hinge in unstayed mast?
De Clarke
Hi all. I've just taken possession of one of those silly "rubber ducky"
Escape dinghies, model Rumba. This is a rotomolded PE hull with a
21 ft unstayed alloy stick. Due to keeping the boat in the cheapest
awfulest slip available, she has to pass under some *really* low gangways
on her way to and from the tie. Which means the mast has to come down.
Those who have stepped the mast in one of these little darlin's know that
it is not a job to tackle when aboard and afloat :-) You really have to find
a secure tie, tether the boat firmly bow and stern, to muscle the mast foot
into place. So obviously my thoughts now turn to hingeing the darned thing
and leaving the bottom 3 or 4 ft permanently stepped.
Does anyone have ideas/suggestions/drawings as to hingeing an unstayed
mast? Right now I'm mulling over a simple elbow insert, with a close-fitting
outer sleeve; the sleeve would be slid up, or down, to clear the joint which
would then bend to lower the mast aftwards. Going up, the reverse -- when the
hinge is dead straight, the sleeve slips up (or down) over it to lock the two
sections together. What I don't have is a clear idea of where to find sturdy
hinge assemblies suitable for splicing into an aluminum extrusion (at least
it doesn't taper); or how to fab or acquire the stiff close-fitting sleeve.
perhaps there are other better ways to do this?
if anyone has hinged an unstayed non-tapering aluminum stick of similar
dimensions, or seen a boat with this type of arrangement, please let me know.
tia
de
--
.............................................................................
:De Clarke, Software Engineer UCO/Lick Observatory, UCSC:
:Mail: d...@ucolick.org | :
:Web: www.ucolick.org | Don't Fear the Penguins :
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Stephen Baker
Maybe a sleeve hinged on deck to help with the stepping? It would not need to
be "structural" when the stick is in, just strong enough to guide the little
beast into place.
The thought of hinging the mast itself doesn't sound good.
Steve
Stephen C. Baker - Yacht Designer
http://members.aol.com/SailDesign/private/scbweb/home.htm
Terry K
just loose enough sleeve which would slide up the mast to lower it and drop down
to hold it up. About 18" long should do it.
Terry K
jcassara
"Terry K" <tksp...@nbnet.nb.ca> wrote in message
news:3C7B865B...@nbnet.nb.ca...
Stephen Baker
>Wouldn't be easier and smarter to find a new slip????
Oh, sure, take the EASY way out!
Where's the fun in that?
(just kidding.....)
Steve
Andrew
thought
process. I had intended to fit a windsurf mast joint with a slip tube
over, didn't do it because a suitable peice of tube didn't jump out at
me, and concerns over whether the sail sleeve was strong enough to
hold it all together. In the end I drop the mast into the boat from
the dock/gangway, not
bad when you get the hang of it but it obviously depends where your
gangways
and slip are.
Some thoughts; The white nylon type webbing used on the sail, both
over the sail
top/mast pocket and the strap used when the sail is furled rot fast
in the
sun. After six months in the Florda sun mine turned to tissue paper.
If you
use a slip joint and try to use the rather feeble down haul to hold it
all
together make sure you change the webbing or like mine it will let go
just
when you don't want it too. Similarly the sail fabric is getting
brittle too
so I don't leave my mast/sail outside anymore. Leaving the daggerboard
and
rudder in the water for long isn't a great idea either, the finish is
thin,
absorbs water and after a short time discolors and peels. After a few
occasions hitting bottom and chipping both I ended up refinishing them
with
a bit of epoxy. There's a pocket in the hull under the mast step/boom
assembly that doesn't drain, I was dumb enough to throw the lines in
there
for a few days and they came out green from the few gallons of water
collected there. The mast step arrangement works ok but the thing can
get
stiff to rotate, watch you don't tug too hard on the outhaul or you
can pull
the cam cleat clean out of the deck. Be gentle with the rudder
assembly, the
overcentre spring arrangement is stronger than the pintles and after a
few
inconsiderate knocks moving the boat or hitting bottom you can get a
lot of
play, fixing it is tricky as the whole thing is screwed into the
plastic.
Despite all this it's a great no worries just jump in and go little
tub. have fun!
De Clarke <d...@yakuza.ucolick.org> wrote in message news:<3c7a...@news.ucsc.edu>...
De Clarke
: jcassara asks:
Hmmm. there's a 15-year waiting list for slips in my harbour... it costs
money just to stay on the list... and you don't wanna know what real slips
cost by the month. the "mud slips" are dirt cheap, for good reasons :-)
and I only had to wait about 2.5 years for mine.
de
--
.............................................................................
De Clarke
: I've got one of those yellow things too and went through the same
: thought
aha. great minds think alike <grin>
: Some thoughts; The white nylon type webbing used on the sail, both
: over the sail
: top/mast pocket and the strap used when the sail is furled rot fast
: in the
: sun. After six months in the Florda sun mine turned to tissue paper.
mine are covered when at the dock, but I expect them to rot. I don't
like the whole mylar sail concept, to tell the truth. when this sail
wears out I will have the loft make a proper dacron sail, or I will
turn the darned thing into some other rig, if I can get the mast to
hinge. maybe the thing to do is postpone the mast problem until the
sail wears out :-)
: so I don't leave my mast/sail outside anymore. Leaving the daggerboard
: and
: rudder in the water for long isn't a great idea either, the finish is
: thin,
: absorbs water and after a short time discolors and peels. After a few
: occasions hitting bottom and chipping both I ended up refinishing them
ha! I bought mine used, so the deterioration of the boards was evident
right away. sanded both down to bare wood and put on 3 coats of penetrating
epoxy. also a stainless steel rubstrake on the lower front edge of the
centreboard, to take occasional knocks on rocks and what have you. I still
expect to refinish every couple of years as usual with marine wood.
the centreboard well traps debris, have you noticed that? maybe your
harbor is cleaner than mine, but I end up with all kinds of disgusting
crud trapped there, preventing the board from swinging all the way
up to the stow position. can't think how to get it out w/o either a brisk
sail or hauling the boat out.
: a bit of epoxy. There's a pocket in the hull under the mast step/boom
: assembly that doesn't drain, I was dumb enough to throw the lines in
yup, and I think mine also seeps from below. I keep a small pump handy.
also if you keep the boat in the water you can never drain the inside of
the main hull -- gotta get it out of the water and on a slope for that --
that drainplug in the transom. the cockpit drain only works at speed,
as I'm sure you've found out :-) and that stupid little plug is a bit
worrying.
I'm thinking of screwing a watertight container to the deck in the front
compartment, since afaic this is a solo boat, I never plan to carry
passengers forward of the mainsheet tackle. I thought a 20x20 tupperware
tub or something like it would be handy for holding misc stuff -- snacks,
pump, anchor, whatever.
: collected there. The mast step arrangement works ok but the thing can
: get
: stiff to rotate, watch you don't tug too hard on the outhaul or you
: can pull
: the cam cleat clean out of the deck. Be gentle with the rudder
: assembly, the
: overcentre spring arrangement is stronger than the pintles and after a
: few
: inconsiderate knocks moving the boat or hitting bottom you can get a
: lot of
: play, fixing it is tricky as the whole thing is screwed into the
: plastic.
yes, I noticed that. it's an ingenious pintle/gudgeon arrangement really,
quite quick to mount and demount when you get the hang of it.
I'll try not to be too brutal with the outhaul.
: Despite all this it's a great no worries just jump in and go little
: tub. have fun!
haven't quite got to that "no worries" bit yet.
I'm struggling now with auxiliary power, because of the long haul with
unstepped mast to regain my slip. am trying a couple of different approaches,
so far not decided which is right.
thinking of mounting a notch of some kind for a yuloh or other stern
sculling oar; also investigating more bizarre forms of propulsion.
project page at
http://www.ucolick.org/~de/boat/Gizmo/
nice to meet another "tub toy" owner... have you tried repairing dings
in the plastic with a polyethylene welding kit, at all?
cheers
Stephen R. Conrad
I also have a rumba for 1.5 summers now. I keep mine on a converted small
utility trailer and tow it a quarter mile to the nearby lake.
I made a mast crutch out of approx. 4 feet of 4 inch dia. PVC pipe with a 6
inch long piece as a "T" at the top (with a slight slope to the stern). I
fastened the two pieces together with very large nylon cable ties. (My
trailer is also put together with some of these ties. I love these things!)
The long piece sticks into the large hole in the bow. I stick the top of the
mast with furled sail into the short "T" section and then slip the base of
the mast into a strap I secured to the rudder pintle. Thus the top of the
mast sticks up and over the rear of my car while towing. By the way the
rudder and pintle is identical to a sunfish. I usually then stow the PVC
pipe arrangement in the car but it could stow in the boat with only one
crew. I would need to add flotation to it.
Don't believe the literature that these boats are nearly impossible to
capsize. When it does capsize due to its relatively light weight and wide
beam, it blows away from you very quickly - Always stay with your boat was
the first thing I was taught when learning to sail. Now I know why!
I agree that the hull is very unstable to attempt to stand and step the mast
in the water. And although I always keep a telescoping plastic/aluminum
paddle with me, I haven't found paddling to be very convenient. Sculling
with the rudder is about as effective. Nothing like an approaching thunder
storm and no wind to help you get back. Are there shallows nearby after you
go under the bridge where you can stand an step the mast? You're probably
already wet.
Steve
"De Clarke" <d...@yakuza.ucolick.org> wrote in message
news:3c7c...@news.ucsc.edu...