HOW
TO LEAD THE HALYARDS FROM THE MAST BASE OF AN SCM 1980 HURLEY 22
WITH A CAST ALUMINIUM SHALLOW MAST FOOT BASE PLATE
BY
KEVIN MITCHELL ABOARD VIXEN
When
I bought Vixen the halyards were hanked onto cleats near the bottom
of the mast but I wanted them to come back to the cockpit because having
had one hip replaced I did not fancy leaving that comfortable, safe
place at times when there is some chop in the water.
There were two significant stumbling blocks, one was the depth of the
mast foot deck plate fitting and the other the height of the combing
near the cabin entry. Where I would need to either drill through or
lead the running rigging over the top. I overcame both problems as you
will see in the photos.
First,
Phil Kirby told me that it was ok to pilot drill the cast aluminium
and screw anything on with self tappers so I approached my local yacht
chandler and explained what I wanted to do and he gave me a couple of
right angled short lengths of aluminium angle. I cut and drilled these
to allow for any other deck fittings so I would be able to get a screwdriver
in at the right angle and fitted them on. I then bought some deck fitting
sheaves and bolted these to the plate. As you will see I overcame the
combing height by laminating thin strips of mahogany to form blocks.
Each of these is bolted right through the coach roof of the cabin where
I have used large penny washers to spread the load. Needless to say,
each block was liberally coated with a clear marine sealant and each
bolt also covered with the same before securing.
The
result of my efforts I'm sure you will appreciate from the photographs
Kevin Mitchell
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1.Double
detail
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2.
From foredeck - all my work
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3.
Lewmar clutch on mahogany
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4.
Mast plate halyard bracket
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5.
Starboard side
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