[alberg30] Jammed main halyard

[FINNUS505 at aol.com]

From: FINNUS505 at aol.com

Hi Dick,
Sounds like youre making good progress!!
New lights for the mast sound like a good idea. Saftey first, as they say.
While the mast is down and you are fiddling with the wiring, might consider 
this; head down to Home Depot, or Lowes, or what ever, and pick up 36 feet of 
6' sections of air conditioning hose foam insulation pipes, at about .99 
apeice.  Slide these up the mast, over the wires from the bottom to the 
spreaders, and down from the top to the spreader.  Why? So those damn wires 
don't keep you up at night as they slap the inside of the aluminum mast!!!!!  
If the wire connections are going to be disconected while you put on new 
light fixtures, now is the easy time to do it.
I would be a little more concerned about that crack in the spreader socket.  
If that gives in a blow and you lose your spreader, you can lose the whole 
rig in a blink of an eye.  I would replace both spreader sockets.   George 
Dinwiddie can probably give you a good source. George?
How are your port and Stbd lights. Mine were funny.  They were those 
beautiful, heavy bronze Perco fittings, having long lost the chrome finish. 
Neither worked.  When I went to change the bulbs, I found A) the bulbs were 
black on the inside-the superior being himself only knows how old they were, 
and B) the bayonet type bulb holders were absolutely caked with salt and had 
totaly lost their spring action.  The gaskets that were supposed to keep the 
water out from under the red and green lenses just fell to the deck, dry and 
crumpled.
I cut new gaskets from wet suit material, and bought new perco bulb 
holders-perco still makes the right replacement part.  When I went to put the 
new bulb holders in-they would not work either- the encrusted salt and 
corrosion in the bronze fitting had narrowed the inside diameter of the 
fitting so much that it would not allow the spring action to push the bulbs 
against their contacts!  A quick trip to the hardware store, and I bought a 
littlle steel bit to ream out the inside of the light fixture, and then all 
went well.  Needless to say, all the running lights were rewired with Anco 14 
g marine wire when we rewired the cabin.
Bringing these old boats back sure is fun!!!!
More Stories, please!!!!!!!! :)
Lee
Stargazer #255

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