Posted by Richard (cookieseaman@…>)
Many thanks to everyone for their input on solutions to deal with a loose
tabernacle mast.
3/16" play at the bottom translates to quite alot of movement at the mast head.
I suppose
that once things start to get loose the wear progresses quickly. Mitya, it seems
like you
should have a solid repair. Thanks to everyone for your efforts and experience
shared. I
think I generally understand the the design, repairs and alternatives to
stepping the mast
should it need the ultimate solidified repair.
Can I assume the retrofit .pdf illustration in “modifications” is the same as
the factory
version. If so, the socket (length of the sliding fit) created by the aluminum
tabernacle
assembly is pretty short - From the drawing it looks like its only about 9
inches for the
entire slip fit so it’s not suprising that it wears easily with maybe 26 feet of
mast working
against it.
There is one thing that’s not clear to me; where is the joint between the upper
and lower
mast sections? How far above or below the deck level? I think I like the tubing
on the
outside of the mast idea, especially if the mast joint was sufficently below the
deck, but
from your description it sounds like it’s pretty close to the deck. What if
Instead of fixing
the heavy aluminum tube with 5200, the tube was split on one side along its
length and
then clamped around the mast to center the two mast sections and take the play
out of the
joint. That way the stress would be off the tabernacle when installed and this
split tube
sleeve could be loosened and slid down allowing the tabernacle hinge to be used
normally.
Might that work, save the complications of shimming and sealing at the deck? I
guess I
really want to be able to support the mast and find a way to step and lower it
easily by
using the tabernacle hinge, should these fittings become loose.
I realize I’m making an off hand assessment about something I haven’t seen, so I
guess I
just need to make the trip to check out my intended and see what these things
actually
look like. Again thanks for all the input on the CF mast.
Regards, Richard
— In freedom21@yahoogroups.com, mitya fonin <mitbok1@…> wrote:
Richard, you got the constriction of the tabernacle correct. It’s a
male/female type of
connection. The solid mast was cut in two, than tabernacle inserted in the
bottom part and
an aluminum sleeve in the upper. Believe it was a tight fit when new but both
parts got
warned out. At the bottom part I had about 3/16" of play.
I do not trail the boat so convenience of easy stepping of the mast did not
concern me.
Only time it was useful is when my wind vane broke. Me and two of my friends
took the
mast down without using the lines as in Hoyt’s instructions. My impression after
the
process was that it is not something I would like to do alone. I put some tape
on the
tabernacle before putting the mast back to reduce the play. It did not help a
bit but when
taking the mast off year after it made it rather difficult to lift. Right now I
belong to a yacht
club that has a hoist so for now any difficulties removing the mast are solved.
Steping/unsteping a full length mast is not a big deal…… If you do it once a
season !!!
I don’t see you going through the process of it with an A frame than hammering
in
rubber shim on a Saturday afternoon at some lakes parking lot just to get half a
day of sail
out of it.
Tabernacle will work just fine if you don’t hit waves for a prolong period of
time.
As far as fixing my mast, I completely removed the tabernacle assembly from
the
bottom part, wrapped it with fiberglass and wetted it out with epoxy than
reinserted it
back. Next step was doing the same for the male part of tabernacle and jointing
both parts
of the mast. I positioned the mast vertically on the club grounds afterwards and
purred
some epoxy down one of the holes that were drilled for the wires. In theory
epoxy should
have flowed down in to any void spaces between the parts. Mast seems solid for
now.
Another owner had fitted a thick aluminum tube on the outside of the mast and
fixed it
permanently with 5200 adhesive. Probably a more solid fix than mine but creates
whole
other problem of shimming an sealing the mast at the deck.
----- Original Message ----
From: Richard <cookieseaman@…>
To: freedom21@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Sunday, January 28, 2007 8:33:57 PM
Subject: [freedom21] Re: Factory CF tabernacle mast
Thanks for sharing your experience with the tabernacle mast. Your comments
were very
helpful in addressing my questions. I’ll definately look out for the wear and
looseness of
the mast when examining a shoal draft F-21. Have to wonder how they get worn
like
that.
Is it just a matter of the design and time, thrashing about in rough seas or
did the
previous owner not shim the mast properly at the deck fitting. I’ve haven’t
seen one of
these, only the photo on this site of the aluminum post with hinged fitting on
top
sticking
out of the deck. Apparently, the mast slips over this post and slides downward
until it’s
in
position, but how far? If the length is short, it seems as no supprise that
wear could be a
problem. From your description it seems that there is an aluminum sleeve
within the
lower
part of mast that forms a sliding fit over the tabernacle post, and the mast
apparently
sits
on top of a short CF section which rests in the mast step. Do I have this
correct so far?
Do
the tabernacle post and lower CF segment act as a single piece? If I
understand correctly
you joined the two carbon fiber segments with fiberglass cloth and epoxy,
leaving the
aluminum tabernacle post within the mast? It seems that your repair solves the
loose
mast
problem, but it might eventually kill the quick and easy trailer sailing deal
I have in
mind.
Regards, Richard
freedom21@yahoogrou ps.com, mitya fonin <mitbok1@ > wrote:
I have a shoal draft, and the tabernacle caused me some grief last summer.
From what
I
gather boat was sailed in New York harbor and was hitting some ocean swell and
waves.
I
was out in the waves often as well. From all that rocking tabernacle wore off.
The mast
was noticeably moving back and forth and by the beginning of last years
sailing season
situation did not seem safe. I have tried to use shims to stiffen the set up
but to no
avail.
Basically the aluminum pipe insert and tube both worn out developing a lot of
play. In
the
middle of the summer I have fused permanently both parts of the mast with
fiberglass
and
epoxy. making it a solid mast again. There seems no other way for me to fix it
since
tolerances were different in upper and bottom parts of the tabernacle. I am
not the first
one to do this fix either. So, if you going to sail in some rocky waters
beware of this
problem. Also check for play when buying. As far as UV damage, cracks, etc.
its all
cosmetic. Outer
cote of epoxy is not structural. Corbon fiber is hiden safe under it. I
painted mine wite
last summer. Mostly for looks but this will probably take some sun heat off.
----- Original Message ----
From: Richard <cookieseaman@ …>
To: freedom21@yahoogrou ps.com
Sent: Friday, January 26, 2007 10:11:38 PM
Subject: [freedom21] Factory CF tabernacle mast
I’m considering a shoal draft version with factory tabernacle mast and have
a few
questions. Does the tabernacle joint form a solid fit once it’s stepped? Are
there any
known structural failure risks with this mast? Is the CF mast treated to
resist UV
damage
to the resin? I notice that the black CF masts often appear dull as if
heavily weathered,
and
some have been painted. Does such weathering lead to mast failure? Given the
cost of
replacement, should a prospective buyer be concerned about a > 20 yr. old
mast
failing under normal use? Finally, any advice on assessing the condition of
these
masts?
Many thanks for any information you might have. Richard
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