Making run of mast fittings/rudder shoes

Not being fond of cast aluminum, and not being fond of paying a great deal of money for cast aluminum pieces...but needing to replace some parts...I am going to be having the following pieces CNC-Machined from Billet stock of the appropriate, corrosion-resistant marine alloy:

Spreader Bases
Spreader Tips
Mast Shoe
Masthead Fitting
Boom End Fittings (both)

I believe all of these parts should also be suitable for A/C, as they share the same spar extrusion with the Triton, at least according to the manual.

I am also going to have some mast steps machined from either Ironwood or Lignum Vitae. The underside curve might have to be reworked to fit the Ariel/Commander to a small degree, but they are very similar parts and take the same mast shoe.

I am glad to have as many of these made as people would like. The parts will not be dead dirt cheap, but I certainly expect them to be no more costly than the NOS cast aluminum parts...and they should be much stouter. The cost, ultimately, will vary based on the number of parts and the commensurate amount of materials involved...more=cheaper. In order to determine the actual parts cost, I need to have a good idea how many people are seriously interested in which parts. If you are interested in having any of these parts made for you, please e-mail me at commander280@yahoo.com no later than 3/30/04.

I am also going to be doing some rudder shoes, with the help of casts from Bill Hoover. Again, these will be costed out based on volume, so I really need to know from anyone who is seriously interested. I had originally wanted to use bronze billet stock for these as well, but the material cost is much greater than having the parts cast. The machine labor is actually very close either way.
They'll be cast from good 'ol naval bronze...our local foundry are very well-respected for their quality, and do a great number of bronze marine items, so I feel confident in the product quality.
These I am on a tighter schedule for, so I will need to hear from anyone who is serious about wanting one by 1/31/04.

I have a couple of very good machinists to choose from for the CNC milling and the finish machining on the shoes, so I expect these will be nice parts indeed!

Please remember to use the e-mail commander280@yahoo.com .
The mailbox address that is hooked to this newsgroup ID is a junk one that Mary never uses, and we rarely if ever look in it.

These will all be some very nice parts, and I'm not doing this as a money-making venture...it's simply a matter of "since I'm having two sets of everything done, why not 20?" The more that get made, the less they cost everyone, so I might even save a few bucks!

Dave

If not already done, it might be a good idea to have someone who has their Ariel/Commander mast unsteped take measurements of the inside cross sections of the spars. In the mid 1980's when we replaced the mast heel, the casting ended up too large and had to be machined down to fit.

Yeah, I'd be interested in a rudder shoe. Also, a new out-board
boom-end fitting. Prices? Drawings? Please count me in and keep
informed.
Cheers, B.
Commander#215

I'd be interested in a mast step but would like to see specs first also.
Jerry

Rig-Rite.com has the boom end fittings. They may not be the alloy that Dave is going to use, but they are replacements of the original rolling reef type fittings.

If anyone is still considering ordering some mast head fittings or having some made, please contact me by responding to this post or e-mailing me as soon as possible. I am interested in possible sources and cost information, but I find that I am probably in immediate need of a mast head fitting asap.

I have a plug for rudder shoes, they can be nicely cast from hi-end manganese bronze at the local foundry for 120.00 a pop, need to be finish machined at shop of your choice at your end. The foundry needs 3-4 weeks lead time.

The mast fittings I was having made from billet stock got woefully sidetracked, the student that was making all the parts only got the CNC mapping mostly done before he left for summer, so I am looking at 9/04 before I have spreader bases, mast shoes, masthead fittings available.

Best,
Dave

Thanks Dave,

Please consider me a very likely participant in the mast head order. I am also interested in rudder shoes. I PLan to haul out very soon, and I will know whether it is time for new shoes then.

The Washington source for a rudder shoe including machining is:

FRED POMERANZ
1168 QUEETS DR.
FOX ISLAND, WA 98333
(Send me an E-mail for his E-mail address)

Very nice machining work. He even stamped my name into it. ;)

I got some too...3 castings right now, 1 partially machined (long story) and two raw...they're all spoken for, but there could be others.

My aluminum parts are all Triton-based, but they are for the later, teardrop-shaped triton mast and boom which (I checked) are the same extrusions as the A/C.

While I am personally dead-set on billet parts for myself, the material alone for a masthead fitting (that's a big chunk!) gets pretty spendy, especially since we are not using 6061 alloy that can be easily picked up surplus. There have been some inquiries on the billet parts, and again, my machinist kid (I have to use student for this, or the cost would just be too high) will not be back at school until september. He had hoped (and I too) that he'd get the parts done before he left for summer, but had too many projects going on and as far as I know only got the CNC mapping done.

If there is enough interest out there, I am thinking of making up plugs and having the mast items cast, as well...but with everything I have to do right now, the cast ones wouldn't be happening until winter (I hope to be sailing the new paint right off the Triton this fall).

Best,
Dave