CD Typhoon Mast slide opening

[finn murphy]

On my typhoon the mast slide groove is 3/16 wide but there is a larger opening at about 4 feet up the mast (as measured from the deck) of 9/16 in which to insert the sail slides. Once the sail slides are inserted I attached a Stop which screws into the groove and holds the sail slides from falling out again. Unfortunately, I've found this resting place to be too high for Nantucket because the continual high winds buffet the boat too much when the sail sits that high. Consequently, each time I've finished sailing I need to remove the stop and drop the sail slides down past the opening to the lowest point. This is a pain in the neck. Does anyone out there know of anything either invented, cribbed, or manufactured that closes up the 9/16 gap down to 3/16 so the sail can simply travel up and down the mast simply and easily?





cashmere@nantucket.net

[Serge Zimberoff]

Question...buffeted while at mooring or in a slip or? Moving the boom down with the sail flaked will only lower windage marginally. Seems to me the hull is catching more wind than the secured sail. If on a mooring you would get 'buffeting' if the pendant was too short.



serge@srtrop.com

[Jeffrey Clark]

I have a similar problem. In my case stacking the sail above the opening prevents the cover from fitting properly. So everytime I go for a sail I have to fight the slugs past the opening and then secure the stop before hoisting the main. A royal pain. Many masts have a gate to eliminate this problem but I have not seen one for the Typhoon mast. Unless someone has a source I think I will have to make something from some stainless or aluminum flat bar and fasten it with some machine screws. I don't need to use the opening more than a few times a season. Suggestions appreciated.



jclark@crosslink.net

[Anthony P. Jeske]

I made a set of these for a Columbia 22 I crew on. It took a lot of fitting to get them just right, so the sail slugs wouldn't snag as they passed the opening. They are screwed to the mast. I have heard of people who made them from aluminum carpet edging. This seems to be a good idea, I think the curved nose of the carpet edging is a reasonable approximation of the final shape needed to fill in the gap in the mast.
In the case of the Columbia 22, the use of the gap filler allows easy jiffy reefing as well as general sail handling and was well worth the effort needed to fabricate the filler.
While I suspect the Columbia filler wouldn't fit a Typhoon, if you think a sketch of the filler I made would help you make one for your boat, e-mail me and I will get one off to you.
Regards,
Tony Jeske
CD-25D #141
San Diego



ajeske@ixpres.com