I am trying to set up my rig with my new backstay tensioner...while i am at it i thought i would center the mast in the partner,rerake and retension the whole rig..I read everything on this site and others to prep..centered the mast laterally by measuring side to side,toe rail to toerail using main halyard with measure tape attached.(i couldnt use cap shroud chplates because of 3cm differnce position on deck!!)After all this(with slack lowers),i cant get mast off of port side of partner..I believe its more important to center mast in boat from masthead than trying to center in partners..My question is..can i just use wedges to now center mast in partners??I can tap them in from above.Do i need to fill with spartite?
"Sailing Still" 1990 C36 M25 wing
Sail Canada/Transport Canada training
Gibsons Harbour BC
www.landsendbc.ca
I have generally understood that one centers the mast in the partners (e.g, Looking at Sails - Dick Kenny).
As I recall, my mast also sits to port.
I used a line, blocks, and the halyard winches to nudge the mast back and forth so that I could insert the wedges to lock in this centered configuration.
Two questions:
1. Are the partners "centered"?
2. Are you sighting up the mast to ensure that it is not bowed?
Cheers,
Graham Mackey
SV Nostromo
1989 C36 908
Tall Rig/Wing Keel
Toronto, Canada
Greig,
Yes, you can use wedges to keep the mast in the position you want. You can also use Spartite, but you can't use both. I am a big fan of Spartite, as once you install it, you never have to worry about the wedges falling out, or the mast moving. You can easily pull the mast with Spartite installed, assuming you installed it correctly. Somewhere in the upgrades section of the website is a bunch of helpful hints for installing Spartite that I wrote up a number of years ago. It is also very common to have the mast not perfectly centered in the partners. I agree that it is more important to have the mast centered relative to the boat, even if it is not centered in the partners.
Tom Sokoloski
C36/375IA Past Commodore
Noank, CT
Graham,i have been very careful to check for bowing or hook(which is why i didnt want to force the mast out of column with wedges)It Appears the partners may be slightly off center.I went ahead and wedged the mast to center anyway,using a big screwdriver levering it to position.I will sail with it this way and later decide on spartite.Odd that its easier to find center at masthead than it is at deck level,especially when the stbd cap chainplate is 3 cm further out than the port one!Everything else looks ok,rake,tension and my new split backstay tensioner that i made from 3 blocks attached around a SS ring,replaced clevis pins on backstay chplates with shackles to attach line that runs up to blocks high up the split backstay.Will have to cut slots in the bimini now tho..Love it!!
"Sailing Still" 1990 C36 M25 wing
Sail Canada/Transport Canada training
Gibsons Harbour BC
www.landsendbc.ca
Every year I look at the alignment between the partners and the mast and ask the question if the partner through the cabin top is actually centered? When the yard steps the mast and places the wedges I usually attempt to tune the standing rigging and it is usually by eye. Looking from inside the cabin the partner appears to favor the port direction. The distance is definitely tighter between the mast and starbird side. Fore and aft appear to be equal so I am comfortable with that.
Does anyone know the tolerance in the placement of the partner used by Catalina? Note this attached article the author assumes the manufacture has done a good job in centering.
[url]http://www.doylechesapeake.com/chucksTips/chucksTips.php[/url]
As I read this article it appears that centering the mast in the partner is the priority. Based on that assumption I would think it would be easy to measure the mast fore to aft and starboard to port. Than measure the partner in the same manor. Than manufacture wedges to approximately 1/32"-1/16th" heavier (possibly with a lip to prevent falling through) approximately 1/2 of the difference in measurement. This would allow you to center the mast at the partner effectively. Then proceed with the final tuning. I suspect at this time if everything is satifactory might be the time to use the spartite if you would prefer it over the wedges. Does this make sense?
Note I have been tuning this boat for years and for the most part just following the basics that the mast is straight athwartships with a little rake aft and the slot usually straight has served this old sailor well.
Gary Bain
S/V "Gone With The Wind"
Catalina 36', Hull #: 1056, Year: 1990, Engine: M-35
Standard Rig
Moored: Boothbay Harbor, Maine
Home: Auburn, Maine
Curiously, my boat came with three wooden wedges and one rubber wedge.
In my experience, the wooden wedges have two problems; the use of the wedge results in minimal contact area between the mast and the partners (as these are essentially parallel and the wedge is angled), and, they tend to wiggle out of position as the mast works. Also, pounding the wooden wedges onto place makes me nervous.
The rubber wedge is much better, it has minimal taper and is compressed in place so it won't move. The book I cited earlier in this thread suggests to use rubber wedges that are about 1.25 times thicker than the gap. You shape them so that there is a lip at the top to preclude them from falling through.
Spartite sounds best to me but I'd like to personally see an installation before I took the plunge - we remove our masts every year up here.
Cheers,
Graham Mackey
SV Nostromo
1989 C36 908
Tall Rig/Wing Keel
Toronto, Canada
Well i have centered the mast in partners with wood wedges and they will probably compress and move ...if had thought to source rubber ones that sounds like a better option..maybe catalina?Its so differsnt back east where you pull the stick seasonally...you must be very good at the rig,derig,rake and centre procedure..we sort of sail most of the year,not so much Nov,Dec,Jan the days are so short..no ice in the marinas unless there is a fresh water source inside the breakwater
"Sailing Still" 1990 C36 M25 wing
Sail Canada/Transport Canada training
Gibsons Harbour BC
www.landsendbc.ca
One of the PO's of our boat had the Spartite thing done. I can't imagine not having it. Makes the yearly stepping of the mast much easier. While they charge a lot for what I am told is basically epoxy, it is well worth it IMHO.