Bad day at the Marina

[Dimitri-2000X-Tampa]

I feel your pain man, having gone through the same thing myself last year. It took me 1 month to decide on whether I wanted a stock mast from the Mac factory or a locally crafted one. I decided on the Mac mast and then it took about 2.5 more months before I had it in my hands. I also went through Otho and I could have had it 2 weeks earlier if I wanted to make the 4 hour drive down to Hollywood, Fl. But instead, I waited until he delivered it to Bradenton (with new Blue M) which is more like a 1 hour drive.

After another long and difficult decision (because I am time challenged), I decided to pay myself the insurance money and do the work myself. On one hand because I like working on my boat, and on the other hand, because I've become very distrusting of worker quality these days and I could just picture a major mistake being made and me having to wait another 2 months for another mast.

To make a long story short, although it is not difficult work to refit a mast, it is quite tedious and you don't really want to rush it and make a mistake. I would typically triple measure everything and do a little work at a time. Probably took me 4-6 weeks to finish the job working about 8-10 hours a week. Keep in mind that I made it much better than original too and I'm sure that the improvements counted for about 25-40% of the time.

Besides a new mast and spreaders, I also got 2 new upper shrouds (in hindsight, I wish I had ordered them a couple inches longer due to my rigging mod - they are barely attached with no room to adjust). I raised the forestay attachment point 4 inches higher than the shrouds in order to straighten the mast some. The rest of my rigging seemed fine so I re-used it. These masts are like beer cans, the rigging can take much more load than what it takes to snap a mast. I also got new mast antenna, windex, and all new lighting including 3 new fixtures.

I fabricated a new mast cap (no cap on stock X boat) with an integral anchor light built on it. I replaced the steaming light with a combo light that has steaming as well as a foredeck spotlight. And I added a spreader light to illuminate the cockpit. All these new lights controlled by independent new switches in the cabin. Actually a double switch layout to minimize the possibility of my kids turning lights on during the day - one master switch at the main electrical panel (I now have 7 switches there and have a similar two switch strategy for my water system). After you turn on the master switch, there are 3 switches near the compression pole for the three new lights. I left the masthead light wiring as it was and then added a new 4 conductor wire to the mast for the 3 new lights. This required another thru-deck connector for the new wire so now I have 3 of those (1 for VHF).

I also added a new spinnaker block/halyard at about 8 inches above the forestay...and lots of new color coded running rigging that looks spiffy.

So, the moral of the story is, bad times now - and I had close to 5 months of down time (actually just powerboat time - which got kind of boring to me). I could have probably have shaved that down to 3 months if I had been able to move faster....but the important thing is that you can turn this sow's ear into a silver purse so to speak by improving what you had originally...if you are so inclined.

[Dubraque]

Thanks all for the commiseration and good advice. Have an appointment with the Boat U.S. adjuster at the marina this afternoon to go over the damage, both Boat US and Otho have been exceptional to date.
May have to borrow our daughter's West Wight Potter for the occasional sailing fix until we're back in business.

[Frank C]

Dimitri,
What kind of switches near the compression post?
and how mounted?

[Duane Dunn, Allegro]

I assume he put the switches where the original factory electrical panel was on the older X boats like mine. The early boats had exactly 3 switches located on the panel between the front windows. There was no aft portside panel like the later boats have.



There was one switch for cabin lights, one for the mast light, and one for the running lights. The switches were long toggle switches with sharp ends that I kept hitting my head on.

As you can see in my picture I changed the factory switches to more flush models from radio shack. I went with a red push button one for the cabin lights that always is left on, and two red lighted rocker switches for the mast and running lights. This way I can see if they have been bumped and turned on during the day or at the dock when they shouldn't be on. They are also much easier on the head.

This panel is now a sub panel off my master panel on the aft side of the galley.

[Dubraque]

Just got back from the marina. Very thorough inspection by Boat U.S contracted surveyor, checked every fitting, stanchion. connection etc... inside and out. Spent quite a bit of time, seemed very thorough, took numerous photos inside and out. He will report to Boat US the beginning of the week, but aside from the obvious (mast, furler, and standing rigging) he found a slightly bent stanchion. Very lucky.

As was the driver of the backhoe that created the problem: while stirring limestone into the slurry of dredge spoils he hooked a bucket around a powerline, pulled it down along with the powerpole. He could have been electrocuted. The catenary of the lower lones on the pole (steel cable support plus TV cable and telephone lines) took out my mast, hence no contact with the gigantic mace on pole and tranformer. The latter exploded on contact with the ground, hence warranting a visit by an EPA hazmat team.

We did today locate the masthead Windex, which I couldn't find the other day, perfectly curled INSIDE the mast, the plastic vane and reflectors neatly chopped off and in the parking lot.

And the beat goes on.

[NiceAft]

Just be glad that you were not on board doing some mods at the time

When you speak to Otho, please say hi from me (Ray in Willow Grove, PA.)

[Dimitri-2000X-Tampa]

Dimitri,
What kind of switches near the compression post?
and how mounted?

They are the SeaDog lighted red rockers (same as in the original panel on 2000X). The are just forward of the compression post plexi panel. I cut holes in the ceiling and just mounted the 3 independent switches flush in the ceiling. The only minor (tight fit) problem with the ones closer to the compression post is that there is not that much room between ceiling and cabin top so I had to bend the connectors on top of the switch a bit to get them to fit in all the way flush.

[Frank C]

thanks.

I'd like to use 3 fused switches in a sub-panel on my instrument cluster. All the instrument mfgs want their power lines fused, so I thought that would be a good way to keep everything handy ... but haven't found a little 3-gang panel.

[Duane Dunn, Allegro]

The factory 3 gang panel mounted there is just a flat black piece of plastic (engraved with the MacGregor logo and the switch function names). It has 6 holes drilled in it, 3 for the switches and 3 for the fuse holders. They just make a rectangular cutout in the liner and cover it with the panel. If you go more in between the windows where the factory put the panel there is quite a bit of depth for the wiring behind the panel. Even though the factory panel was moved on the later X's they never changed the mold to remove the cavity. It's easy to access the base of the mast and the overhead channels from this location. All you need is a good fish tape. When I relocated my running lights from the bow to the cabin top sides I used these pathways without any trouble. It was also easy to add the extra vee berth flexible reading light and the 12v fan to this area as you can see in my picture.

[Dubraque]

As a followup, we finally have our mast in, and Lucy E. once again is whole and floating proud in her slip.
In the interim, we had to make do with a short stub of a mast. Aside from providing for requisite navigation lights, it also was a quick handhold when going forward on deck, and a reminder of the good lady's origins, especially when flying its wee pennant of a sail.


Which rasied interesting question from curious passersby at our marina. Answers included,
"The mast is on hydraulics, we just push a button, and it goes up."
"It's a low-aspect-ratio rig. You should see the length of the boom."
"It's a high-efficiency main, and we need to put in some reef points before safely using it."
Along with, "%$$@#% Marina dropped a powerpole on the mast!"
But she is once again ready for prime time. Otho did a great job, and we are again happy sailors.

[Shane]

Which rasied interesting question from curious passersby at our marina. Answers included,
"The mast is on hydraulics, we just push a button, and it goes up."
"It's a low-aspect-ratio rig. You should see the length of the boom."
"It's a high-efficiency main, and we need to put in some reef points before safely using it."
Along with, "%$$@#% Marina dropped a powerpole on the mast!"
But she is once again ready for prime time. Otho did a great job, and we are again happy sailors.

Great responses. Too bad you had so much time to think them up, but glad to hear all has worked out well and your back under (bigger) sail.

Regards,
Shane

[LOUIS B HOLUB]

A nice ending to an aweful event. Lucy E. looks like new again