Mast Step Not Flat

[rpasca02]

I'm seeing a strange issue with my mast step. Firstly the mast step is not flat - so you can pretty easily put say a flat head screwdriver between the step and the deck plate. I would say toward the front of the boat there is less than 1/4 inch of this situation between the step and plate but it concerns me either way. Should this be at an angle or is the rake built into the mast step hardware? The bolt is through so the rear is in the correct position.

Most people would say I have too much tension on the backstay - but... I have it on the top most chain plate position. Also I've loosened the shrouds so then are not pulling on the mast.

The mast looks OK ... definitely a bow to it but nothing too strange looking. Alignment is good starboard to port.

Anyone have this issue - OR is it normal? I would expect the full weight of the mast to sit flat on the deck plate.

Thanks!

[sunshinecoasting]

I'm not absolutely clear on your problem, a picture paints a thousand words, however the mast base and step should be flush to each other with the mast in the full up position, they could be slightly apart but not much, the mast (in factory trim) should have a 4 degree reward rake on it, the shrouds and front stay (or furler) should all be pretty tight at this point with no slack on any of them, the rear stay however could easily have some slack in it, not a lot but enough to allow you to raise the mast without the rear stay restricting you from pinning the forestay. Make sure your chain plate and cable ends don't kink on any area, make sure your baby stays are in place for the raising but can be removed to clear the deck once raised and pinned, these baby stays can also be a tight point when raising, they shouldn't be, they should be just slack with the mast raised, their only purpose in life is to stop the mast from falling sideways during lift or lower, once up the shrouds take over this function which is why they should have some tension on them at fully raised position, never try raising your mast with baby stays missing, very bad idea. A little hint, I always try to have the stern facing in to the wind while raising or lowering, believe it or not that wind actually helps take some weight off the mast and while on the stern does not cause the mast to try and fall sideways putting tension on the baby stays making it harder to raise.

Cheers, Dennis.

[rpasca02]

Dennis,

I really appreciate all the time you put into your response.

I apologize for the night photos but they show the situation. Basically it is good in a way there is some play in this - about 3 credit cards high can go in 1 inch - or 5 credit cards can go in the very end... because if the mast is to have any movement forward, and if it were flat, this would not be good for the structure.

I'm curious what other 26x owners see at the base of their mast.

Here you can see I'm full out on the backstay... I can probably go one more on the vernier with some effort.



Someone will find this funny as well... a boat is a reverse ATM machine. My 26x is OK though, do everything myself on it..,



I guess my concern is the weight distribution is primarily on the forward bolt, not completely on the flat stainless steel plate.

[bobbob]

Looks like you need an extension to your backstay (and the ability to reduce the length of your forestay/jib furler)

[Tomfoolery]

How is the mast rake? Don't rely on the backstay length for mast rake, or even the forestay for that matter. There's no guarantee either of them was made correctly, especially since they're almost certainly not original at this point.

The design rake is a lot more than most boats, so use the instructions in the manual to set (or at least verify) the rake before taking it any further. Published rake is 4 degrees from the foredeck, which is just shy of 2 ft on a 28 ft mast.

[grady]

Disconnect you back stay. You should set all your tensions with your back stay disconnected/loose. Then set you back stay tension to what you think you need due to wind strengh. These are not mast head rigs with straight spreaders the back stay does not add any strength to the rig. Put you boat in the water and look at the mast. See what your rake looks like.

[sunshinecoasting]

Looking at your pictures something doesnt seem quite right, or maybe straight? Looks like the step is on an angle, it may just be the pic? I just took some photos of mine, my MRS is still attached so look beyond that, the step is nice and parallel to the deck and looks to have maybe 4mm clearance, maybe enough for 2 or 3 credit cards tops.
Cheers Dennis.

[Tomfoolery]

Mine has a bit of a gap at the front, though I didn't measure it.



My mast has less than the 4 degree rake specified in the manual, though. Less rounding up. Hard to tell what the actual angle is from a photo, but I know it's less than 4 degrees (which is a lot).



As to structural issues, it's not going to make a difference to the mast. Many other things in play there, but buckling due to eccentric loading isn't one of them.