[campbmic]

Hey guys! I'm in the process of replacing my mast on my 1975 Venture 23. I'm replacing it with a hobie 18 mast, I'm new to sailing and have two general questions.

1. I've got the shrouds attached and fore stay, but don't know how much I should tighten them down. For instance the fore stay has a sort of tensioner on it, just don't know how tight to make it.

2. I've attached the aft stay a few inches above where it previously was. Therefore the stay is just a bit too short. Are there any local remedies to this situation (ie home depot or lowes) or do I need to order a stay extender online?

3. The main halyard line is too thick to go through the pulley at the hobie masthead. What sort of replacement rope am I looking for? I'm just learning to sail, not racing or anything. Can I source a rope from a hardware store?

4. The previous owner sold me the boat with a "1 person mast raising system" he built. It looks like a 5' long board with a hand winch and 4 pulleys running back and forth. Could anyone explain how I use this?

Thanks for all the advice!

 

[campbmic]

2 What is the gap size on the aft stay? Can you fit a second turnbuckle in there? The rigger’s way of closing the gap is by inserting "toggles". They come in 1 – 2 inch increments and are sold from any on-line rig shop.

-Its about 1-1/2 feet off. Can I go to the hardware store and buy a length of cable and some clamps to solve this?

3 Hardware store rope is good for clotheslines only. Halyards need to be low stretch which you will not find at the hardware store. What is the diameter of your current halyard? You could probably be fine with using something like StaSet or StaSet X. It is pretty affordable and available on-line.

-Awesome! Just found the rope at a local sailing shop.

4 Without looking at what you got, I think the previous owner used a gin pole set up to step the mast. Fairly simple. Put the mast base in the step. Attach the back stay as well as the upper and lower aft shrouds. Put the gin pole at the base of the mast. Run the jib halyard over the gin pole and to the bow. Use the hand winch to crank it up. The back stay and lower aft shrouds will keep the mast from falling forward. Take care while hoisting as the mast doesn’t have any lateral stability while going up.

I dont think its a gin pole. Its like a 2"x4' with a hand winch bolted to the middle of it and 2 pulleys on each end. The wire runs back and forth between the pulleys and has a hook on the end of it.