Tabernacle

[pnichols]

I have an older non-tapered mast ('66 vintage) that has been cut for a tabernacle and then re-sleeved back to a single piece.

The mast is quite heavy and awkward to rig, so I want to go back to a tabernacle system. Since the mast has already been cut, I don't feel like I am ruining a perfectly fine single-piece mast.

Does any have a source for purchasing the tabernacles for these masts?

[calden]

D&R Marine. Talk to Rudy for advice and what you need depending on the exact mast you have.

http://www.drmarine.com/categories.asp?cat=64

Carlos

[pnichols]

Carlos

Perfect - thank you. I did not realize just how many DS parts D&R carries. Wow. This will really help me with the mast refurbishing as well.

How is you sailing going?

I have #2383 turned up side down and have been working on hull prep for painting. I completely repaired the floor boards using brass screws and removing all of nails. Many which were broken or loose.

I also have just finished re-building and re-painting the trailer. I will be posting some pics soon. It turned out very nice. What a lot of work but very worth it.

I think my original plans for getting everything done this summer are too ambitious. I will most likely tackle the interior painting and upgrades next year.

I just want to make sure I can get her in the water by September 16th when I go to Lake Tahoe.

[calden]

Paul:

I had some little things I wanted to do on my boat this year, but haven't gotten to them. I've been having boat adultery with my San Juan 21, spending fidget time fixing that one up. It's really great to have a boat that family and friends can go forward and lay on the deck, letting the jib tack over them.

I have sailed my DS several times, though, and still love it. It's now got a new mainsail (bought end of season last year,) new jib, and a nice clean topsides and deck this year. I figured out how to roll the mainsail up to the boom without disfiguring it too much, and that makes rigging much faster.

Looking forward to seeing the new floorboards.

Carlos

[crawford]

I cut my tapered proctor mast a year ago. I got the hinge from Dwyer Aluminum. Good price. I then fiddled with the hinge to make a great fit. works like a charm. I do lash down the tabernacle side (the trough-deck) end so the mast won't lever it out while raising and lowering. The tru-deck is not left in the hole during transporting because I use a mast cradle that slides into the hole.
The whole thing is light and comfortable to raise and lower by myself.

[UkiDLucas]

I just ordered the tabernacle parts from Ruddy Nickerson:

http://www.drmarine.com/proddetail.asp?prod=DR2151
http://www.drmarine.com/proddetail.asp?prod=DS207

I wondered if any of you did similar conversion and have some tips, or photos you could send me.

I can do the wood/glass work myself, etc. to strengthen the cuddy roof.

The idea of using the cabin top set up is to clear the space inside the cuddy since I sail with the kid and I am setting out for 2 weeks in Apostle Islands, Lake Superior.

Any suggestions will be appreciated.

[calden]

Uki:

I may be misreading it, but your post kind of sounds like you are going to step the mast on the deck without the support mast section underneath. If this is what you're thinking, you should not do it. The mast must have the support underneath. This boat is not made to support the mast from the deck only, even if you beef up the deck construction. The reason people are cutting the mast to step it on the deck is to ease the stepping, not open up space inside.

However, even with the mast support inside there is plenty of room. I'm 5'11" at 230 lbs. (!) and can get inside with a bit of wiggling. It's those damn thwarts that thwart my attempts at sliding in easily, not the mast support. But really - there is plenty of storage room as well as curling-up room. If you are thinking of really camping in this boat, consider a boom tent to cover the cockpit.

But leave the mast support in. I suspect the boat deck would twist and distort without it.

Carlos

[UkiDLucas]

Hi Carlos,
Thank you for your advice, I will think it thru.

I was thinking about:
- bolted thru plywood plates, much larger than the tabernacle, above and below the roof
- couple rigid plywood support ribs glassed 90 degree to the boat/roof to beef the construction of the roof
- additional support going to the side bulkheads between roof and the hull (I wanted a little shelf there anyway)

[Adrift]

Uki,

No! That is not good. The mast is meant to be stepped on the keel. You are going to a lot of time and expense and adding unneeded weight to your boat. The downward force of a mast underway is tremendous and the boat is not meant for that sort of loading. The amount of structure you would have to add would be great and you would probably destroy any resale value.

The tabernacle makes it *so* easy to take the mast down you can't believe that you ever lived without it. I've raised and lowered my mast 3 times one day. One time on the trailer, of course, and twice while underway on the lake (going under bridges). The lake was fairly calm but I ain't a young-un no more so it balances out.

If you absolutely need to open up the last bit of space in the cuddy at your destination, just drop the mast, pull the mast stub out of the cuddy and set it aside. You don't even have to disconnect the side stays unless you want to. You can even leave the main flaked on the boom.

[UkiDLucas]

Hi Mike,

that is a good suggestion to take out the piggy-back mast when the top is folded - I did not think it was possible.

Until now I did the mast stepping myself, with little help from wife. I also have a swivel rig to help with it.
Couple of times I really run in trouble while stepping the mast and it was not pleasant, the first time I had to repair the fiber-glass I ripped.

It takes fun of the one-hour evening sails I could have in the lake near-by, even if it only takes 30 minutes to rig it.

On the other hand I sailed on friend's cabin-top-stepped O'Day 20 and I am jealous of the cabin not being divided in two by the mast/support.

I wonder if anybody else did what I planned. I definitely have some thinking to do.

As to the mast support and extra weight, I totally agree with your concerns.

[crawford]

I have owned an ODay 20 and 3 catalina 22s and a daysailer 2 as well as my day sailer 1. The post is used in the 20, 22s and ds 2 and ds 1. The post is needed. I agree with the comment that the downward pressure will fold in your cabin when you are in a fair wind. Even the 20 is beefyer than the catalina (in the glass on the cabin), yet structurally a post is needed. I would hate to see someone attempt to save a little wiggle room then have the entire rig give way and hurt somebody.
Please, think before you remove the post. I, too, also hindged my tapered mast. But it hindges onto the post that remains on the keel. Yes, it is very easy to remove the post when the mast is lowered.

[calden]

A note on installing the mast hinge.

As someone said, you need to find a way to secure the mast stub in the cuddy so it won't rise up. Why? When you attach the mast to the hinge base, and hold it to push it up, you're way up near the cuddy and most of the remainder of the mast is hanging out behind you. It's weight pulls down, and with you as a fulcrum, the end of the mast with the hinge pulls up, and will simply pull the mast stub up out of the hole. Surprise! It's even more fun when lowering the mast - you start to angle it downward, and suddenly the stub comes flying up as the end of the mast comes crashing down on the transom and ground. Don't ask me how I know.

I think someone's solution was to drill a through-hole on the mast stub right below the deck insertion hole, and they inserted a bolt about 3" longer than the mast width. This effectively stopped the mast from coming out of the hole.

I didn't want to drill a large hole like that, so I just put a strapeye on the stub about a foot up from the keel. I run a strap through that and looped around the bolt holding the bronze base to the keel. My method does not thus has any large mast holes to potentially weaken it, but it does prevent you from taking the stub out of the hole (unless I got at it with a drill and took the eyestrap off.)

Carlos

[UkiDLucas]

Reading the previous posts, I will seriously consider the idea of the tabernacle...

Before I attempt any mast modifications, I would:

1) add few profiled ribs made of thick plywood that would be glassed to the roof (upside down), to make the roof rigid.
2) add forward posts that would support the roof to the keel in the V
3) add plywood support bulkhead to the opening of the cuddy

The above I have to do anyway. Currently I have a big wooden partition board dividing the cuddy in half.

If (and I mean "if") I decide to add the tabernacle I would:

4) glass over the existing holes and ad the glass thickness in the middle and in the corners of the roof (I have a lot of holes and cut-outs)
5) add bigger plywood plates above and below the deck, bolted thru with tabernacle above the deck (easy folding)
6) add the center mast support when under the sail

The biggest weight would be the bulkhead, but I wanted to do it anyway, and it will be just few pounds.

[Adrift]

A note on installing the mast hinge.

<snip>
I think someone's solution was to drill a through-hole on the mast stub right below the deck insertion hole, and they inserted a bolt about 3" longer than the mast width. This effectively stopped the mast from coming out of the hole.
<snip>

That would certainly work.

I have a pair of 3/16" stainless screws, 1 on either side of the mast base going into the step.

Another setup I've seen used a pin just like the ones on the tabernacle (at least the pin on my tabernacle) slid thru the mast and mast step with a lock ring. Completely tool-less to install / remove.

The real forces are carried by the mast step (vertically) and partners (horizontally) so the hold down needn't be over built. Anything able to hold 50 Lbs or so should be golden.

[UkiDLucas]

I posted some pictures on my mast setup:

pivoting guide and mast step:
http://flickr.com/photos/uki/873830730/

the cut-out cuddy:
http://flickr.com/photos/uki/872978071/