Installing The Hardware On The Mast

Rigging my carbon fiber mast was a new and very interesting experience. I custom ordered the mast with the sail track included and had it shipped to my house. The rest was up to me to complete based on Keith Callaghan’s design and specifications.

 

 

 

The first thing I did was to measure and locate each of the mast’s fixtures such as sheave boxes, tee plates, spreader bracket, halyard entries and exits, heel tenon, clam cleats, etc. I placed blue tape over the area where the fixture would be fitted not only to mark the location but also to protect the work area around it. The, I used my Makita Cordless Drill with the proper size drill bit size to drill the ends of the opening according to the width of the fixture and my variable speed Dremel Variable Speed Rotary Tool with a cutting disc to cut the long parallel lines of the opening.

The first fixture I fit is the Allen A15B Low Profile Ball Bearing Sheave Box for the Spinnaker. Once the slot is cut and cleaned, I carefully drill the rivet hole and use a stainless steel rivet to secure the sheave box to the carbon fiber mast.

 

Right below, I repeat the process and cut the opening of the Allen A16B Low Profile Ball Bearing Sheave Box for the Jib. Once the slot is cut and cleaned, I carefully drill the rivet hole and use a stainless steel rivet to secure the sheave box to the carbon fiber mast.

In this photo, both Allen A15B and A16B  Low Profile Ball Bearing Sheave Boxes are shown prior to riveting. Placement tests and dry runs are very important prior to cutting and riveting, especially if fixtures are very close to one another as is in this case to allow plenty of structural surface for proper riveting.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Spreader Bracket follows, as I work my way from the top of the mast to the bottom.  This custom bracket was supplied to me by Clint Rand at Forte Carbon Fiber Products, the manufacturer of my mast. It is a perfect fit to the mast and it has 5 pre-drilled rivet holes. As you can see, the bracket goes around the mast but stops at the sail track.

On the front, only one rivet hole is needed. Once in place, I drilled all 5 rivet holes on the mast for the spreader bracket and use stainless steel rivets to secure the spreader bracket to the carbon fiber mast.

 

Later, I primed the aluminum spreader bracket with Zinc Chromate Primer Green and then painted the bracket with a high quality metal paint in glossy black.

 

The aluminum spreaders have a clip on the ends to loop in the uppers. The clips’ opening is adjusted to accept the cable size and then held in place by a stainless steel screw drilled through the spreader and clip, and a lock nut.

 

The spreaders are fastened to the spreader bracket using 2 stainless steel screws drilled through the spreader bracket and a 2 lock nuts.

 

 

 

 

 

Final view of the spreaders before priming and painting.

 

 

 

 

 

The Spinnaker poles’ shock cord attach is made of a simple Stainless Steel Eye Strap with 2 end holes which I used to fasten it to the carbon fiber mast with stainless steel rivets.

 

 

The Stainless Steel Spinnaker Pole Ring has 3 holes which I used to drill the holes on the carbon fiber mast and then fasten it with stainless steel rivets.

 

Main Sail, Jib & Spinnaker Halyard Entry & Exit openings were cut per specification the same way the hardware openings were cut and sanded.

The Selden Goose Neck Bracket was perhaps the most elaborate fitting since the fixture was designed for an oval-shaped mast and my mast is round in shape.

 

 

So I built out a layered carbon fiber composite base using a piece of PVC of the same diameter of the mast for the inside curve and the Selden Goose Neck Bracket contour for the outside with West Systems 105 Epoxy Resin and West System 403 Colloidal Silica.

Here’s a photo of the Selden Goose Neck Bracket being glued, clamped and riveted at the same time.

 

 

 

 

 

Final view of the Selden Goose Neck Bracket as fitted on the mast

 

 

 

Tee Plate openings were drilled, cut and sanded just like the hardware opening. The plates, however, are inserted inside the mast through the

opening and then riveted with stainless steel rivets.

 

The Clam Cleat for the pole lift exit is a CL211 MK2 AN Camcleat

 

 

The carbon masthead pulley assembly is from Selden and with 2:1 option. It can be used for internal (my case) and external halyards. I used epoxy resin and colloidal silica to glue the assembly onto the carbon fiber mast.

 

 

 

 

The Tenon Heel assembly is a standard Selden Tenon Heel assembly glued to the base of the mast with epoxy resin and colloidal silica so it will sit on the mast step.

 

 

 

 

 

Next, I’ll cover the installation of the hardware on The Boom.

Fair winds and warm weather!