Attaching a spinnaker track to the mast

[Gary H]

I am thinking about attaching a spinnaker track to the front of the mast on a CD22D. I would have a car with a ring on it to attach a spinnaker pole for both downwind sailing and as a gin pole in raising/lowering the mast. I have a new track, car, and pole purchased by the previous owner and never installed.

Two questions:
-What is the best method to attach the track to the mast. Drill and tap for SS screws? (I would be a newbie at tapping) Rivets? Backing Plate? Do I need to worry about halyards or electrical wires being impacted by protruding scews / rivets? The boat will only be in fresh water.
-What would be the best location of the track (height from the bottom of the mast)?

Thanks for any suggestions. I hope to do it right the first time.

Gary

[ariasis]

I put one on my typhoon last fall. I predrilled using flat screws except for the first and last screw. Then i used pan head screws at the top and bottom so the car could not accidently slide off. Height wise I just put mine where it looked good. It being adjustable it's not to big a deal. No tapping but I used good screws. You could get self tapping screws if you are so inclined.

[John Martin]

I have done this project several times.

First: determine the in-board attachment point for the pole. At the dock, on a calm day, hoist the spinnaker, and attach the pole. Move the pole up and down, until you get the best spinnaker shape. Keep the pole horizontal. This should indicate the optimal 'middle of the track'.

Second: securly tape the track to the mast. With a pencil or fine tip marker, mark each hole. With a punch and hammer, put a dimple in the center of each track hole. Inspect everything to make sure the dimples are in the center of each hole.

Third: sit-down, relax, have a beer.

Forth: make sure you get the proper drill bit for the tap you are using. Drill bits are smaller diameter than the tap hole. If this does not make sense, get someone to help you. This is a great place to really screw-up, big time.

Fifth: Use a square and have someone watching to make sure you drill each hole at 90 degrees.

Six: Use the proper screw for your track and mast. I have always used 1/4" 10-20 machine screws. Coat each screw in Tef-Gel. I have never used pop-rivets or self-tapping screws.

7th: Start at the top and drill and tap and screw each hole, in order, from top to bottom.

8th: I like a round-head 'stopper' screw, only at the bottom. I have bent spinn-pole cars before and needed to easily/quickly replace them.

After the job is done, go sailing, hoist the chute, have fun, and have a beer. A CD downwind with a spinnaker is awesome.

[Steve Laume]

John did pretty much what I have done.

I am not sure I created a way out for the car at the top but that is a great idea.

The only advise I might add is that you use 10-32 or 1/4-24 fine threaded machine screws for mast attachments. It will give you a little better holding power in the aluminum mast extrusion. That and I would move some beer consumption to the end of the project. Don't forget a bit of oil when tapping the threads, Steve.

[Steve Laume]

I just check my tapping guide and it calls for a #21 drill bit for a 10-32 thread in aluminum. The closest fractional drill bit would be 5/32". For 1/4-28 it is a #3 or 15/64".

I would suggest a nice IPA but that is open to individual tastes, Steve.

[tjr818]

IPA? Robert, don't they know that Guinness is the proper beverage for this project?
I do agree with the fine threads rather than coarse, and Guinness is the FINE beer for this project.

[Sea Hunt Video]

IPA? Robert, don't they know that Guinness is the proper beverage for this project?

Tim:

Yes, I too was surprised by our friend Steve's reference to "IPA" instead of Guinness. I'm not even sure I ever heard of "IPA" - India Pale Ale Really

[rorik]

Guinness.
Absolutely.
And at room temp.

[Gary H]

Thank you John and Steve. I will follow your directions carefully - including the IPA, which happens to be my favorite beer! Guinness is a bit too strong for my taste - Only one of the many things that separates me from a real sailor!

[Steve Laume]

Lots of real sailors seem to drink Hieniken and that stuff might as well be water. I think we are fine with a nice IPA. Before last year's trip I found our local package store could get Sierra Nevada. IPA 12 packs, in cans. No clanking bottles and you can crush em after you drink em. Not a bad ale either, Steve.

[jbenagh]

Two things:

1) I think 10-24 might be better than 10-32 or either of the 1/4in choices, at least partially due to the mast wall thickness. Although the 10-32 bolt is stronger, the 10-24 thread is stronger and also less susceptible to damage, corrosion and inaccuracy due to hand-tapping. The aluminum mast acting as the nut is the weak point, not the bolt so I think you should optimize for that. You want at least 1/2 the screw diameter of threads to engage the threads and a full diameter is better (beyond that doesn't matter much). A mechanical engineer colleague recommended this to me a couple years back: http://store.curiousinventor.com/guides ... ng/Screws/

2) I really enjoy a nicely poured Guinness in a pub, but I'm with Steve on the IPA for sailing since I just can't get the head right on a Guinness under sail and prefer cans for cruising to lighten the trash load. Our cruising favorite is Whale's Tail IPA from Cisco brewers or their Indie Pale Ale, although their Summer of Lager is nicer on hot days and Harpoon IPA is also great and easily found in these parts. Now if only Sierra Nevada would put Torpedo in 12oz cans...

Jeff

[Sea Hunt Video]

Two things:

First, Guinness is sold in cans.

Second, getting the right foam head when pouring a Guinness simply requires practice. But if you are not willing to put in the time and effort to practice then ............

Always remember, "prior practice prevents piss poor performance". I have been practicing the art of Guinness pouring for many years. I consider myself still a student of the art.