[Public-List] Strengthening Soft Bulkheads - Al Masthead Fitting Failures.

[Gordon Laco via Public-List]

Back in my Folkboat days, there was a fellow owner who was the daughter of a
famous Canadian radio host.  She was a good sailor and was justifiably proud
of her boat.  

One spring on launch day, I was busily keeping track of the raging torrent
pouring into our bilge.  I glanced over to T's boat and saw her going into
her cabin while her friend busily turned the forestay turnbuckle.  Her boat
was fitted with a cabin top stepped mast in a tabernacle, theoretically
allowing it to be swiveled down aft.  In practice this was too dangerous to
do with any measure of control.

As I was looking, the forestay suddenly flew out of the helper's hands.
He'd been turning it the wrong way and finally reached the end of the
threads.  Just then T was coming back out of her companionway... Her return
was timed perfectly to meet the aft swiveling mast.  It smote the cabin top
like a giant baseball bat and struck T on the head, driving her back into
the cabin like a nail.  We saw the mast whip down at it's upper half far
enough to strike the water hard, making a big splash.

We all thought T had been killed.  But no, she came up out of her cabin
again rubbing the top of her head saying 'what was that?'   Common good
natured consensus was that if that mast had hit her anyplace but squarely on
her skull, it would have killed her...considering the hard headed fellow she
was the daughter of...

Gord #426 Surprise


On 2016-01-29, 2:49 PM, "George Dinwiddie via Public-List"
<public-list at lists.alberg30.org> wrote:

> Michael,
> 
> On 1/29/16 9:32 AM, Michael Connolly via Public-List wrote:
>> Speaking of Rigs coming down.  I have heard many times of failures of
>> cast aluminum stem head fittings on older (1970"s) boats with the
>> loss of the head stay.  Fortunately the A-30 uses bronze for that
>> fitting, but she does have an aluminum masthead fitting.  Are there
>> any documented failures of A-30 aluminum masthead fittings with the
>> resultant loss of rig? George Dinwiddie might know?
> 
> I don't recall hearing any tales of masts falling due to either the stem
> fitting or the masthead fitting. Usually when the forestay lets go it
> seems to be the swage terminal or the turnbuckle. Occasionally it's due
> to running into a bridge.
> 
>   - George