CP-16 tabernacle question

[jb]

is there suppose to be some type of nylon washers/spacers between the sides of the mast and the insides of the tabernacle on the bolt that secures the mast to the tabernacle? 

I'm getting some type of clicking noise on a certain points of sail and it's originating from that area . I'm speculating that there might be some side movement of the mast on the pivot bolt?

thanks

j

[Salty19]

No, I don't believe so.

I see no harm with some spacers or a little padding between mast and tabernacle.  Is the tabernacle straight? If not, remove, clamp in vice to straighten.  Are the screws bedded nicely? Are the screw heads worn?  Is the bolt hole in the mast elongated or too big?

Over time these things wear and might need a little 'fixin.

[brackish]

Not sure about the 16 but on the 23 the width of the tabernacle is greater by far than the width of the mast.  This causes you to over tighten and bend the ears.  I added nylon spacer to mine to make the sides of the tabernacle perpendicular to the bottom when the pivot bolt was properly tightened.  Makes everything snug and right.

If you look carefully you can see the white spacer inside the tabernacle. 

[skip1930]

On my CP-19 I assemble the mast into the tabernacle with fender washers between the out side of the mast and the inside of the tabernacle. And then another set of fender washers on the outside of the tabernacle. This all is squeezed together by the bolt and butterfly nut that came with the boat from the factory.

What's really fascinating is that this mast when erected sits only on the four finishing washers [never touches the screw heads] that surround the four screw heads screwing the tabernacle down to the cabin top.

The mast doesn't really sit on top of the folded metal of the tabernacle. Just those four little points of the finishing washers. Of course a good well founded compression post lag screwed to the bulkhead helps transfer the load. The compression post never rests on the keel. This allows vertical adjustment for the best possible fit at the factory.

Just think about the mast ... in your mind grab the mast with a big hand and pull the boat through the water at speed. That's a lot of stress on the standing rigging and almost none on the tabernacle.

skip.

[Bob23]

jb:
   On my 23, I've done exactly what Brack suggest...works fine. I got the nylon washers at Lowe's. But I never heard any clicking noises...I put the washers it because I didn't like the spaces. Maybe these tabernacles are off the shelf and can work with a variety of masts.
   You might want to inspect the deck area under the mast foot to make sure there is no softness. I don't like the idea of the foot sitting directly on the fiberglass. On my 23, I made a 3/4" PVC pad for the foot to sit upon. It is screwed into the deck area independently of the screws for the foot. Caulked it down with 5200 to insure it never leaks. The factory mast foot sits on that and all is well.
Bob23

[jb]

Thanks for all the responses!

There appears to be about a 1/4 " total space between the  2 sides of the mast and inside area of the tabernacle so, the Nylon washes/spaces are going to be installed.

The deck area beneath the tabernacle seems solid, so no apparent issues there. 

jb

[skip1930]

If the tabernacle has never been pulled up and off, I'd never pull it just to look at the four screw holes on the cabin top.

Not unless it's leaking water into the cabin. Then you have to re-bed and I like the idea of a 1/4 inch UHMW pad beneath the tabernacle with of course copious amounts of 3-M 5200 slow set. It's always all about spreading out the weight.

skip.

[Bob23]

   Mine never leaked but, during a mast raise, the tabernacle was bent and stressed so I decided to be pro-active and remove it to straighten it.  Good thing...it had minimal sealant. Overall, I'm glad I did this modification. Of course, observant readers will wonder about raising the mast an overall 3/4" and how did I deal with the longer standing rigging. Simple...just cut 3/4" off the bottom of the mast before raising...no problemo.
   I had a bit more space, jb. About 1/4" on each side. Washers worked great. I also use 'em between the tiller plates and the rudder head just to minimize friction at that point.
Bob23