Track to aft edge of foremast...?

[Heli-Pilot]

After viewing Martha's foremast rig for some time and being envious of how their sail track on the aft side of their mast facilitates ease of bending on and storing their fisherman staysail in a deck bag, I am going to try this is well on Prudence. I have enough 7/8" stainless track to attach to the foremast for the job, but about 3/4ths of the way up the mast, I have 4 spliced soft eyes on hounds that serve as lower shrouds (courtesy of Brion a couple of years ago) to contend with that are in the way so as to prevent merely fastening the track to the mast. I'd really rather not just bend the track over the soft eyes..very tacky.

So, instead of using teak as a backing like Martha did (very expensive, that teak) to "jump" over the soft eyes splices, I was wondering if marine starboard would be a suitable material? I could use Delrin, but that's almost as spendy as teak. My idea was to run the starboard up to the point of the soft eyes at the bottom, and then another piece from the top of the soft eyes to the mast head. This would leave a gap of approx 3-4 inches in the starboard with the soft eyes filling that gap area and basically allow a 'plumb' vertical fitting of the track.

Thoughts?

Roy

[Brion Toss]

Hi there,
What you are talking about is a "feather" under the track. I don't know the properties of Starboard, but if it is truly non-absorbent, and won't fracture from lateral loads on fasteners, it might be ideal. You might also consider Schaefer's Battslide Track. 7/8" track has undergone a major dip in quality control since the time Martha had some installed. And even at the best of times it could stick. But Schaefer's track is smooth, with perfectly-aligned joints. Easy to install, too. It's also my preferred trys'l track.
Yours,
Brion Toss

[Ian McColgin]

Stepping back: Is the foresail and it's gaff on a track or hoops and jaws?

[Heli-Pilot]

Ian, Prudence is a staysail schooner; ergo no gaffs, hoops, wishbones etc.

A "feather," huh Brion; I'll rmember that term. The 7/8" stainless track I have is fairly old but in very nice shape. In fact, I removed it from Prudence's mainmast when we re-rigged her a couple years back. Though I wouldn't mind using the Schaefer product, it's kind of nice to be able to use something I already have and save the money saved for something else.

The starboard is not as dense as Delrin, but it does have a UV inhibitor. And, not only to ease the installation, I was planning on drilling the holes in the starboard just a bit oversize to possibly releave lateral stress on the starboard and have it mainly taken by the fasteners and track.

Roy

[Ian McColgin]

Ah, my old Goblin was rigged that way and had some soft eye stays. A simple spacer under the track with a gap for each eye did the job. The spacer was fir, looked a treat and was easily varnished without removing the track.

Since the spacer is thin, drill the screw holes just a bit oversized in the spacer (but not the mast) and put a little sealer in. I do it by giving each hole a small squirt before laying the track on and screwing down. That way the screws carry the sealer in but you don't get goop all over.

G'luck

[Ian McColgin]

By the way, on Goblin the throat of the fisherman took a very severe strain. Since it landed at a site where there was a compression block inside the mostly hollow mast, that area was reinforced by a couple of feet of through-bolts rather than just screws.

[SV Papillon]

The step on Martha's old foremast was not teak, it's silver bali, I know this because it is my main mast now. There are plenty of suitible teak alternatives to use that are going to be cheeper than starbaord, I would not trust starboard at that long of a run to be stable, you will not be able to glue a scarf in it either or get runs over 14', it also has no compression. If you are on the east coast Gannon and Benjiman can get you silver bali, otherwise I would probaly try sapele which is abundant and affordable. FYI the track blocking is fastened to the bast with #16 bronze screws. As Robert kept the original track when I got the mast I used harken as a replacment.

Jake