Whoa! Wait a minute, Rico. That,unfortunately, is not my mast. But that post is a little miss leading...they are just examples of options I am leaning toward. Of the three on the work bench, the one on the left would probably suit all of my needs. But I gotta admit, I have a bit of a case of masthead envy from looking at all of the different pictures out there on the web, in the cloud, where ever they are!
My original masthead fitting looks like it was dumped into a bucket of acid. Worst corrosion there than in the cast fitting in the bottom of the mast.
I had Ballenger Spars fabricate a new one.
They started with a 3/4" thick piece of aluminum loosely cut to fit into the mast.
Then there is a 1/4" cover plate shaped to the exterior mast dimension SCREWED onto the insert with 4 #14 flathead screws.
They are well INSET on the plate so that fastenings thru the mast wall will less likely run into them.
If you had trouble getting the old fittings out you may have less options for new fastening placement.
Welded to that plate down the length are twin vertical 3/16" plates that almost exactly follow the tipped-hat style of the original:
the front being tipped lower than the aft. Like the original.
The twin plates have a space between them 9/16" wide. Outside to outside measure is 15/16". Just like the original.
The high end, about 3 3/4' H measured up from the cover plate has two holes drilled through, one for the backstay. The shorter (2 1/2") front end has one hole thru for the forestay.
There should be two. I'm trying to find a reason why the jib block cannot be hung off the masthead?
It is an excellent fabricated rendition of the original casting.
The two plates are welded together across their flat top with a narrow strip. My copy has the welded piece go all the way FORWARD to the rounded tip. So while the original casting has 'ears' on both ends of the plates, the Ballenger version has the plates welded together further out over the hole for the forestay. The radiused end tips have been lopped off and corner rounded. The reason being that
immediately above that we've added a single loop spinaker bail. Which is fastened with three 1/4" bolts thru 1/4" s.s. plate of the 5/16"D rod bail ....and thru the extended welded strip on top the fitting. Honking!
The holes for the stays are the original 3/8". I may be going larger.
It weighs in at 3.10lbs. With the old one actually slightly heavier. If I had immediate access to a laser cutter I'd unscrew the 3/4" insert and have it hollowed out like the original cast one. But as a straight side 7/8" wide donut .... that might take two or three ounces off the total.
Hope this gives you some ideas.
This description assumes you want to reproduce the original masthead fitting.
The dimensions of the various aluminum plate were well chosen by Ballenger to end up with a new fitting that is lighter than the original.
And perhaps stronger than the original if not only for the fact that it is built from plate and not cast. www.onlinemetals.com can supply you with small pieces of 6061T6 plate. If I felt I had the time, it wouldn't be two big a deal to cut and shape the pieces.
Yours truly would then go to a pro with a TIG to have them welded. I might start with a mock up out of plywood and cardboard to be sure
of dimesions and create patterns for jig sawing and/or router. And to think about whether I wanted to slavishly copy the Pearson outdated original.
For an exposed cast aluminum fitting that worked hard for more than 45 years it's amazing how well it lasted!
The obvious option is to call Ballenger to see if he can make you a copy. His work is always delivered anodized. He would probably have the specs for what he did for A-338
No idea what it would cost! www.ballengerspars.com
Here's another option that could be made from a section of U-channel flipped upside down. One could chop off the top 2-3 inches of the mast and use it as a sleeve to attach the mast head fitting to the mast. Of course the numbers on this drawing would have to be tweaked to fit our mast. There is not a very elegant way to attach an anchor light, VHF thingy (can't spell antennae), wind instrument/annenometer though.
Here's a few photos of the toe-rail idea I've been tossing around. The styro model isn't complete as I ran out of time last weekend. Even though I get the idea and see it whole in my mind, I will finish the entire run asap.
It has evolved from the original plan of a 2 1/2" tall by 1" wide mahogany toe-rail we cut several years ago. After seeing Ebb's installation it became very clear that there had to be a way to clear away any shipped water held on deck by the higher toe-rails. Ebb has some very classic looking scuppers added to Lil'Gull, and I was ready to start sawzalling my molded toe-rails but chickened out. Then this idea came wandering by.
I can still use the rails we already cut by simply pegging and gluing pre-shaped risers to the bottom edge. Because of the limited contact area between the factory toe-rail and the wooden addition, it may be necessary to steam them. Hurdle one. Then there is the issue of the chainplates. That one isn't so difficult as longer chainplates (external) can reach to nearly the top edge of the toe-rail as they will be shaped outward around the rub-rail before bending in again and heading up (middle CPs) or slightly inward (fore and aft lower CPs).
So far the most difficult task is how to handle the jib sheet tracks. I had intended to bolt them to the top of the toe-rails, but, I don't know if this higher set up could handle the stresses.
Here's what it looks like. Open for suggestions. Comments.
That is bulwarks. Great word, huh? Ebb didn't get bulwarks, after seeing your mock up sure wish I had. Assume you will not cut the scuppers into the original toerail, down to deck level.
Don't believe it necessary as volumes will still leave the deck and exit aft.
My toe-rail (extensions) are 1" at the top and 1.5" at the original toerail and will they were difficult to bend, they bent on COLD.
Used the deck for stand-up jigs and just used clamps to pull the mahogany into position.
I would predrill the holes for the bolts befor you bend them on. It gaurantees at strate hole thru the fiberglass. But I had real problems with some holes not ending up where they should have
and had to redrill holes with the bulwark already partially in place. I aimed holes to come out in the middle of the toe rails inside with I had previously filled to the level of the inside of the deck.
The hull changes shape continuously and the bolts often enough ended up inside too close to the hull. Just couldn't judge it from ouside.
I believe you must predrill your bulwark bolt holes OFF-CENTER so that they do not enter the top of the old toe rail at 90 degrees - but are slanted inboard. The drilled hole will probably should go into the fibeglass quite close to the inner edge of the old toerail.
I would definitely make two of three drill jigs (especially for the bow and stern where the topsides really curve inward) and try them out - easy enough to fill the holes in.
If you are going to have stanchions you can also design the bases to be part of the bulwark structure. Not only can the base be attached to the bulwarks, but also attach to the deck.
Altho I did bend on most of the mahogany toe rail extension cold, I did attempt to steam the bow pieces
for about 8' back in a plastic pipe steamer with an aluminum turkey fryer boiler on a propane burner. Built a jig to bend in the hot pieces but never got the front ends to take a currve. The plastic pipe was I think 8 or ten inch D 3/4" wall. It got hot enough to get the pipe soft and limp.
The trick is to bend the wood long and once it has set the curve then cut the end. But you have to waste the wood. I also began the cold bending process from the bow where the bow has the most radical curve.
I made it hard on myself by having a truncated section, rather than a flat section. Flat will be easier to bend. The slightly triangular shape will not want to go flat on the top of the toerail.
I did cove the bottom of the bulwark.
I jigged the whole job so that the right angle jig pieces (You may not have actual rigtht angle pieces
but custom the angle of your bulwarks so that they bend outwards at the bow and straighten up at the chainplates and back to the the stern. Sorta did it, maybe nobody will notice that I screw up ! !
But what I'm saying is that I had the whole rail bent and suspended over the toerail so that
holes could be inspected, chamfered, caulking applied, moaning compleated, bad holes filled.
Must have taken photos.
I mean I jigged the whole one side and used those pieces for the other. Used grabbers that pierced the top lamination only. A lot of holes but easy to disappear.
What I ended up with will have no difficulty having T-track lagged on to it. One inch thick bulwrks ought to be just fine. But if not, it would be easy to glue on a doubler 'cleat' to put more meat under the track.
Agree your design gets the green water off just fine without having to cut the original toerail.
I bet that tapered profile was a bear to wrestle into shape and position. The deck-mounted jigs are a great idea and I will definitly try to make some. Given the present shape of 113's deck we can go all the way through with the "grabber" bolts without any concern. Yeah, there has to be some angles introduced to the toe-rail's' position, if you will. I tried to use the angle of the hull to deck orientation as a guide to the toe-rail's attaching angle. It does flare out more at the bow than midship. As far as attaching I was planning on filling in the bottom side of the factory rail at the same points as the wood rail meets the plastic so the backing plates have a solid surface to bear against. Then the ususal stuff going on topside. Counter sink the bolt holes, lotza 5200. Once it's in place I guess we'll just have to stess test it to see if it can handle the sheet tracks all by itself or if I'll have to back it up some how. First off, Ihave to "get a feel" for this model and see how bad it mucks up the appearance of the boat. I sure do like the feeling of security it adds to the deck without any heeling!
Tony, sir, late last night, rather early this moring, I tagged the end of the preceding post with something else to consider....
But the Association site shuts down in the dead of night, and the addon disappeared..
Filling in the cove up in the sheer inside the boat is plainly a royal pain. A waste of epoxy, effort, and added weight, for no real benefit imco.
Getting long bolts to emerge inside in the right position to take washer and nut is also a royal.
Infact it may be impossible with the 1" profile you propose. (Unless you fasten bolt ends up IN THE COVE, yeah, right!) Must do experimental mockups.
So, was thinking how we might get the lighter profile you propose... and also have a true voyager aspect to it.
Wish I'd done it this way.
STANCHION BULWARK BOARDS
I know I've seen a You-Can-Do-It-Yourself book where bulwarks were added on to the stanchions. The bulwarks had half round ends, weren't yachtsie woodwork additions, but to my eye looked pretty good. Can't find royal book!
We don't have enough stanchions on the Ariel to bend on visually floating boards.
They'd be attached to stanchions about 3/4 to 1 1/2" (to pass spring lines) above the toerail. RIGHT! Not ON the toerail. NOT bulking up the sheer line.
Idea would be to place your regular stanchions on the deck where you think you want them. Then have short stanchions at the height of the boards spaced at regular intervals between them extending the length of bulwarks, fore and aft.
Shorty bases could be welded up out of pieces of plate and tube from onlinemetals. They could be made one sided as you sometimes see bases that are deck mounted but also designed to be fastened to the side of a taller toerail.
They could be designed to allow water to pass by without running into base plate where small amounts of water stand and stain the deck.
When the project is done and viewed from off the side you'd see nicely varnished wood, even painted wood or zero-maintenance star-board suspended close to the toerail with stainless tube pieces glinting at at regular intervals thru the space between. The bulwark would still appear over the toerail but not attached to it and look neat inside. If the short stanchions look too buzy then maybe bent and buffed s.s. plate might work better or smaller diameter pipe and base than the regular 1" stuff.
Might be easier to get your bulwark to lean out a little up in the bow.
BUT that might not be necessary as imco the addition using stanchion bases or brackets isn't visualized as an extension of the hull sides,
but as an expression of deck furniture. So up in the bow they would be flared out ,or not, in relation to the deck, and what you need there.
Anyway, I'm not going down to litlgull today and rip off the toerail extentions I have. Too late for us.
They took a bucket of royal sweat & a bucket of blood to put on. I think I like the stanchion idea much better. You know.....or a variation.
All along the deck inboard at the toerail there is solid fiberglass to attach such a bulwark .... no balsa.
Because you keep the original toerail like it is, the added bulwark could be taller than what you have to aesthetically design for the eye with a pasted on toerail addition. You can also can replace the original s.s. half-round over the original seam, rather than something that has to cover two seams.
For me it is the cruiser-circumnavigator-Serafyn-Pardey look that only a wooden boat with extended ribs coming thru the deck can have.
This way can be just as Pardey-shippy and add a huge amount of security at no expense to the Alberg philosophy.
The bulwark boards on the Ariel won't need to be more than 3 or 4" tall to get the effect and do the job.
If you are planning lifelines the system provides strong bracing for the tall stanchions.
Dang! Maybe I go down now and rip those buggers off ! ! !
Golly, is that locomotive rilly an Alberg?
Maybe a Pittsburg or a Hamburg....
Aha!
Found a reference and some ideas in John Roberts' "Optimize Your Cruising Sailboat.
Under a chapter called Bulwarks he says he first saw the idea in Hal Roth's book "After 50,000 Miles"
where Roth welded bronze plates to his bronze stanchions and bolted on 1X4 teak planks.
Roberts describes and illustrates a method where you use "stanchion wrap plates" (pipe 'U' clips)
that go around the tubes and flange out for fastenings to attach the planks.
But imco you need a number of stanchions to make a fair bend in the bulwark plank.
Otherwise there'll be straight lengths of plank and single stanchions under a lot of pressure. Would bother me.
Bulwarks as add-ons is described in Daniel Spurr's "Upgrading the Cruising Sailboat, 2nd edition" with a
masterful illustration by Bruce Bingham. Pg 197. "Newfound Metals, Port Townsend makes cast end fittings and deck brackets* for 3 5/16" boards."
But there may not be allowance for our 1 1/2" tall toe. Cast bronze heavy and $$$.
Bingham also draws a right-on alternate bracket to fabricate out of 3/16" stainless, that obviously can be customed to whatever board height.
This is an above the molded toerail bulwark, allowing "opening for passage for breast or spring docking lines."
He shows the jib track on the deck by the bulwark. And draws lifeline stanchions that are independant of the bulwark system.
No, that ain't no Alberg, is it? But it looks like it holds water out and that puts it way ahead of me!
I finished off the first toe-rail model this afternoon and put on the rub-rail profile. The rub-rail has to be shaped to a finer point on the ends but you can get the idea from these pics of what I'm going for. They will be capped with our factory stainless "half round". The question now is should we scrap the mahogany ones I cut a few years ago for some white oak? I had initially intended to keep the mahogany ones bright as this was going to be a fresh water boat that served as a floating lake home. My rational is the white oak can be sealed and covered with glass and paint minimizing the amount of maintenance.
I was digging through one of the boxes of hardware here looking for the stantion bases to see how we'd mount some brackets on them when I was suddenly reminded about the bronze rail chocks we'd bought a while back.
I guess this toe-rail would work too. We could put in some moulded side deck scuppers and drain them overboard.
Supposing we go with a moulded side deck scupper and drained it with a short run of tubing right out the side of the hull. If it comes out above the rub-rail do you think the water will drip off of the top edge or will surface tension bring it right around the profile and run down the side of the hull?
You gonna glass over that foam
or change it out for wood?
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Later Edit.
You posted that pic just above here without my noticing it - with a question.
I have to suppose from what you are saying that you do NOT have Pearson built in deck drains (right there by the cockpit), Is that so?
Let me go the Gallery and see if there's a pic on ebb's....
The best shot of the way the deck drain is made is Ebb's gallery page 1 post 11.
There you are looking at a snake of fiberglass reinforced plastic that seems to be part of the hull - but it just stops suddenly.
Where it stops there is a hole exiting the hull around where the boot stripe is.
There is a hole at the other end up ON the deck by the toerail at the cockpit that drains into the 'snake''.
No way of knowing how the snake was made. It may have been started, I imagine, with a cardboard tube
cut in half longways, saturated with polyester and pasted to the hull inside, port and starboard.
There has to be a jog of what may be tubing that shunts from the overhead deck hole inside and over to the hull.
The glassing inside up at the deck was way too messy to figure out how the shunt connection was made.
That jog must have been a short piece of fiberglass tube. A mess of polyester and matt, but workman-like.
There has never been a second thought about this feature in the years I have been looking at either one of these oddities.
I added a layer of cloth & epoxy inside over port and starboard snakes of deck drain plumbing - later in the remodel.
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Later Edit
OK Tony. Hope I understood your post and you do not have the side deck drains like A-338 - as provided by Pearson.
Couple of photos on pg4 of ebb's galery. Pg 4, post #61, photo of the port cockpit locker conversion. In the top lefthand corner you see a bit of the port toerail and a ROUND DOT next to it. Dot is the drain.
See it again in the photo at post #63 - in the lower left corner.
If you don't have this drain (which is essentially for incidental water like dew runoff or light rain), it's just to get the deck dry. If I wanted to duplicate this feature I would do it only the way Pearson did it!
By making it part of the hull, glassing the hell out of it, and NOT using any kind of rubber hose. Has to be built in, over built, cannot be hose-clamped hose, which is going to have an accident as soon as you've forgotten about it. Hope this is useful.
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If you want to drain the deck with a tube at a down angle thru the upper topsides, make it a permanent fiberglass tube, Expect that a high up drain might stain the topsides. That's probably why Pearson did the upscale thing by building it in and exiting the drain down at the waterline!
There is a thread here all about the factory through deck scuppers discussing them, their placement and trying to determine what hull number they started adding them. (I offered 113 for the ugliest scupper installation and won it) I saw that David Browne added some on his Bristol 29, Sally B., which are a lot like the A/C factory deck scuppers. I had thought about duplicating his, but that is another hole pretty close to the waterline and I there's just something inside me that stops me from drilling holes in the boat that low. Though, it does look like an ellegant solution to the situation. I was just hoping that the shape of the rub rail would be enough to send the water away from the hull.
Way, way back when, I cut the toe rail and rub rail from a couple of giant mahogany planks we scored from the local hardwood supplier. Those babies were like 17" wide, 5/4 and 14 plus feet long! The styro models are just that, models. I am considering redoing them in white oak and covering them with fabric and epoxy. Bright wood rails would be bolted on in a thick layer of adhesive like, you guessed it, 3M's 5200. The glassed on alterntive would get bedded in thickened epoxy. I would still bolt them to the hull through epoxy lined holes. Probably with silicon bronze carridge bolts. I would even go so far as teporarily mounting the stainless half-round before covering it with fabric so those holes could get drilled oversized and filled with thickened epoxy trying to completely isolate that rubrail. All of this adds up to a whole bunch of microballoons and sanding....crap.
Tannins in white oak, quercus alba, make it almost impossible for any coating including epoxy to stick well. That goes for gluing it too.
Don't know that I can find source for that, but I can't see encapsulating white oak. (Maybe if you 40grit the surface for glassing.)
When you research it you will find confirmation. Don't know that with all those cutouts that you'd make it easy on yourself to glue fabric onto the plank. The oak far away harder than epoxy and glass. I'd guess that if you bang glass covered oak it will delaminate the glass coating.
Mahogany, while not bulletproof, is more quiet and not as exclusive as w.oak. My word is 'docile'.
If you have the mahogany, you know it is far easier to shape, drill, sand. And BEND. Why not use it? Maybe consider it easier to repair if the reason you want to use w.oak is indestructability. Oak is also heavier. True white oak won't absorb much damp but it's a bear.
Mahogany can definitely be fiberglassed. But hard non-porus w.oak? ? ?
If your section is 1" you will have to steam to make the curves that fit the bow. Have to steam to get the curves fair.
If you are considering bolting thru the top, I sure hope you do some tests to make sure you will get the interior ends of the bolts where you can put a washer on and turn the nuts. You may find that predrilling thru the edge of the bulwark has to be at an angle where the top is further outboard and the bottom of the hole furher inboard. Not strate thru. Depends on how thick the hull and glassing is inside. And the inward turn of the hull.
Wouldn't trust even 316 stainless in white oak. You'd have to use silicon bronze. Your tests may show that you'll have to go with 1/4" to find room - rather than 5/16" bolts, which are twice as strong.
That's why maybe 'brackets' off the deck would be far easier and actually stronger than going thru the top.
You'd still have the bulwarks ON or over the toerail.
And looking at this from the I-wish-I'd-done-it-a-better-way perspective, using deck fastened brackets would allow me to finesse the bulwark to
angles that please - rather than going with what I got by drilling fastenings in thru the top. This aspect of control, how it looks, may be the most important. One final cosideration is that attaching the bulwark sideways by stanchion brackets would make it easy to remove, refurbish, replace.
If we attach it thru the top of the toerail, I can tell you, brother, it is there FOREVER ! ! !
But then whaduayeknow?
The foam mockup looks great! Really right on!
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