Spartite

Archives
1

Posted by William A. Cormack (wacormack@…>)

Alan:
Your last post mentioned that you use Spartite between the mast and the collar but with the “original” rings between the deck flange and the mast. On my F-36 I’ve always used silicone caulk between the collar and the mast and also under the collar. My ring is quite hard, you can dent it with a screwdriver but after a few seconds you can’t see the dent. When unsteping the mast I first pry up the collar then have to drive out the ring from below. I wonder how this is accomplished with spartite between mast and collar. Does the spartite allow you to push the collar up the mast?

Bill
Sailing “Hard Earned” 1986 F-36 out of Dartmouth, MA

2

Posted by Alan Kusinitz (akusinitz@…>)


In my case I only spartited between the
aluminum collar and the mast. I used Vaseline so I could slide the spartite up
if needed. I have not needed to.
When I unstep the masts (which I’ve
been doing every year for 4 years), I undo the bolts on the deck collar and the
mast with the collar and spartite in that position just go with the masts. I
use caulking (used to use silicone rubber but switched to lifeseal as easier
to remove) under the collar and around the bolt holes when restepping.
I could have used spartite to replace the
ring as well and poured from above to make a single solid ring that would lift
out with the mast. To do this I would need to remove the screwed in synthetic that
partially lines the where the current ring presses against the cabin top.
It was just harder to do and I was
concerned it would be harder to line up and get the mast through to restep (any
slight angle or rotation would prevent getting the mast back through the
opening in the deck.
Alan





From: FreedomOwnersGroup@yahoogroups.com [mailto:FreedomOwnersGroup@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of William A. Cormack
Sent: Friday, November 09, 2007
9:02 AM
To: Freedom 2, Yacht
Subject: [FreedomOwnersGroup]
Spartite





Alan:


Your last post mentioned that you use Spartite between the
mast and the collar but with the “original” rings between the deck
flange and the mast. On my F-36 I’ve always used silicone caulk between
the collar and the mast and also under the collar. My ring is quite hard,
you can dent it with a screwdriver but after a few seconds you can’t see the
dent. When unsteping the mast I first pry up the collar then have to
drive out the ring from below. I wonder how this is accomplished with
spartite between mast and collar. Does the spartite allow you to push the
collar up the mast?

\



Bill


Sailing “Hard Earned” 1986 F-36 out of Dartmouth, MA

\



\

3

Posted by michel.capel (michel.capel@…>)

Bill,

If you cast the PU-rubber ring (Spartite is too soft to support
freestanding masts) you put vaseline on the deck partners, NOT on the
mast. This makes that the cast PU ring remains on the mast when the
mast is pulled. The aluminum collar goes up with it, and cannot be
removed unless the PU ring is cut and removed from the mast. My
aluminum rings are caulked with Bostik, which does not glue like 3M
5300 or Sikaflex. Therefore, the collar comes off easily. I have cast
PU rings that not only set the masts in the right spot but also
provide the watertight seal on top of the aluminum collar. You can
see the casting and the end result on
www.flickr.com/photos/alabama_queen/ if you like.
The PU-ruber I used comes from the US and is hardness durometer 90.
Spartite is only durometer 55, and Spartite themselves do not
recommend its use for freestanding masts.

Best,
Michel.

— In FreedomOwnersGroup@yahoogroups.com, “William A. Cormack”
<wacormack@…> wrote:

Alan:
Your last post mentioned that you use Spartite between the mast and
the collar but with the “original” rings between the deck flange and
the mast. On my F-36 I’ve always used silicone caulk between the
collar and the mast and also under the collar. My ring is quite
hard, you can dent it with a screwdriver but after a few seconds you
can’t see the dent. When unsteping the mast I first pry up the
collar then have to drive out the ring from below. I wonder how this
is accomplished with spartite between mast and collar. Does the
spartite allow you to push the collar up the mast?

Bill
Sailing “Hard Earned” 1986 F-36 out of Dartmouth, MA

4

Posted by Geoffrey Schultz (geoff.freedom@geoffschultz.org>)

I’m not quite sure where you got idea that Spartite is too soft to
support a free standing mast, but Freedom started using Spartite in
about 1998-1999. I replaced the wedges on my 40/40 in 2000 with
Spartite and have had no problems, and I’ve put over 30,000 miles on
the boat. Spartite works fine.

– Geoff

— In FreedomOwnersGroup@yahoogroups.com, “michel.capel”
<michel.capel@…> wrote:

Bill,

If you cast the PU-rubber ring (Spartite is too soft to support
freestanding masts) you put vaseline on the deck partners, NOT on
the
mast. This makes that the cast PU ring remains on the mast when the
mast is pulled. The aluminum collar goes up with it, and cannot be
removed unless the PU ring is cut and removed from the mast. My
aluminum rings are caulked with Bostik, which does not glue like 3M
5300 or Sikaflex. Therefore, the collar comes off easily. I have
cast
PU rings that not only set the masts in the right spot but also
provide the watertight seal on top of the aluminum collar. You can
see the casting and the end result on
www.flickr.com/photos/alabama_queen/ if you like.
The PU-ruber I used comes from the US and is hardness durometer 90.
Spartite is only durometer 55, and Spartite themselves do not
recommend its use for freestanding masts.

Best,
Michel.

— In FreedomOwnersGroup@yahoogroups.com, “William A. Cormack”
<wacormack@> wrote:

Alan:
Your last post mentioned that you use Spartite between the mast
and
the collar but with the “original” rings between the deck flange
and
the mast. On my F-36 I’ve always used silicone caulk between the
collar and the mast and also under the collar. My ring is quite
hard, you can dent it with a screwdriver but after a few seconds
you
can’t see the dent. When unsteping the mast I first pry up the
collar then have to drive out the ring from below. I wonder how
this
is accomplished with spartite between mast and collar. Does the
spartite allow you to push the collar up the mast?

Bill
Sailing “Hard Earned” 1986 F-36 out of Dartmouth, MA

5

Posted by Geoffrey Schultz (geoff.freedom@geoffschultz.org>)

— In FreedomOwnersGroup@yahoogroups.com, “michel.capel”
<michel.capel@…> wrote:

My
aluminum rings are caulked with Bostik, which does not glue like 3M
5300 or Sikaflex. Therefore, the collar comes off easily.

Bostik is a manufacturer of adhesives. Which of their products are you
using?

– Geoff
www.GeoffSchultz.org

6

Posted by michel.capel (michel.capel@…>)

Dear Geoff,

I got this idea by reading it on the website of Spartite; the used
to recommend that you call them it you had a freestanding mast. I
can’t find this remark anymore, so perhaps they changed their
opinion. According to the website, Spartite is still the same Shore
Hardness 55-60 D as it used to be when they had the caveat for
freestanding masts, so the stuff is still the same as it used to be.

Personally I would not be happy with the amount of play my masts
would have in the partners with this rather elastic Shore 60 PU
rubber. The masts would move around too much. This play would
probably also grind out the bolt holes in the foot of my masts. I
used Shore 90 D as did the previous owner of my F44.

Apart from that, Spartite branded PU-rubber is terribly expensive
compared with the unbranded industrial PMC-790 I used.

But of course, if others have good results with Spartite and are
happy to pay the 200% premium for the brand name, that’s okay with
me.

Hope this cleared things up a bit.

Michel

— In FreedomOwnersGroup@yahoogroups.com, “Geoffrey Schultz”
<geoff.freedom@…> wrote:

I’m not quite sure where you got idea that Spartite is too soft to
support a free standing mast, but Freedom started using Spartite
in
about 1998-1999. I replaced the wedges on my 40/40 in 2000 with
Spartite and have had no problems, and I’ve put over 30,000 miles
on
the boat. Spartite works fine.

– Geoff

— In FreedomOwnersGroup@yahoogroups.com, “michel.capel”
<michel.capel@> wrote:

Bill,

If you cast the PU-rubber ring (Spartite is too soft to support
freestanding masts) you put vaseline on the deck partners, NOT
on
the
mast. This makes that the cast PU ring remains on the mast when
the
mast is pulled. The aluminum collar goes up with it, and cannot
be
removed unless the PU ring is cut and removed from the mast. My
aluminum rings are caulked with Bostik, which does not glue like
3M
5300 or Sikaflex. Therefore, the collar comes off easily. I have
cast
PU rings that not only set the masts in the right spot but also
provide the watertight seal on top of the aluminum collar. You
can
see the casting and the end result on
www.flickr.com/photos/alabama_queen/ if you like.
The PU-ruber I used comes from the US and is hardness durometer

Spartite is only durometer 55, and Spartite themselves do not
recommend its use for freestanding masts.

Best,
Michel.

— In FreedomOwnersGroup@yahoogroups.com, “William A. Cormack”
<wacormack@> wrote:

Alan:
Your last post mentioned that you use Spartite between the
mast
and
the collar but with the “original” rings between the deck flange
and
the mast. On my F-36 I’ve always used silicone caulk between
the
collar and the mast and also under the collar. My ring is quite
hard, you can dent it with a screwdriver but after a few seconds
you
can’t see the dent. When unsteping the mast I first pry up the
collar then have to drive out the ring from below. I wonder how
this
is accomplished with spartite between mast and collar. Does the
spartite allow you to push the collar up the mast?

Bill
Sailing “Hard Earned” 1986 F-36 out of Dartmouth, MA

7

Posted by michel.capel (michel.capel@…>)

Geoff,

I use a putty like material that comes in four strips side by side
on a roll. The putty tape is covered on both sides with yellow
transparent plastic. Clean leftovers I keep in a ball in a plastic
bag. It stays soft for more than a year.

Mind you that it has NO gluing abilities, so you can only use it to
set hardware that is bolted or screwed. I also wrapped the threads
of bolts before I pushed them through the deck. No leaks so far
after a year, We had lots of rain and I had the headliners out, so I
could see leaks straight away if they would be there.

— In FreedomOwnersGroup@yahoogroups.com, “Geoffrey Schultz”
<geoff.freedom@…> wrote:

— In FreedomOwnersGroup@yahoogroups.com, “michel.capel”
<michel.capel@> wrote:

My
aluminum rings are caulked with Bostik, which does not glue like
3M
5300 or Sikaflex. Therefore, the collar comes off easily.

Bostik is a manufacturer of adhesives. Which of their products
are you
using?

– Geoff
www.GeoffSchultz.org

8

Posted by sailorvela (sailorvela@…>)

OK, while Shore hardness is an important measure in plastics and
related to the compressive modulus. I think displacements in the
elastic region should be determined by the compressive modulus. I
would relate the shore hardness more to the ability of the material
to distribute the load evenly.

Spartite compressive modulus: 55KSI.

So, in a typical Freedom 40 CK 6000# ballast. Draft 4.5’. Give it a
conservative moment arm of 7 ft with the boat knocked over flat.
Then the righting moment (I know, it really should be the
displacement of 22,0000# over the distance between the CG and the
center of flotation when knocked flat, but this is just a coarse
approximation). Then max moment ~ 42,000 ft/lb.

Guessing a collar width of 1 in and a diameter of 1 ft. with a
bearing area of 1/3 of the circumference: bearing area: 62ð *1/3 ~
37.7 in. sq.
Also guess an arm between the mast collar and foot of ~ 6 ft.

Stress to react to the 42,000 ft lb moment : 7,000/37.7~ 185 psi

Then the displacement due to compression of the spartite collar
would be in the order of

Displacement: 185/55000: ~0.003 in. (about 0.002 if the collar
width is 1.5 in.)
About 0.003 in(rough guestimate) this also includes a de-facto
factor of safety of 2 since there are two masts sharing the load.

I don’t think displacement or mast movement would be an issue with
spartite stepped masts under normal conditions.

Am I correct?

And yes, Nani/Bright Star masts were re-stepped using spartite as
recommended by rigging experts.

Cheers

Alex,

9

Posted by Alan Kusinitz (akusinitz@…>)


Well, what’s really important here
is that the spartite use on my F-33 should be fine! J

Alan





From: FreedomOwnersGroup@yahoogroups.com [mailto:FreedomOwnersGroup@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of sailorvela
Sent: Tuesday, November 13, 2007
8:21 AM
To: FreedomOwnersGroup@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [FreedomOwnersGroup] Re:
Spartite




OK, while Shore hardness is an important measure in
plastics and
related to the compressive modulus. I think displacements in the
elastic region should be determined by the compressive modulus. I
would relate the shore hardness more to the ability of the material
to distribute the load evenly.

Spartite compressive modulus: 55KSI.

So, in a typical Freedom 40 CK 6000# ballast. Draft 4.5’. Give it a
conservative moment arm of 7 ft with the boat knocked over flat.
Then the righting moment (I know, it really should be the
displacement of 22,0000# over the distance between the CG and the
center of flotation when knocked flat, but this is just a coarse
approximation). Then max moment ~ 42,000 ft/lb.

Guessing a collar width of 1 in and a diameter of 1 ft. with a
bearing area of 1/3 of the circumference: bearing area: 62ð *1/3 ~
37.7 in. sq.
Also guess an arm between the mast collar and foot of ~ 6 ft.

Stress to react to the 42,000 ft lb moment : 7,000/37.7~ 185 psi

Then the displacement due to compression of the spartite collar
would be in the order of

Displacement: 185/55000: ~0.003 in. (about 0.002 if the collar
width is 1.5 in.)
About 0.003 in(rough guestimate) this also includes a de-facto
factor of safety of 2 since there are two masts sharing the load.

I don’t think displacement or mast movement would be an issue with
spartite stepped masts under normal conditions.

Am I correct?

And yes, Nani/Bright Star masts were re-stepped using spartite as
recommended by rigging experts.

Cheers

Alex,

\

10

Posted by michel.capel (michel.capel@…>)

I guess it is, and the math proves it all!


— In FreedomOwnersGroup@yahoogroups.com, “Alan Kusinitz”
<akusinitz@…> wrote:

Well, what’s really important here is that the spartite use on my
F-33
should be fine! :slight_smile:

Alan

From: FreedomOwnersGroup@yahoogroups.com
[mailto:FreedomOwnersGroup@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of sailorvela
Sent: Tuesday, November 13, 2007 8:21 AM
To: FreedomOwnersGroup@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [FreedomOwnersGroup] Re: Spartite

OK, while Shore hardness is an important measure in plastics and
related to the compressive modulus. I think displacements in the
elastic region should be determined by the compressive modulus. I
would relate the shore hardness more to the ability of the
material
to distribute the load evenly.

Spartite compressive modulus: 55KSI.

So, in a typical Freedom 40 CK 6000# ballast. Draft 4.5’. Give it
a
conservative moment arm of 7 ft with the boat knocked over flat.
Then the righting moment (I know, it really should be the
displacement of 22,0000# over the distance between the CG and the
center of flotation when knocked flat, but this is just a coarse
approximation). Then max moment ~ 42,000 ft/lb.

Guessing a collar width of 1 in and a diameter of 1 ft. with a
bearing area of 1/3 of the circumference: bearing area: 62ð *1/3 ~
37.7 in. sq.
Also guess an arm between the mast collar and foot of ~ 6 ft.

Stress to react to the 42,000 ft lb moment : 7,000/37.7~ 185 psi

Then the displacement due to compression of the spartite collar
would be in the order of

Displacement: 185/55000: ~0.003 in. (about 0.002 if the collar
width is 1.5 in.)
About 0.003 in(rough guestimate) this also includes a de-facto
factor of safety of 2 since there are two masts sharing the load.

I don’t think displacement or mast movement would be an issue with
spartite stepped masts under normal conditions.

Am I correct?

And yes, Nani/Bright Star masts were re-stepped using spartite as
recommended by rigging experts.

Cheers

Alex,

11

Posted by sailorvela (sailorvela@…>)

Indeed,

All in all ne numbers I posted are only a back of the envelope
calculation including many asuumptions. The proof is in the pudding.
Does anybody know of any problems with Freestanding cantilever masts
using spartite wedges? I assume there must be quite a few masts stepped
that way out there.

(BTW the solution I reached in my prior post is actually strain since
modulus (55 KSI) is defined as a stress/strain ratio. Its applicable to
1 in. wide wedge rings. Displacement would be less for narrower rings)

Cheers,

Alex

— In FreedomOwnersGroup@yahoogroups.com, “Alan Kusinitz”
<akusinitz@…> wrote:

Well, what’s really important here is that the spartite use on my F-33
should be fine! :slight_smile:

Alan

12

Posted by Sward (swardfullsail@…>)
I don’t understand about all the specifics that your talking about, however, I can tell you that I had someone put spartite in about 5 years ago and it works great. No leaks, and when under pressure everything seems great. When under a lot of pressure-15-20 knot winds, 8 ft. seas, downwind, it creeks a lot, which was pretty unsettling when I first heard it, but now am comfortable with it.sailorvela <sailorvela@…> wrote: Indeed,All in all ne numbers I posted are only a back of the envelope calculation including many
asuumptions. The proof is in the pudding. Does anybody know of any problems with Freestanding cantilever masts using spartite wedges? I assume there must be quite a few masts stepped that way out there.(BTW the solution I reached in my prior post is actually strain since modulus (55 KSI) is defined as a stress/strain ratio. Its applicable to 1 in. wide wedge rings. Displacement would be less for narrower rings)Cheers,Alex— In FreedomOwnersGroup@yahoogroups.com, “Alan Kusinitz” <akusinitz@…> wrote:>> Well, what’s really important here is that the spartite use on my F-33> should be fine! :-)> > > > Alan> > > >“Life is a Reach, then you Jibe” SWARD

13

Posted by katorpus (jrb@…>)

You guys have me seriously confused here

Lots of talk of compressive strength, hardness etc of Spartite…

My F-40 Aft Cockpit Cat Ketch masts are “centered” in the deck hole
with nylon/hard plastic/?? tapered wedges which are “held down” by the
deck collar ring.

Anything else in the space between the mast and collar is serving as
simply a “sealant” (mine is black silicone, which has held up really
well for over 10 years).

Did you do away with the wedges when putting in the Spartite? If so,
WHY?

I don’t know what these wedges are made of…they have that “yellow
aged nylon” look to them. I just know they are really HARD…and
probably have a compressive strength greater than that of the mast.

14

Posted by vtaiariol (borelmfg@…>)

The original material was polyurethane. Very tough, abrasion
resistant and lasts a long time. I have also been follwing the
Spartite debate and can not figure it out either. Unless you lost
the orginal wedge or it was damaged, why change? To each his own, I
guess.

Regards,

Van

— In FreedomOwnersGroup@yahoogroups.com, “katorpus” <jrb@…>
wrote:

You guys have me seriously confused here

Lots of talk of compressive strength, hardness etc of Spartite…

My F-40 Aft Cockpit Cat Ketch masts are “centered” in the deck
hole
with nylon/hard plastic/?? tapered wedges which are “held down” by
the
deck collar ring.

Anything else in the space between the mast and collar is serving
as
simply a “sealant” (mine is black silicone, which has held up
really
well for over 10 years).

Did you do away with the wedges when putting in the Spartite? If
so,
WHY?

I don’t know what these wedges are made of…they have
that “yellow
aged nylon” look to them. I just know they are really HARD…and
probably have a compressive strength greater than that of the mast.

15

Posted by sailorvela (sailorvela@…>)

Hi Guys,

My F-40 CK also came with the original hard “plastic” wedges which I
still have (those were a pain to remove!). I Removed the masts for
transport by truck to GA with Paul Dennis help. He suggested that I
use Spartite when re-steping the masts as he felt it is a superior
product. That is what I did. The spartite forms a structural spacer
between the mast and the partner (the hole in the deck). Any sealant
between the ring and mast must be removeable and acts as a sealant
only (silicone).

Been out in a race a couple a of weeks ago with the top gusts about
~30mph (inland sailing, very gusty). Buried a rail a couple of
times. No problems, new speed record (for me) 8.7 kts in the GPS.

BTW I also heard some noise from the main mast in very choppy seas
(Buzzard’s Bay) BEFORE removing the mast. Those were due to too much
play on the mast step (bottom). Paul suggested I put silicone there
to dampen any movement.

Cheers,

— In FreedomOwnersGroup@yahoogroups.com, “katorpus” <jrb@…> wrote:

You guys have me seriously confused here

Lots of talk of compressive strength, hardness etc of Spartite…

My F-40 Aft Cockpit Cat Ketch masts are “centered” in the deck hole
with nylon/hard plastic/?? tapered wedges which are “held down” by
the
deck collar ring.

Anything else in the space between the mast and collar is serving
as
simply a “sealant” (mine is black silicone, which has held up
really
well for over 10 years).

Did you do away with the wedges when putting in the Spartite? If
so,
WHY?

I don’t know what these wedges are made of…they have that “yellow
aged nylon” look to them. I just know they are really HARD…and
probably have a compressive strength greater than that of the mast.

16

Posted by ron barr (rwhb@…>)


Are you saying that you don’t use wedges at all to hold the mast
just the Spartite? Where does one find it by the way?

Ron
Newport RI



From:
FreedomOwnersGroup@yahoogroups.com [mailto:FreedomOwnersGroup@yahoogroups.com] On
Behalf Of sailorvela
Sent: Wednesday, November 14, 2007 8:10 PM
To: FreedomOwnersGroup@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [FreedomOwnersGroup] Re: Spartite

\




Hi Guys,

My F-40 CK also came with the original hard “plastic” wedges which I
still have (those were a pain to remove!). I Removed the masts for
transport by truck to GA with Paul Dennis help. He suggested that I
use Spartite when re-steping the masts as he felt it is a superior
product. That is what I did. The spartite forms a structural spacer
between the mast and the partner (the hole in the deck). Any sealant
between the ring and mast must be removeable and acts as a sealant
only (silicone).

Been out in a race a couple a of weeks ago with the top gusts about
~30mph (inland sailing, very gusty). Buried a rail a couple of
times. No problems, new speed record (for me) 8.7 kts in the GPS.

BTW I also heard some noise from the main mast in very choppy seas
(Buzzard’s Bay) BEFORE removing the mast. Those were due to too much
play on the mast step (bottom). Paul suggested I put silicone there
to dampen any movement.

Cheers,






\

17

Posted by michel.capel (michel.capel@…>)

If I would have had the original wedges, I would have kept them.
Making PU- rubber collars is a lot of hassle and more difficult to
get them removed. I had to powersaw a circle around my masts to get
the seal to break.

On my F33/35 I had the PU-rubber wedges and they were fine. But the
F33/35 had a tapered deck opening and tapered wedge, and my current
boat (F44) does not have a tapered deck opening and a mainmast that
only just fits in the hole. A wedge would be hard to install, and
the PU- rubber resin can be poured.


— In FreedomOwnersGroup@yahoogroups.com, “katorpus” <jrb@…>
wrote:

You guys have me seriously confused here

Lots of talk of compressive strength, hardness etc of Spartite…

My F-40 Aft Cockpit Cat Ketch masts are “centered” in the deck
hole
with nylon/hard plastic/?? tapered wedges which are “held down” by
the
deck collar ring.

Anything else in the space between the mast and collar is serving
as
simply a “sealant” (mine is black silicone, which has held up
really
well for over 10 years).

Did you do away with the wedges when putting in the Spartite? If
so,
WHY?

I don’t know what these wedges are made of…they have
that “yellow
aged nylon” look to them. I just know they are really HARD…and
probably have a compressive strength greater than that of the mast.

18

Posted by sailorvela (sailorvela@…>)

— In FreedomOwnersGroup@yahoogroups.com, “ron barr” <rwhb@…>
wrote:

Are you saying that you don’t use wedges at all to hold the mast
just the
Spartite? Where does one find it by the way?

Ron

Newport RI

Yes.

I believe that Freedom used spartite in the there latter models.

I order the larger ise can from West Marine. Just sufficeint for
both masts.

Cheers,

Alex

From: FreedomOwnersGroup@yahoogroups.com
[mailto:FreedomOwnersGroup@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of sailorvela
Sent: Wednesday, November 14, 2007 8:10 PM
To: FreedomOwnersGroup@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [FreedomOwnersGroup] Re: Spartite

Hi Guys,

My F-40 CK also came with the original hard “plastic” wedges which
I
still have (those were a pain to remove!). I Removed the masts for
transport by truck to GA with Paul Dennis help. He suggested that I
use Spartite when re-steping the masts as he felt it is a superior
product. That is what I did. The spartite forms a structural spacer
between the mast and the partner (the hole in the deck). Any
sealant
between the ring and mast must be removeable and acts as a sealant
only (silicone).

Been out in a race a couple a of weeks ago with the top gusts about
~30mph (inland sailing, very gusty). Buried a rail a couple of
times. No problems, new speed record (for me) 8.7 kts in the GPS.

BTW I also heard some noise from the main mast in very choppy seas
(Buzzard’s Bay) BEFORE removing the mast. Those were due to too
much
play on the mast step (bottom). Paul suggested I put silicone there
to dampen any movement.

Cheers,

19

Posted by ron barr (rwhb@…>)


Thanks!

Ron



From:
FreedomOwnersGroup@yahoogroups.com [mailto:FreedomOwnersGroup@yahoogroups.com] On
Behalf Of sailorvela
Sent: Thursday, November 15, 2007 6:57 AM
To: FreedomOwnersGroup@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [FreedomOwnersGroup] Re: Spartite

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— In FreedomOwnersGroup@yahoogroups.com,
“ron barr” <rwhb@…>
wrote:

Are you saying that you don’t use wedges at all to hold the mast
just the
Spartite? Where does one find it by the way?

Ron

Newport RI

Yes.

I believe that Freedom used spartite in the there latter models.

I order the larger ise can from West Marine. Just sufficeint for
both masts.

Cheers,

Alex

From: FreedomOwnersGroup@yahoogroups.com
[mailto:FreedomOwnersGroup@yahoogroups.com]
On Behalf Of sailorvela
Sent: Wednesday, November 14, 2007 8:10 PM
To: FreedomOwnersGroup@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [FreedomOwnersGroup] Re: Spartite

Hi Guys,

My F-40 CK also came with the original hard “plastic” wedges
which
I
still have (those were a pain to remove!). I Removed the masts for
transport by truck to GA with Paul Dennis help. He suggested that I
use Spartite when re-steping the masts as he felt it is a superior
product. That is what I did. The spartite forms a structural spacer
between the mast and the partner (the hole in the deck). Any
sealant
between the ring and mast must be removeable and acts as a sealant
only (silicone).

Been out in a race a couple a of weeks ago with the top gusts about
~30mph (inland sailing, very gusty). Buried a rail a couple of
times. No problems, new speed record (for me) 8.7 kts in the GPS.

BTW I also heard some noise from the main mast in very choppy seas
(Buzzard’s Bay) BEFORE removing the mast. Those were due to too
much
play on the mast step (bottom). Paul suggested I put silicone there
to dampen any movement.

Cheers,



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