Need a mast step very badly

[brianh]

I had taken my mast step off and now for some reason it has disappeared.  Does anybody happen to have one to donate or sell at a good price?

[RCAN]

You can buy them from Hutchins.

Give them a call. Matt in their parts department is very easy to speak to.

Robert

[brianh]

Thanks Robert, I already had that information but was hoping that somebody here might have one.

[skip1930]

Estamate the size and shape, build one out of heavy paper and when that paper Tabernacle is the right size and shape, take it to the local high school and have the metal shop teacher have the students form one up. You will have to supply the stainless steel blank. Find a scrap yard.

I have used local high school for printing business cards, and some light welding. These guys are always looking for projects. And since it is winter...no rush.

skip.

[Pacman]

I have replaced my stock mast step with a rotating mast set up.

My Barnett Butterfly and my catamarans (Nacra and Hobie) used rotating masts with good results.

I plan sea trial later next week.

If the rotating mast set up has the expected effect of increasing power and moving the center of effort of the mainsail forward to minimize weather helm, I won't need my stock mast step any more and would be willing to sell it.

I typically sell used parts in excellent condition for 50% of their retail price. 

How much is a new replacement part from Hutchins?

[Bob23]

Pacman: How about some photos of your rotating mast step, eh? I think we had this discussion before: How would that work in conjunction with our standing rigging? True, you 16 guys have less to deal with but aren't you still trying to twist the spreaders?
bob23

[JBC]

I agree with Bob's questions about standing rigging and spreaders.  Besides the question of the spreaders, I wonder if the mast would rotate very much with tensioned stays.  BTW, as to the spreaders, I read recently on the Sailboat Company Q&A forum that the spreaders were mostly cosmetic anyway, when they were added, and could be removed without any ill effect (assuming readjusting the shrouds' tension).

I did have a rotating mast on my old Penguin years ago, and thought it worked pretty well for that cat rigged sail.  But there were no side stays, only a top mast rigged forestay.  And the mast stepped on the keel and through a thwart.

Jett

[Pacman]

The sole purpose of spreaders is to keep tall masts in column under heavy loading.

My NACRA Cat had big spreaders and that was on a large, well designed racing rig.  It worked very well so I would not be concerned about a rotating mast with spreaders.

My C-16 is a 1976 model without spreaders so that is not a factor anyway.

Regardless, JBC is exactly right about rig tension.  Rotating masts require less shroud and forestay tension to function effectively.

The key factor, in my opinion, is the overall design of the rig.  Every boat that I have sailed with a rotating mast was a three-wire rig.  That is, a forestay and two shrouds.  

Boats rigged like Com Pac 23s with intermediate lower fore and aft shrouds from just below the spreaders to the deck and backstays would not be good candidates for conversion to a rotating mast set up for two reasons:

The lower shrouds and the backstay would limit mast rotation and this kind of rig requires a specified amount of tension to strengthen the rig.

I don't want to hijack brianh's thread so am going to start another thread on the subject of rotating masts.

Anyone have a spare mast step for brianh?