During the recent maiden voyage in my new (to me) 87 C36, there was a horrendous creaking noise in the mast from what I thought to be the wedges at the partners. Any motion at all created the sound that was a combination of a loud creak and popping. Sleeping on a buoy in waves was next to impossible.
Noticed that the mast had two thin (1/4") wedges on the starboard side, a thicker one (1/2") on the port, a loose one at the aft and no wedge forward. The mast was offset in the hole in the deck to starboard by a half inch, but lined up with the teak trim on the portside. Any attempt to "center" the mast would quickly have it rubbing up against the vertical trim.
The deck restraining turnbuckle was snug, but could be turned easily by hand. Each time it was tightened the noise could be heard. I couldn't see any movement at the wedges, but the squeaking was very distinct.
At the suggestion of my boatyard manager, I tried spaying the wooden wedges several times with silicone spray (Sailkote) during the trip, but no joy. Tried differing amounts of backstay tension, tightness of the jib halyard and various tightening of the deck restraining turnbuckle to no effect.
I suspect that the missing wedge on the leading edge and loose one on the aft were allowing the mast to move slightly back and forth against the wedges on the sides.
In reading this forum, the C36 tech notes CD and a search on the Sailboat Owner's.com website, the fix for this seems to be Spartite?
My question is: Does one replace the wooden wedges with some made of a non-wood material, or can the Spartite be applied with what may well be squeaking wedges without them making noise afterwards, or can they be removed for the application of the Spartite?
Appreciate any advice you have to offer from those who have been down this road before. Any suggestions on the application of the Spartite? A source for the non-wood wedges? Additionally, is there some recommeneded tightness for deck restraining turnbuckle?
Thanks for your help.
Jack Heaston
Jack Heaston
1987 C36 Mk I #692
Fin Keel, Std Rig, Rocna 15
Silent Passage, M25 XPB Repower
Jack,
Not much to offer you other than you will need to clean out the silicone you applied before using Spartight.
You may also consider temporarily renaming your boat until you resolve this issue.
Steve
Cepheus dream
C36 MK I # 825
MK I Tech Editor No Mas
Jack,
I installed Spartite a number of years ago, and think it's GREAT stuff. No creaking, no leaking, and the mast stays exactly where you want it. If you do a search on the website, you will find an article I put together with helpful hints for installing the Spartite. I think it's in the Upgrades section.
Tom Sokoloski
C36/375IA Past Commodore
Noank, CT
I had the creak and was able to solve it by driving the wedges tight. Mine were a bit loose. All were the same thickness so the mast was well centered.
I had the stick pulled winter before for new standing rigging. In the spring, I drove the wedges in before the rigging was tightened, so I could get it centered. Have had no creaks.
And yes, they sure can be annoying.
Gary and Cathy Price
1997 C36 Mk II Tall Rig/Wing Keel Imagine...
Hull # 1617
Worton Creek, Md.
Northern Chesapeake Bay
Gary,
Just because the mast is centered in the partners, does not mean it's centered on the boat. Not trying to make more work for you, but you might want to hoist a tape measure to the masthead and check to see if the mast is centered on the boat. The partners (hole) is cut by human beings, and not always in the same place. Part of the installation procedure for Spartite is to check the mast. If I remember correctly, I had about 3/8" on one side of the mast, and 3/4" on the other, when the mast was centered on the boat. Just a thought.
Tom Sokoloski
C36/375IA Past Commodore
Noank, CT
Thanks for the replies. Can always count on helpfulness from this forum.
Tom, I did track down your excellent advice in the upgrades section about installing Spartite. Good work. At least I now know that the old wedges are to be removed in the process. Am curious about jury-rigging the mast to get it in the right position before pouring the Spartite. Could one not use the stays and shrouds for this purpose? Also appreciate your report on the difference in the side-to-side spacing of the mast in the partners. Comforting to know I am not alone and that's a bit of a relief.
Good thought about getting all the silicone spray residue off the mast before doing the Spartite install. Thanks Steve. Would re-name the boat "Dawn Launch", but am too lazy to deal with the hull graphics and the inevitable leftover ghost image with the differencing in aging of the gelcoat.
According to plainolde's success, I might just try replacing the wedges with a non-wood material, reseal the boot around the mast and see if that does it.
Still wondering about how tight the turnbuckle should be?
Anyway, I do appreciate the help. Thank you.
Jack
Jack Heaston
1987 C36 Mk I #692
Fin Keel, Std Rig, Rocna 15
Silent Passage, M25 XPB Repower
Jack,
While the Spartite is drying, you don't want the mast to move at all. If you only use the shrouds, the mast is completely unsupported at the partners. I tried to describe how I made the mast stationary with lines going to winches.
The purpose of the turnbuckle is to hold the deck down, counter-acting the upwards load of the halyards at the base of the mast. I was told to make all the halyards and other lines at the base of the mast completely loose, and then tighten the turnbuckle. More than just finger tight, but not over-do it. When the halyards are then tightened, the deck should not move. Hope this helps.
Tom Sokoloski
C36/375IA Past Commodore
Noank, CT
Tom
I very much appreciate the additional explanation about keeping the mast immobile at the partners while the Spartite cures. It makes abundant sense to support the mast at the step, masthead and an intermediate position to give it 3-way stabilization. Your description was quite clear.
As regards the tightness on the deck restraining turnbuckle, I'll try that after dealing with the situation at the partners. I may not be the only one who is curious about how tight to make it or the idea of eliminating the up-strain before adjusting it.
Thanks again.
Jack
Jack Heaston
1987 C36 Mk I #692
Fin Keel, Std Rig, Rocna 15
Silent Passage, M25 XPB Repower