Ball lock pins? First unstepping for me.

[windypatrick]

I arrived at lake Pleasant with my friend Michael at 9:30 am. That is all well and good but in Arizona in July that means something. it was already 100 degrees in this desert paradise . I just bought this Mac 26x a couple of weeks ago and needed to remove it from its parked sunny solitude, it has been in dry storage for its whole life and that is fine, but the Arizona sun will have its way. I am taking it to my hangar in Mesa to work on it. This Mac is basically lake-worthy, though a bit ragged and neglected. We installed the new tires I brought (my first sailboat expense -Yay !) - and we proceeded to size up letting the mast down (105 degrees in the shade). We located the block rig for unstepping the mast and found that it had too little rope - so we walked a half mile and bought 80' of line from Tom at the Sailboat Shop and contemplated 'Borrowing' his personal tow rig and sailboat to return (photo links below) (108 degrees- saw a Jackrabbit wearing a canteen).

http://i1153.photobucket.com/albums/p50 ... 28_556.jpg, http://i1153.photobucket.com/albums/p50 ... 39_104.jpg

We assembled the stepping/unstepping rig and through a couple more hours (115 degrees - leave me ...save your self!) and managed to dismast it in a manner that is perhaps reusable.

All that said, any negative comments regarding using ball clevis pins in most of the place that bolts are used (Jib Furler, forestay, boom, mast foot)? Most of this stuff is in shear, and a T- handle clevis with a keeper just seems so much quicker for this fine trailer sailor. Thoughts?

[bscott]

Welcome to the 4-M I will not use ball locks on my boat--clevis pins with ring dings are a PIA but are safe and secure.
Have fun with your but 115 deg

Bob

[Tomfoolery]

Not a good idea. The only thing that needs to be undone for unstep the mast for transport is the forestay. I also disconnect the backstay, mostly so it doesn't get kinked from getting hooked on something, but it's not necessary. I also pull the two spreaders, and for those I use hitch pins aimed down, but those spreaders can't come out when the rig is tensioned even if you tried. Everything else is standard pins with ring-dings except for the forestay at the stem fitting, which is the long, big-headed pin from Blue Water Yachts - it's easier to install when holding the furler in one hand than a standard pin. And it too has a ring-ding.

My next minor mod is to buy the 3/8" SS mast base pins (also with ring-dings) from BWYachts.com. The bolts are a real PITA.

Oh, and you don't want any type of clip that has pointy ends, like hair pins. Sails and rigging just love getting caught on stuff like that. Ring-dings are tucked into themselves mostly, and won't catch on things, but if it's a potential issue, riggers' tape will take care of that (like with cotter pins on turnbuckles).

Keep a supply of extra pins and ring-dings for the eventuality of dropping either/or into the drink when you least can afford it.

[Highlander]

I have two 3/8" x 2" on my 4ft bowsprit they keep it locked down , but I have them zip-tied as an extra security one of the balls fell out the first week I had them
So I would not be using them on any standing rigging

J

[windypatrick]

Great feedback thanks! That is why I asked!

Regards to all!

[jbousquin]

Cautionary tale about using alternate types of pins in rigging: A MacGregor X recently showed up at my marina on the California Delta. My slip neighbor walked past it one morning, and noticed that the forestay had become detached from the bowplate... The only thing holding the forestay/roller furler in place (and hence, keeping the mast from falling, timber, like a big aluminum tree) was the roller furler cord running from the drum on the bottom of the forestay through a fairlead and then back to a cam cleat in the cockpit. Where it became taut against the fairlead, which was giving it tension to continue to hold up the mast, you could already see some chafing in the roller furler line.

After examining, we saw that the forestay was held on by a pin with a wire bale over it -- it looked like the pin and bale that holds my wheel on my trailer's jack at the tongue.

Here's a pic: http://www.etrailer.com/Accessories-and ... QgodVWOUTw

Anyway, during the night, which had been windy, the sock cover on the furler had wiggled the forestay enough that the pin worked its way free from the bale holidng it on. My neighbor and I re-attached the forestay, and used some parachute cord to make sure the bale would not clear the pin again. I haven't seen the owner at the marina to let him know yet, though.

It would be really unhappy to come to your boat and find it demasted due to a pin unseating itself.

I think straight pins with ring dings are better, even though removing the rings can be tedious. Simple, cheap, effective.

Cheers, Joe

[FPLynah]

Just to reiterate and reinforce....Never use ball or "quick" pins on standing rigging. Learn from MY mistake!!! I used a quick pin on my forestay once, seized it well with parachute cord. I came loose anyway. Luckely I was able to do a controlled (well....fairly controlled) lower of the mast in 15 kts. of wind, 3 foot seas, 7.8 Nm out into the Chesapeak bay? I was not a happy scene. We limped back to a marina (Thanks to the Yamaha 50 HP) and got it back up. The mast foot was bent and the mast raising system was back in my pickup, 40 Nm north. It cost us $315.00 for the machine shop and crane to re-step.

We were REALLY.....REALLY Lucky!
FP

[windypatrick]

Hearing you loud and clear! I am an aviator and I have flown warbirds for years (still do), it is the little ignorances that will kill you. Thanks again. I appreciate the hard won insights.

Regards, P

[RobertB]

Hearing you loud and clear! I am an aviator and I have flown warbirds for years (still do), it is the little ignorances that will kill you. Thanks again. I appreciate the hard won insights.

I was an engineer designing support equipment for fighter jets using those ball-lock pins. One thing that is needed for them to work is a close tolerance hole the pin goes into - our boat fittings do not qualify.

I keep the clevis pins an all standing rigging but have installed snap shackles and other quick release fittings on the mast raiser, vang, and mainsheet.

[Retcoastie]

One thing you can do to make things go better is get bigger ringdings. The rudders on our X are attached to the steering gear on pegs with large ringdings. I never fool around with them, so I changed the forestay tiny ringding for one of the larger rudder ringdings. That makes things a lot easier and faster when rigging.

Ken

[mastreb]

I've replaced the mast foot/bow pulpit bolt with a BWY ringding pin. It's easier to get in and out because it's not threaded, and the ringdings are likely more secure than event the nylock nut on the standard bolt. I also upgraded the clevis pin on the forestay to the larger head model that BWY sells. I've put some snap shackles on the vang, traveller, and main, and replaced the spreader bolts with wire D pins.

What has not worked are the myriad quickpins I've attempted to connect the boom to the gooseneck (which I leave attached to the mast. Bolts with nylocks are the only things that seem to stand up to the constant motion and shock taken by the boom.