Mast Fitting for Goose Neck

[Harrison]

I too have replaced my rivets for my gooseneck twice in 1 year. Not due to Hard sailing, but because of the same stupid maneuver twice. Lowering the mast (Just for a quick mod!) and not removing the boom. The first time, okay, my mistake, but the second was a conscious decision (Ill just swing it too the side Warning, Warinng, dumbass alert!).

I too sail pretty hard, and there's is no way Id ever come close to rip out those rivets buy hard sailing. Ive been out in 20+ gusts while running wing to wing, and had an unexpected jibe. Ripped out the top 9 sail slugs, but the gooseneck held fine.

I support everyone in dont use Aluminum rivets. They are not strong enough. Ive drilled mine out with a Black & Decker cordless screwdriver and standard bits. Ive been using 3/16 dia x 3/8 SS rivets.

I too have tried Home Depot, Lowes, and Ace. . . all with failure. If they indeed do carry SS pop rivets, they are too small. Got 'em at WM. 99 cents each! ouch!

---Harrison

[delevi]

Where was all this good advice on drilling out rivets last week? Would have saved a lot of time.

Harrison,
Mine didn't break but came loose, making the fitting wobbly. I realized as I was drilling them out that the rivets would probably not fail, but it sure made me feel better to get that fitting tight as it originally was with the SS 3/16 rivets from WM @ .99/ea. Bought 12 of them. (don't ask)
Still have no idea how the original ones came loose.

[kmclemore]

Where was all this good advice on drilling out rivets last week? Would have saved a lot of time.

What, and miss all the fun? Naahh. We'll let you screw up first and THEN tell you the right way. Makes for better copy. Besides, it's kinda like watching someone slip on a bannana peel... it's funny as all heck as long as it's not yourself!

[normo]

Just finished transferring mast hardware from one 26X mast to another. I drilled out the gooseneck bracket and mast to accept 1/4 inch diameter rivets.

I don't know if the gooseneck on the M is the same as the X but I used a plain old steel drill from an inexpensive Black and Decker drill set. Lubricant wasn't required as each hole took no more than 20 seconds to complete. The secret may be to use a variable speed drill, apply light to moderate pressure and run it a verrrry slow rpm.

The only problem I had was that the sailmaker gave me 3/4 inch long rivets. This is too long for the two rivets nearest the sail slide track. The rivets would touch one another before they were fully inserted. I got around this by installing one rivet first which shortened it considerably. Then I inserted the second as far as possible, used the gun to shorten it some, then tapped the rivet body to fully insert it, and then complete the installation using the gun.

Our local sailmaker is also a rigger and does lots of large boats for the charter trade in the Bahamas. I asked about Tef Gel and he said they use Boat Life for corrosion protection. I didn't see a lot of corrosion on a 9 year old mast that had no protection so I went with the Boat Life I already had on hand.

[baldbaby2000]

I just replaced my rivets yesterday and sailed today. Mine had loosened up due to several uncontrolled jibes. I used a standard rivet gun; maybe the $30 version. The SS rivets from West Marine were expensive so I got some from MacmasterCarr. Home Depot had some SS rivets but they were too small. A cobalt drill bit easily took out the old rivets. I was barely able to get the rivets to pop with my gun. It seemed to be heavy duty enough but I'm not a real strong guy. I think the best solution would be to have another fitting made allowing more surface area between it and the mast allowing for more pop rivets. I've heard that SS and aluminum don't get along but since I'm in fresh water I don't worry much about it.