Mast breaks on daysailer 2 while docked..

[Robbie]

Ever heard of this happening? My oday daysailer 2 has been docked at a small lake marina for the past three or four months with mast up. I just received a call from marina that my mast broke off from tabernacle. The marina stated there have been high winds, but I had the boat out in high winds with the sails pulling on the rig and everything when
I last left the boat two weeks ago was in shape all rigging and pins. Odd and concerning.just wonder if anyone has ever experienced such. I'm heading up Friday to asses the situation and make repairs and decisions.

[GreenLake]

SS rigging can suffer from crevice corrosion, that's a common source of rig failure - but it could be something else entirely, like chain plate failure or stemhead failure - others have had those happen.

Let us know what you find out.

[Robbie]

My guess, before seeing, but trying to relax until I get there , it's possibly weakness in forestay. Everything was fine as I do inspect each time before leaving docked for an extended period. Forestay was fine, but did feel I needed to replace with its age. Perhaps somehow the boat was telling me such and so it responded.

[mike31416]

I also had a similar experience. The bolt heads broke off the port side chain plate. After about 25 years all of those tiny back and forth rocking motions fatigued the metal. I was able to salvage the mast by cutting an inch off at the base that connected to the tabernacle and putting in a 1 inch spacer at the base on the floor.

I replaced all of the chainplate bolts/screws.

Mike

[jeadstx]

Many years ago my dad's O'Day Mariner lost a mast at a mooring when it was hit by a small tornado going thru the harbor. It ripped the tabernacle off the cabin roof, but the mast was undamaged.

Recently, while sailing the Texas 200, I had a split ring come off the clevis pin on a side stay while sailing. In my case the stay came off. We were on a port tack when I noticed it. I was able to grab the loose stay and found the clevis pin at the base of the chain plate. I was trying to get a cotter pin to secure it when we capsized since my cousin who was at the helm didn't release the main sheet (bad series of events). During the rescue of the boat, with tension on the stay, it stayed in place until we got the boat ashore and someone found a cotter pin to secure it.

Might have been a similar case where you lost a cotter pin or split ring while sailing and after you left the boat, the clevis pin worked its' way out causing a stay to come loose.

It has been suggested to me to tape my toggle ends in the future. I did have covers over the turnbuckles, but they didn't help.

John

[DavidF]

Sounds like it is a bad week for this! I just went out to my buoy and found the mast down. My mast has a hinge, so that is where it failed.

The cause was likely a split ring working its way out. This is how I found the chainplate where the sidestay was no longer attached...

Stupid on my part to not re-check the pins or even tape the split rings in place. I am just glad that it didn't happen while sailing with the family!

[Robbie]

It appears , somehow the bowline broke, perhaps due to heavy waves created by the reported strong winds , which generated more force to work loose a circular pin then the tabernacle pin. This snapped the forestay at the turnbuckle just above the adjusting nut then dropping the mast. That's my theory, because from what i can see, nothing else makes sense.
I'm calling D&R Monday for replacement tabernacle, forestay, pins and rings. Hope to be sailing in a week.