mast crutch

[Cevin c Taylor]

Here is the mast crutch I made to be easily removable.  You just take out 1 bolt.

[Tim Gardner]

Why the bend in the crutch?  Another thought;  why not drill another mounting hole in the rudder stock & use a quick releasing pin to mount it?

Kick me if this makes you mad.   I like this great concept enough to consider making one for another boat I own.

TG

[Cevin c Taylor]

Why the bend in the crutch?  Another thought;  why not drill another mounting hole in the rudder stock & use a quick releasing pin to mount it?

Kick me if this makes you mad.   I like this great concept enough to consider making one for another boat I own.

TG

Tim - no problem.  I put the bend in it to give it a cantilever effect and press the base up against the spine of the rudder.  Though it's not shown in the pic, I put a bungee around the base of it to snug it up against the spine, but I wanted to weight of the mast to help press it as well.  I have a quick release pin, and I might go that route in the spring when I get the boat uncovered and I can work on it again.  It was a nice cheap project.  I welded it up out of some scrap 1" square tubing I had laying around.  I welded a gusset plate at the bend to strengthen it there.

[Bob23]

Nice job. Wolv.
   You metal workers make me jealous. "Just welded it up out of scrap"...turns out to be a work of metal art. Very nice. It's always a challenge for us wood workers to compete with welded steel. You could market that crutch.
Bob23

[brackish]

Nice!  I've got to get a welding machine.  Already skilled in that area.  Certified ASME Sec. 8 Div. I pressure vessels, BPI 31 (something) piping and AWS structural, 1G-5G, in SMAW, GMAW, FCAW and SAW.  The most amazing thing is that I can actually remember most of that from 40 years ago when I did that stuff for a living.

But a great idea.  Like the cantilever, think it would not stay put without it. In the spirit of adding on, maybe a couple of tabs welded on to the lowest part to provide additional lateral stability.

[Cevin c Taylor]

Thanks for the feedback.   Brackish - tabs on the side are a great idea.  With winter here in Michigan,  she's covered up for the season,  but I'll do it in the spring.  I got my welder from Harbor Freight for $90 on sale, and I taught myself, with a little help from my dad, who is a former ironworker.  Give it a try.  It's a lot of fun.