Imminent forestay pin failure?

[BOAT]

Sounds good to me, I'm sold. I will get that tape!

[fishheadbarandgrill]

Just returned from 3 days on the boat. I use the BWY large pin. I saw no pin movement. Rigging must be tight.

Bob

[BOAT]

Mine has not moved either since I readjusted my stays, but Judy says we need to tape them.

[mastreb]

Mathew, I have a Loose Gauge, you can use mine. I can drive to Cardiff if you want.

Wow, really appreciate that! Wish I hadn't just bought a loos gauge... And yes, as predicted my stays are too loose, causing excess forestay movement and pin "walking". They're now down to 160# on average, which I'm attributing to trailering mast up. Or maybe that's just normal after three years. Anyway, It's time to do my first adjustment.

But BOAT, I owe you a beer for the offer.. PM and we'll get together for a beer. I'm available pretty much any time.

Judy--thanks for the peace of mind that I needn't worry about the ringding. I lowered the mast today in prep for trailering to MUCK about and the rust wasn't nearly as bad as it seemed--it wiped off.

[Terry]

I had that problem too but instead of using tape I tried a small size shackle in place of the ringding and that sucker is never going to come out. Yes it sounds anal and overkill but it sure puts my mind at ease and I don't have to put the pin in backwards or put tape on it all the time. Have a look in WestMarine and I am sure you can find a litttle shackle with a pin diameter that goes through that cleavis pin hole, I did and am all the happier for it.

[renzoreba]

I personally got rid of all the rings after experiencing forestay failure. Not long after having purchased my 1997 26 X, we took her out for a sail. The ring that secured the rolling furler to the deck was somewhat rusted. It worked its way loose while under sail. It happens that just by chance, a friend of mine had tied the spinnaker halyard to the deck as backup. This was the only thing that kept us from having a catastrophic demasting. I was at the helm and next thing I know the Genoa is going crazy all over the boat, followed by the rolling furler assembly whizzing past my right ear...
Cotter pins are now the norm, as well as periodic checking of the rigging while in the water and on the hard. Just the other day I found a bent upper shroud tang. I trailer and don't mind replacing the forestay cotter pin every time we go out.

[DaveB]

I trailer Sail and my headstay is not as tight as if I had the boat in a slip. When Tacking the headstay will loosen enough your longer pin can move back and forth and can cause fatige on both the pin and the ring over time, also the hole in chain plate will get larger. Why I stated to have a pin with very little movement.
I also like the idea of double holes in the pin, one close to chain plate with a ring and other outside with quick release pin.
Dave

I agree length of pin is insequential to the issue. Set pin tight against chain plate from the beginning.. IF it is traveling back and forth adjust rigging / tune rigging.. That said.. a short pin with not travel ...it just has no room to move.

[Dimitri-2000X-Tampa]

Hmm, I bought a BWY big headed pin about 10 years ago and I'm still using the same ring ding that came off the old pin before that. the rig is tight so the pin always stays on the head side not the ring ding side. On the side shrouds, I once had a ring ding pull out by a sheet and that was because they were facing outward. Once I turned them so all the ring dings are facing in, I've never had another problem and have never had to tape them either.

[Steve K]

Listen to Judy B.

Yanked the ringding out of the forestay pin once (flogging sheet line..... long story). Scared me. The pin didn't come out, cause the rig is pretty tight (and I do trailer sail only). I did have the spin halyard tied to the bow rail (usually do) also.... good insurance However, in the particular situation I was in at the time, had the forestay pin come out, the rig could have been lost, even though the spin halyard was holding it as the shrouds would have been loosened considerably. Big seas can break things easily.

SK

[Judy B]

Listen to Judy B.

SK

Smart Man!!

[apsaunders]

I have been searching the forum and also the archives to see if any owners have switched out the ring ding pins in the forestay and replaced it with something easier to install when rigging at launch. I have search the tuning forums and have read where several owners have switched to a HiField Lever or a Sherman Johnson Lever but very little information from owners. I am careful not to play around with this portion of my knowing that it is the most important pin on board. With that said, it is the hardest part of rigging before launch. It's hard enough to get the ring in the pin on the hard, I cannot imagine an attempt on water. I have read one mod in the archives that replaced with a HiField Lever, but he did not give enough details on the mod.

I would love to have a safe alternative that would make the rigging less tedious. I am a trailer sailer only, so each time I go out the pin goes in and at the end of the sail the pin is taken out. I have the holes in my thumbs and fingers to prove it. If anyone has any suggestions, I would appreciate it so much.

[topcat0399]

We trailer sail.

When we first started it took about 3 hours from pulling in the parking lot to cast off.
Now its about 45 minutes max. The more you can leave rigged while trailering the better.

How are you putting up your mast? By hand?

We use a gin pole so its easy to winch the mast up tight against the backstay and pin the forestay.
Easily done on the water also. I recommend you get a little less shy about "playing" with your boat.
Get to know her well, touch her everywhere, be firm, be one.

In spring the neighbors laugh after I test raise the mast and bounce from all of the stays yanking around on the rig
like a mad man. Better to have it break in the driveway.

Someday We will get a Johnson Lever I'm thinking, other things much higher on the list.

bon voyagee

[Tomfoolery]

Someday We will get a Johnson Lever I'm thinking, other things much higher on the list.

That's on my short list, too, but I'll put it on the backstay instead of the forestay. I use a turnbuckle now on the backstay, as I slacken it to unpin/pin the forestay using the MRS to close the gap, but snapping the Johnson lever would be quicker than spinning the turnbuckle by hand every time.

A minute here, a minute there - it starts to add up.

[apsaunders]

The doesn't have a back stay. I use the mast raising system that came with the boat. Rigging is down to about 40 minutes.....unless I can't get the ring open enough to turn into the pin. I have used needle nose pliers on occasion, but usually damage ring by opening too much. Getting the mast to the position to slide the pin in has never been a problem, but when it comes to the ring.....ouch!

[Y.B.Normal]

When I test sailed my 26M with the PO, I noticed the boom was getting lower the more we sailed. It was quite windy, so we were only using the main sail.
Checking forward, I noticed the clevis pin in the forestay had come out; the only thing holding the mast up was the friction of the jib being pulled through the sail bag. I was able to divert disaster by tying a line from the jib halyard to the bow eye, and dropping the main sail. The boat company which launched the boat either didn't install the ringding or it fell out. After I bought the boat, I checked the ringding before each sail. I haven't had a problem since, but I suggest using rigging tape around all the clevis pins.

Dale