another ? about older Isomat masts.

[deniseO30]

this winter when the mast is down I want to do a number of things. One is to determine if I can route the halyards down inside the mast with the existing Masthead. They are outside the mast now. Any thoughts on this?
thanks all!

[sailor50]

As Cinderella says, "all things are possible". This question has been brought up and answered a thousand times before!

Pull your mast, consult with your rigger, open your wallet, sail confident, sail comfortable, enjoy life and your boat!

[deniseO30]

ah.. a junior member! I'm the rigger hon, and it's my purse and no, I've not seen it posted anywhere

[PorFin]

Denise,

I've little doubt you can route the halyards internally -- although your spar size may make a difference. My Isomat mast (NG-51) has a masthead (NG-2) that's designed to do so. The NG-2 has two sheaves aft for the topping lift and main halyard, and four sheaves foreward for the headsails.

Although it's not the easiest web site to navigate, Rig Rite has all of the details you'll need to figure out your puzzle.

The first thing to do is to nail down exactly which spars/extrusions you've got. Compare the dimensions listed on the Rig Rite pages with the dimensions of your spars. You can then accurately ID your spars -- then go back to Rig Rite and browse by your spar type.

Hope this helps.

PF

[deniseO30]

Hey thanks, PF
Yes, I'm aware of Rigrite and all the grief many people have had dealing with them. the Oday 30s had NG-51 tool as I'm sure I have, it's a 82, so the halyards come down the outside. So the masthead would be different? I won't know until the whole thing is down this winter. stripping, priming, rewiring, etc, I'm thinking I'd like to paint the mast black then ragging it with silver to look like "carbon fiber" NOT!

[PorFin]

Originally Posted by deniseO30

Hey thanks, PF
Yes, I'm aware of Rigrite and all the grief many people have had dealing with them. the Oday 30s had NG-51 tool as I'm sure I have, it's a 82, so the halyards come down the outside. So the masthead would be different?

I won't know until the whole thing is down this winter. stripping, priming, rewiring, etc,

It's hard to tell from their diagram, but I'm guessing that you've got an NG-1 masthead. Does this sound like your set up?

(From Rig Rite) The NG1 Masthead for Masthead Rigs is a single casting welded into the Mast Section, easily distinguished from its larger counterpart by having only 2 Sheaves (or provisions for only 2 sheaves) side by side, on the forward side. Masthead allows for 2 Main halyards, 2 Jib halyards, and 2 internal Spinnaker* halyards (using rollers and sheaves above the Jib sheaves) for a total of up to 6 halyards.

Installing a new masthead like the NG-2 would solve your problem, but could be a fairly extensive project. You'd need to cut off the old, weld on the new, then reinstall your masthead lights, antenna, etc. You may lose a little mast length in the process, and that could mean you'd need to shorten your stays and shrouds. You'd also need to carve out holes for the exit plates and get those mounted. I'm sure you've thought all this through -- just thinking out loud here.

Originally Posted by deniseO30

I'm thinking I'd like to paint the mast black then ragging it with silver to look like "carbon fiber" NOT!

Now there's a cottage industry waiting to take off!

[deniseO30]

well I really won't know until it's down on the ground. Don't think the cost is worth the trouble for newer masthead. Thanks! I'll return to the thread in the fall!