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When I received my boat, there wasn't a bolt holding the mast to the mast step.
Apparently there was at one time, as evidenced by the holes.
However, this arrangement must have led to the fracturing of deck step at the rim (see picture below).
Any thoughts to the advantages and disadvantages of bolting the two together? Is it necessary?
I have seen bolts or pins on some boats. I cannot imagine what that is for. If the mast starts to go over that casting is a going to break. If the mast wants to lift I don't think that bolt is going to help either. I would like to hear what others have to say, but I would just clean it up, put the proper coin into the step and raise the mast.
I would close the holes with a bolt or with rubber plugs, just to keep the critters out.
I have never bolted the mast to the step on any boat that I've owned. I don't see the purpose. With the weight of the mast and the tension of the stays it's not going anywhere.
I agree that it isn't worth losing sleep over, but if it were my boat I'd probably repair or replace that mast collar so I could use the pin. I come from an aviation background though were we lack an appreciation for missing parts.
I thought that maybe someone drilled through the mast and step to fix a bolt down low for a better mechanical
advantage for a vang and also better support for the bolt and bail, rather than just going through the mast.
An easy way to dispel that theory is to check for other vang anchor points on the rear of the mast. It's only a
guess and like other posters have said, not absolutely necessary in any case. - Tnx, Jean
Jean - 1983 CD 33 "Grace" moored in
Padanaram Harbor
Massachusetts
Jean wins the prize on this one. I drilled a hole in Raven's mast for a boom vang bail, just a slight bit higher so I would miss the mast step. It is obviously not there to hold the mast in place because they just barely caught the step. They only messed up by a half inch or so. I would grind away the top of both bolt holes so you could put a bail back on there and wouldn't have to take out the bolt each time you went to pull the mast. That is the only reason this is a mystery in the first place. You might still have the bail on the boom but they must have taken it off to unstep the mast and never put it back.
Be careful what good luck coin you use. This was a custom when boats were made of wood. Anything with copper will eat the Aluminum right up and not be such good luck, Steve.
>>Be careful what good luck coin you use. This was a custom when boats were made of wood. Anything with copper will eat the Aluminum right up and not be such good luck<<
Lots of foreign coins are made from aluminum. I wonder if placing one of these under the mast step increases the odds you sail there?
I don't think copper would get you across the river Styx. Gold was traditional.
Whatever you use you can put it in a plastic sleeve or box to prevent electrolysis.
tjr818 wrote:I don't think copper would get you across the river Styx. Gold was traditional.
Whatever you use you can put it in a plastic sleeve or box to prevent electrolysis.
For some of us here, if we could afford to place a gold coin under the mast, we'd be buying a bigger boat, instead. (Not me, of course; I love my 28!)
Neil Gordon wrote: (Not me, of course; I love my 28!)
Me too! So much so that I bought KAYLA back when I saw her listed again, even before I sold the 36' Allied Princess I currently had!
-michael & Toni CDSOA #789
s/v KAYLA CD28 #318
2012 FLSTC Heritage Classic
Niceville FL +30° 30' 24.60", -86° 26' 32.10"
"Just because it worked, doesn't mean it works." -me
No shirt + No shorts = No problem!
tjr818 wrote:I don't think copper would get you across the river Styx. Gold was traditional.
Whatever you use you can put it in a plastic sleeve or box to prevent electrolysis.
For some of us here, if we could afford to place a gold coin under the mast, we'd be buying a bigger boat, instead. (Not me, of course; I love my 28!)
The CD31 has a keel stepped mast. When I bought Orion I noticed the mast step had what appeared to be the perfect sized recess for a coin. I first thoroughly cleaned the recess to be certain there was no coin already in place, then I carefully measured the recess. It was sized to fit a silver dollar perfectly. My boat was built in 1984 so I took a 1894 silver dollar out of my coin collection and placed it in the place of honor. So, I now have a lucky silver dollar at the base of the mast which is exactly one hundred years older than the boat.
Steve wrote:Jean wins the prize on this one. I drilled a hole in Raven's mast for a boom vang bail, just a slight bit higher so I would miss the mast step. It is obviously not there to hold the mast in place because they just barely caught the step. They only messed up by a half inch or so. I would grind away the top of both bolt holes so you could put a bail back on there and wouldn't have to take out the bolt each time you went to pull the mast. That is the only reason this is a mystery in the first place. You might still have the bail on the boom but they must have taken it off to unstep the mast and never put it back.
I believe that you are correct. Possibly no one realized that the bolt had pierced the mast step and it cracked when pulling the mast.
This did not occur to me, as the boat now has a mast plate to attach the boom vang.
What material would be a good insulator to use between the stainless plate and the aluminum mast step (or in general when attaching dissimilar fittings to the mast and boom)?
