blue line is boom vang.
Our cockpit cover also fits as a basic boom tent.
Cut new 1/8th inch diameter Dacron cord for the cockpit cover, used for storage.
Outfitting next, maybe Yard Sail a spinnaker?
Log of CYANE.
Monday, April 20, 2020
O'Day Day Sailer II CYANE 20 Apr 20 Pre Mast Raising Checklist
20 Apr 20:
O'Day Day Sailer II Pre Mast Raising Checklist...and yes, most of these are Lessons Learned*...
-Trailer attached to tow vehicle.*
-Step stool placed beside cockpit.*
-Mast resting in mast crutch, untied.
-Clear of overhead powerlines and obstructions, to include a clear path to launch site.
-Furling jib attached to mast tang at head furler drum.
-Halyards and topping lift not fouled up high on the mast.*
-Halyards tied secure at base of lower mast.*
-Side stays and turnbuckles free and clear.*
-Long bow line attached to lower furler drum, run forward to block on aft hole of bow tang, then back aft to cockpit. This bow line used to pull mast forward once we get the mast up past horizontal 20 degrees or so, then the bow line is cleated off while lower mast, forward hinge is pinned/ringed and furler/forestay is pinned/ringed.
-Upper mast hinge secured with aft hinge pin.
-Forward hinge pin and keeper ring removed and placed securely near by.*
-Forestay clevis pin and keeper ring removed and placed securely near by.*
Video review, still a few items to check.
Coffee break. Next video will be of raising the mast.
If you have tips, please comment below :)
O'Day Day Sailer II Pre Mast Raising Checklist...and yes, most of these are Lessons Learned*...
-Trailer attached to tow vehicle.*
-Step stool placed beside cockpit.*
-Mast resting in mast crutch, untied.
-Clear of overhead powerlines and obstructions, to include a clear path to launch site.
-Furling jib attached to mast tang at head furler drum.
-Halyards and topping lift not fouled up high on the mast.*
-Halyards tied secure at base of lower mast.*
-Side stays and turnbuckles free and clear.*
-Long bow line attached to lower furler drum, run forward to block on aft hole of bow tang, then back aft to cockpit. This bow line used to pull mast forward once we get the mast up past horizontal 20 degrees or so, then the bow line is cleated off while lower mast, forward hinge is pinned/ringed and furler/forestay is pinned/ringed.
-Upper mast hinge secured with aft hinge pin.
-Forward hinge pin and keeper ring removed and placed securely near by.*
-Forestay clevis pin and keeper ring removed and placed securely near by.*
Video review, still a few items to check.
Coffee break. Next video will be of raising the mast.
If you have tips, please comment below :)
Sunday, April 19, 2020
O'Day Day Sailer II CYANE 19 Apr 20 Tabernacle Replacement
19 Apr 20:
Replaced the tabernacle on our O'Day Day Sailer II CYANE, the old one was bent from a tangle with a tree in 2011. The old tabernacle was bent and patly straightened, which made it hard to insert and remove the hinge pins. The new tabernacle came from D&R Marine, who specializes in O'Day parts. For those considering switching over to the tabernacle, check to see if you'll need the mast step as well, some boats will. The tabernacle also comes with 6 screws to attach the upper and lower hinges to the mast, and installation instructions.
But first, which hat to wear? I don't have an O'Day hat so I picked Drascombe instead.
Here's the old upper mast hinge, it is held on by 5 screws. 3 are normally required, but our mast has a cheek block added on both sides to route the main and jib halyards aft to the top of the cuddy opening, versus cleating off on the mast. So there are 2 extra screws on the bottom of the cheek blocks that have to come out. I used an impact driver to get the screws out, they backed out easily.
There is some evidence of bending from the tangle with the tree. Okay, time for the tree story. We had just moved in to our new place in 2011 and rigged the boat in our driveway. Spoiler alert, funny story, no one got hurt. Our neighbor offered to let us use his boat ramp and we hooked CYANE up to his lawnmower. He headed across his yard, direct to the ramp, and we found out he wasn't familiar with sailboats as he went right under a pine tree. I hollered to try and get him to stop but he couldn't hear me over the motor and the Canadian Mist. The forestay tang pulled out and the mast came down, the tree just kind of pushed it over. The tabernacle bent a little, then the upper mast section pulled out of the upper hinge plate, leaving the screws behind. Not much damage overall, mostly a bent tabernacle and 3 small bits of upper mast gone. It was supposed to be our maiden voyage and as it turned out it was a good thing we didn't go, while repairing the forestay tang I discovered that the previous owner had used silicone sealant to hold in the forward screw, we call that a "rubber nut," the screw was stripped. So only one of two screws was holding on the forestay tang, the aft screw. I tried a screw one size up for the repair and luckily it snugged down nice. We bent the tabernacle mostly back into shape. I also trimmed off about the bottom 1/2 inch of the upper mast and drilled new holes for the screws. For some reason still unbeknownst to me, the mast actually fit better afterwards, we no longer needed a spacer on the forstay tang and the side stays snugged down with more turns on the turnbuckle. I wonder if the gent who cut the mast for the forestay in 2000 just made one cut and did not cut out the representative section of mast that the tabernacle replaced?
Old section of upper mast hinge.
Upper mast. Yes, that's flotation material.
Fit test for new tabernacle.
We used our old stainless machine screws, the drill size for the new pilot holes was 5/32". The screws that come with the new kit were a couple of 32nds bigger. For the basic installation there is one screw on the forward edge and a screw on either side about 135 degrees around. The forward screw has already been installed in this photo.
Halyard cheek block screws to go.
Upper hinge finished. At this point I realized that we had just installed the larger outer hinge plate on the upper mast, but the old hinge we just took off was the smaller inner hinge. Hmmmm, did I need to change it around or does it matter? I went to find the instructions to double check, and interestingly the instructions show the outer hinge plate installed on the upper mast, like I had just done but opposite how it had been. So the old tabernacle was upside down, not sure why or if it mattered, it had worked just fine for 19 years. From my perspective though, the "right way" gives the upper mast a bigger foot and it is easier to get the the hinge pins started on the wiggly upper mast.
On to the lower mast hinge. It couldn't be easy, could it? A stainless rivet had been used, so I had to drill that out. I hate stainless rivets, especially in aluminum masts.
The old hinge plate is noticeably bent.
New hinge plate installed with 2 old screws and one new screw where the rivet had been. The two centered tangs are where we connect the boom vang. The tang to the left is used to tie a lanyard to the hinge pins. Capn Jack made those, he was an Aviation Structures Mechanic (Hydraulics) in the Navy, and he knew a thing or two about metal, and fabric for that matter.
The two blocks are used for the spinnaker and spinnaker pole halyards, led aft.
Look close at the hinge pins, one end is chamfered, which makes it a little easier to insert. We put that pin forward, it will be in use at the most critical times of raising and lowering the mast. We were playing around with the forward pin here, it needs to be removed before the mast comes up. Aft pin is inserted with upper mast pinned.
Capn Jack's dummy cord aka lanyard to keep track of the hinge pins, we don't want those to go missing at a critical time. I wonder if there is a story behind that cord, do you think a pin rolled away one day while he had the mast verical? He attached keeper rings to the cotter pins and dummy corded the keepers to the extra tang. Another thing we did was flatten down the ends of those cotter pins, lest they snag a jib sheet or a finger. Speaking of jib sheets, that is the only issue we have had with the tabernacle, sometimes a jib sheet gets caught under the forward lip of the hinge. Not letting there be a lot of slack in the sheet helps prevent that, and a quick flick of the sheet usually pops it free.
Mast in crutch, aft hinge pinned, ready to raise mast. Before we raise the mast though, look at that crusty topping lift line! It has lichen growing on it. "A lichen is a composite organism that arises from algae or cyanobacteria living among filaments of multiple fungi species in a mutualistic relationship." That doesn't sound good, we do know that ospreys perche on top of the mast periodically, and the inconsiderate ones poop before they take off. Wonder if that has anything to do with lichen?
Anyway, it was a good time to replace the line with new 1/8th inch diameter Dacron cord from New England Ropes. We keep 50 foot packs of it handy, a little more than we need today but we'll get it trimmed once the mast is up and the boom is on. We added the little cheek block at the top of the mast about 9 years ago, the topping lift keeps the boom out of the cockpit when the sail is down, and makes it easier to gather up the sail and secure it to the boom. Then we can put a cover on our sail, which we have on slugs, and keep the sail on the boat. The horizontal boom then makes a nice ridgepole to put a cockpit tent over or a storage cover.
Small cleat towards the base of the upper mast for topping lift.
Mast up, hinge pins in and keepers ringed.
Yay, done for the day, let's put the tools away....annnnnnd that's how the cookie crumbles...My Uncle's tool kit from 1995, the plastic hinge finally broke. Amazingly I found all of the pieces. Too bad Skipper wasn't nearby to see this, she loves the look on my face when this kind of thing happens. A facebook buddy saw this and commented he had the same thing happen to him, but over water.
One last thing, we need to move over the mast step dime over to the new tabernacle and then we'll be ready for the raise the mast.
Materials:
Tabernacle
and Mast Step.
Log of CYANE.
Replaced the tabernacle on our O'Day Day Sailer II CYANE, the old one was bent from a tangle with a tree in 2011. The old tabernacle was bent and patly straightened, which made it hard to insert and remove the hinge pins. The new tabernacle came from D&R Marine, who specializes in O'Day parts. For those considering switching over to the tabernacle, check to see if you'll need the mast step as well, some boats will. The tabernacle also comes with 6 screws to attach the upper and lower hinges to the mast, and installation instructions.
But first, which hat to wear? I don't have an O'Day hat so I picked Drascombe instead.
Here's the old upper mast hinge, it is held on by 5 screws. 3 are normally required, but our mast has a cheek block added on both sides to route the main and jib halyards aft to the top of the cuddy opening, versus cleating off on the mast. So there are 2 extra screws on the bottom of the cheek blocks that have to come out. I used an impact driver to get the screws out, they backed out easily.
There is some evidence of bending from the tangle with the tree. Okay, time for the tree story. We had just moved in to our new place in 2011 and rigged the boat in our driveway. Spoiler alert, funny story, no one got hurt. Our neighbor offered to let us use his boat ramp and we hooked CYANE up to his lawnmower. He headed across his yard, direct to the ramp, and we found out he wasn't familiar with sailboats as he went right under a pine tree. I hollered to try and get him to stop but he couldn't hear me over the motor and the Canadian Mist. The forestay tang pulled out and the mast came down, the tree just kind of pushed it over. The tabernacle bent a little, then the upper mast section pulled out of the upper hinge plate, leaving the screws behind. Not much damage overall, mostly a bent tabernacle and 3 small bits of upper mast gone. It was supposed to be our maiden voyage and as it turned out it was a good thing we didn't go, while repairing the forestay tang I discovered that the previous owner had used silicone sealant to hold in the forward screw, we call that a "rubber nut," the screw was stripped. So only one of two screws was holding on the forestay tang, the aft screw. I tried a screw one size up for the repair and luckily it snugged down nice. We bent the tabernacle mostly back into shape. I also trimmed off about the bottom 1/2 inch of the upper mast and drilled new holes for the screws. For some reason still unbeknownst to me, the mast actually fit better afterwards, we no longer needed a spacer on the forstay tang and the side stays snugged down with more turns on the turnbuckle. I wonder if the gent who cut the mast for the forestay in 2000 just made one cut and did not cut out the representative section of mast that the tabernacle replaced?
Old section of upper mast hinge.
Upper mast. Yes, that's flotation material.
Fit test for new tabernacle.
We used our old stainless machine screws, the drill size for the new pilot holes was 5/32". The screws that come with the new kit were a couple of 32nds bigger. For the basic installation there is one screw on the forward edge and a screw on either side about 135 degrees around. The forward screw has already been installed in this photo.
Halyard cheek block screws to go.
Upper hinge finished. At this point I realized that we had just installed the larger outer hinge plate on the upper mast, but the old hinge we just took off was the smaller inner hinge. Hmmmm, did I need to change it around or does it matter? I went to find the instructions to double check, and interestingly the instructions show the outer hinge plate installed on the upper mast, like I had just done but opposite how it had been. So the old tabernacle was upside down, not sure why or if it mattered, it had worked just fine for 19 years. From my perspective though, the "right way" gives the upper mast a bigger foot and it is easier to get the the hinge pins started on the wiggly upper mast.
On to the lower mast hinge. It couldn't be easy, could it? A stainless rivet had been used, so I had to drill that out. I hate stainless rivets, especially in aluminum masts.
The old hinge plate is noticeably bent.
New hinge plate installed with 2 old screws and one new screw where the rivet had been. The two centered tangs are where we connect the boom vang. The tang to the left is used to tie a lanyard to the hinge pins. Capn Jack made those, he was an Aviation Structures Mechanic (Hydraulics) in the Navy, and he knew a thing or two about metal, and fabric for that matter.
The two blocks are used for the spinnaker and spinnaker pole halyards, led aft.
Look close at the hinge pins, one end is chamfered, which makes it a little easier to insert. We put that pin forward, it will be in use at the most critical times of raising and lowering the mast. We were playing around with the forward pin here, it needs to be removed before the mast comes up. Aft pin is inserted with upper mast pinned.
Capn Jack's dummy cord aka lanyard to keep track of the hinge pins, we don't want those to go missing at a critical time. I wonder if there is a story behind that cord, do you think a pin rolled away one day while he had the mast verical? He attached keeper rings to the cotter pins and dummy corded the keepers to the extra tang. Another thing we did was flatten down the ends of those cotter pins, lest they snag a jib sheet or a finger. Speaking of jib sheets, that is the only issue we have had with the tabernacle, sometimes a jib sheet gets caught under the forward lip of the hinge. Not letting there be a lot of slack in the sheet helps prevent that, and a quick flick of the sheet usually pops it free.
Mast in crutch, aft hinge pinned, ready to raise mast. Before we raise the mast though, look at that crusty topping lift line! It has lichen growing on it. "A lichen is a composite organism that arises from algae or cyanobacteria living among filaments of multiple fungi species in a mutualistic relationship." That doesn't sound good, we do know that ospreys perche on top of the mast periodically, and the inconsiderate ones poop before they take off. Wonder if that has anything to do with lichen?
Anyway, it was a good time to replace the line with new 1/8th inch diameter Dacron cord from New England Ropes. We keep 50 foot packs of it handy, a little more than we need today but we'll get it trimmed once the mast is up and the boom is on. We added the little cheek block at the top of the mast about 9 years ago, the topping lift keeps the boom out of the cockpit when the sail is down, and makes it easier to gather up the sail and secure it to the boom. Then we can put a cover on our sail, which we have on slugs, and keep the sail on the boat. The horizontal boom then makes a nice ridgepole to put a cockpit tent over or a storage cover.
Small cleat towards the base of the upper mast for topping lift.
Mast up, hinge pins in and keepers ringed.
Yay, done for the day, let's put the tools away....annnnnnd that's how the cookie crumbles...My Uncle's tool kit from 1995, the plastic hinge finally broke. Amazingly I found all of the pieces. Too bad Skipper wasn't nearby to see this, she loves the look on my face when this kind of thing happens. A facebook buddy saw this and commented he had the same thing happen to him, but over water.
One last thing, we need to move over the mast step dime over to the new tabernacle and then we'll be ready for the raise the mast.
Materials:
Tabernacle
and Mast Step.
Log of CYANE.
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