installing a mast gate?

Moderator: GreenLake

Postby hectoretc » Wed Nov 30, 2011 8:17 am

Thanks Jay, it may not have been you... and thats why my follow-up searches have been unsuccessful (looking in the wrong place).
I did some additional googling last night and here is the least expensive commercial option I was able to find.

http://www.catalinadirect.com/index.cfm ... ct_ID=1127

I'm not sure if it will fit a DaySailer mast, I've not thought to measure the size of the slot, but it certainly looks like a simple piece of aluminum angle with one of the legs of the L ground down to the thickness of the mast wall would be adequate for fill this need.

Here's another fiberglass varient for the do-it-yourselfer

http://www.wbryant.com/StellaBoat/Proje ... aintrk.htm

For your consideration...
DS #6127 - Breakin' Wind - From the land of 10,000 lakes, which spend 80% of the year frozen it seems...
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Postby jdoorly » Wed Nov 30, 2011 11:55 pm

Scott, your Catalina reference above is kinda what I called my quick and dirty mast gate, just a plate to cover the widened slot and screwed to the mast. It worked ok for a year but I was thinking about trying to make an automatic multifunction 'push in/pull out/keep the slugs in the track' type of gate when it occurred to me I might already have one. So, I replaced the screws in my q&d gate with 1/8" shock cord and there it was!
1153
I had to drill out the tapped screw holes to 9/64 and break the sharp edges so the shock cord wouldn't wear too quick. Since my mast ends just 6 inches below the slot it was easy to snake the cord through. I tied a square knot with overhand loops to lock it but it will probably slip, shock cord always does. The tighter the shock cord the more force necessary to pull a slug out. But, just press them in or pull them out or slide them by -easy pizzy.
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Postby GreenLake » Thu Dec 01, 2011 1:37 am

One of the knot books by Geoffry Budworth contains a description of a knot that he claims holds in shock cord. Can't remember offhand, but perhaps this is enough of a pointer for you to locate an alternative to the reef-knot (square knot).

The "vice versa" might be the one I mean.
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Postby hectoretc » Thu Dec 01, 2011 9:20 am

jdoorly wrote:Scott, your Catalina reference above is kinda what I called my quick and dirty mast gate, just a plate to cover the widened slot and screwed to the mast.


Hi Jay, can you remind us of the dimensions of your gate? Mostly I'm interested in the thickness of the aluminum stock.

Thanks,
DS #6127 - Breakin' Wind - From the land of 10,000 lakes, which spend 80% of the year frozen it seems...
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Postby jdoorly » Thu Dec 01, 2011 8:42 pm

The plate is 1/16" x 1.25" x 4.0". The holes are 0.85" back from the lip which is folded over to present a smooth edge to the slugs. Of course, it was bigger before I folded over the edge and hammered it into a curve. The mast gate works in multiple planes as it moves in or out and to the side under the pressure of the slug being pressed or pulled against it. You can see from the picture that in my installation that the slot edge is a good 1/8" away from were it should be yet it works great. I suspect all of the dimensions or locations can be just as sloppy and still work.

Scott, this may not work for you since your tabernackle side plates are wider than mine and will probably interfere with the plate as slugs are being pressed in. I had to take a little off on mine for clearance. You may be able to take a lot off, just up to leaving enough meat next to the holes. Also you may be able to move the holes closer to the lip, but the holes may have to be drilled through the slot wall (not just the mast outer wall). I have given up on the internal type gate because this one works so well, but that might be a good solution for you to try.
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MastGate for DaySailer 2 having DM-284 mast

Postby TomLuque » Thu Dec 22, 2011 6:51 pm

The internal channel mounted MastGates I make will fit the Dwyer Mast 284.
As pointed out in earlier post, the problem is internal space for all items to fit.
The DM-284 has a con-caved back web wall that allows a better fit, like the DM-275.

Sometimes I will list External MastGates on ebay at discount.

I'll also make simple custom gate cuts out of Stainless 316 with punched holes to your specification, under 6.5 inches in length.

The old names used was Tube Gate and Snap-Gate, now replaced with MastGates.

I'll be glad to help you with your ideas.
Tom Luque MastGates.com
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Postby K.C. Walker » Thu Dec 22, 2011 11:13 pm

Hi Tom,

Thanks for checking in with us on this thread. I should go out and measure my Alspar mast. I suspect that I will need to go with the external gate.
KC Walker, DS 1 #7002
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MastGates and boom mounting

Postby TomLuque » Thu Dec 22, 2011 11:43 pm

Notation:

It is easier to have an Internal MastGate fitted to a mast when booms are externally mounted vs using a slide mount.

This is because 1/2" metal boom slides take up more space than plastic 1/2" sail slides.
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Postby hectoretc » Sun Jun 17, 2012 10:46 pm

jdoorly wrote:Scott, this may not work for you since your Tabernacle side plates are wider than mine and will probably interfere with the plate as slugs are being pressed in. I had to take a little off on mine for clearance. You may be able to take a lot off, just up to leaving enough meat next to the holes. Also you may be able to move the holes closer to the lip, but the holes may have to be drilled through the slot wall (not just the mast outer wall). I have given up on the internal type gate because this one works so well, but that might be a good solution for you to try.


After lowering my main sail while coming in to the dock a few times (slugs, not bolt rope) and having it spill out all over the cockpit, I started focusing back in the mast slot and how useful it would be to have a gate.
As you mentioned Jay, my mast hinge is to much in the way to reproduce what you had done, and now that I'm on the water, I really really don't want to have to take it all apart again and cut down the hinge side, so I went shopping in my pole barn for another solution. As my eyes were scanning the tons of parts, junk and scrap pieces filed randomly in assorted piles, they fell on a carpet edge trim piece. Slightly curved, about an inch wide, aluminum... hmmm... So I hack sawed off about a foot and took it down to the boat, held it up, and whola... it'll work.

1308 1306 1305 1311

I drilled and tapped a pair of holes into the mast, one in the lower portion of the slot (well below the travel area used for slugs) which I put in the screw snug but not tight, and one top outside the slot into the main mast. I found a wing screw so I can loosen/remove the top screw to slide the plate aside slightly and put the slugs in/out, replace the wing screw, and it works great! (the middle hole was already there from the Carpet edge strip application).
It's some weird bronze color with a textured surface, but the price was right, so for now I'll paint it flat black until I find something else. I'll also probably make the top hole into more of a sideways slot so I can loosen the wingscrew and slide the plate aside rather than having to take the screw entirely out to open the gate.
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