X Mast Raising Block Line Exit Angle

[ginks]

I was working on my '99 X furler the other day (turned out to be bound up around the cup area, lubrication seems to have solved this) and to be safe I rigged the mast raising system in case I inadvertently (or advertently) caused a forestay issue. I don't know why I hadn't noticed this when I've rigged it before, but the mast raising block connects to the deck with a U-shaped device with a little screw that goes through the upper part of the U (is this called a bale?). Anyway, there's no angular play in this arrangement, so the line exits the block at 90 degrees, directly to starboard. However of course I want it to come back to the starboard winch, and in doing so there's a fair amount of rubbing since it doesn't exit the block cleanly at this angle.

Should I simply add another steel ring or U-shaped thingy or some other device to allow the arrangement to point better toward the winch? I need to look again, I think the block assembly has a closed loop for external attachment, so whatever I add has to be open (i.e. I can't just add a solid steel ring).

I'm trying to get to the boat tonight, I may snap a pic of how this looks to illustrate this better.

Thanks,
Gerry

[Tomfoolery]

Add a small shackle. A stamped shackle with a working load of 500 lb or so is enough, and is only a few bucks. Look also at the top fiddle block. Is there a shackle there that doesn't need to be there? The two fiddle blocks should line up with each other (sheave pins horizontal, port to starboard) once the bottom block is rotated.

The lead line should be able to go straight from the winch to the larger sheave, with no bends other than maybe a little deflection over the cabin roof.

[K9Kampers]

Use a twist shackle...


...or with a bit of Tequila, nothin' else matters!...

[Erik Hardtle]

Just add a winch to the mast raising pole and convert it to an M raising system.

I did:


Check out my web site for the full mod.

It makes it so much easier with a roller furling jib attached.

Erik

[rpasca02]

I am tempted to switch from block and tackle to a winch, however the winch only helps for raising the mast - is that correct? I haven't found any winches with brakes that could help you slowly lower the mast. The block and tackle seems like the only solution to do this.

[Tomfoolery]

The winch used on the is made by these folks, if memory serves. I don't remember which one, but I researched it once when I was considering it, and had figured it out at the time. It might be the smallest one, at the top of the page. http://www.dutton-lainson.com/products.php?cat=19

Point being, what you want is called a 'brake winch', as the load is held by a friction brake rather than by a ratchet/pawl mechanism. Some brake winches have a ratched/pawl system to lock the load as a security backup, but not all, and for a mast raising system where you're not going to leave it there for extended periods unattended (like a crane boom), you don't need that, IMO.

Inexpensive winches with ratchets are good for pulling, and even lifting, but can be dangerous for lowering, as when the load gets away from you, the handle will fly around and break you knuckles (or whatever) while the load is running away. I know this from first-hand experience, though common sense should have told me that. At least I was young enough then to rub it out and keep working. Not today, and not with the potential for someone under the mast (though there should be no one under the mast during that operation) who would get badly hurt from a falling mast.