Mast, Plinths & Anchor Roller

The mast, anchor, anchor roller system, plinths are are listed here and are extracts from the Pure Majek Diary.

1/ Introduction
This section contains all those bits that are external yet fall outside the standard build information.

2/ Plinths
Plinths are 9mm pieces of ply, cut to size with a 10mm overlap and routed around the external edge. They are used to place under deck fittings normally on the horizontal, and their primary function is to reduce the possibility of water ingress around the screwed areas.

This meant that this particular item had to be beefed-up to take the stresses and moments we would be placing on the beam. We had been told that one should always winch from straight ahead at all times as the sideways stress moments would eventually cause unnecessary wear on the beam/winch area. This became challenge number one.

This did unravel its own set of new questions. Where were the tracks to be laid? How many stanchions per side? Where will the water inlet be laid? On the lockers, which side do we lay the hinges and why? Where will the winches go? The latter being tricky, as the turret hatch we have installed will directly affect the number of winches on that side. You needed this information for the deciding on plinth sizes and positions.

Having made the Plinth-decision, it was not until we got started making these bits that we realised how many there were. Under the deck locker hinges (two per hinge), under the cleats (three per side), under the mast electrical connection, water filler neck, stanchions, winches, tracks, turning blocks etc

 

 

 

3/ Anchor Roller Bracket
We have chosen to deviate from the plan in this area given our inexperience in the anchoring of such large vessels.

We needed everything to be on our side when 'Murphy" comes knocking. Unless one is aware of their boundaries during the retrieval process of the anchor, a no nonsense approach here is almost mandatory.This meant that this particular item had to be beefed-up to take the stresses and moments we would be placing on the beam. We had been told that one should always winch from straight ahead at all times as the sideways stress moments would eventually cause unnecessary wear on the beam/winch area. This became challenge number one.

While this may appear a little eccentric, for those who are not in a real hurry, these can prove very useful and remove possible repairs at a later stage. Additional insurance as we see it.

This did unravel its own set of new questions. Where were the tracks to be laid? How many stanchions per side? Where will the water inlet be laid? On the lockers, which side do we lay the hinges and why? Where will the winches go? The latter being tricky, as the turret hatch we have installed will directly affect the number of winches on that side. You needed this information for the deciding on plinth sizes and positions.

Having made the Plinth-decision, it was not until we got started making these bits that we realised how many there were. Under the deck locker hinges (two per hinge), under the cleats (three per side), under the mast electrical connection, water filler neck, stanchions, winches, tracks, turning blocks etc.
Others had told of wearing bushes on the winch rollers and even rollers coming away during retrieval process - this was challenge number two. The roller system also needed to pull the anchor into the full-up position and not damage the timber fore beam in any way.

The latter forced us to make a decision on the primary anchor type that we needed and this ended up being a Sarca. We say primary as two other anchors will also be carried.

This type of anchor, while very expensive, is designed to withstand a variety of bottom types including mud, sand, gravel and rock, offering superb holding power in all conditions - so they say. It also happens to have a self-righting arc over the top of the anchor making initial anchoring easier.

The Sarca Anchor top arc also went into the build equation, as it does stand out a little and could easily damage the fore beam if not managed correctly. The Sarca also happened to be one of the physically larger anchor types making the fitment of any other anchor type within the Anchor-winch-assembly, easy.
We also wanted the unit to be one with the:
> Fore beam A-frame,
> Cat walk brackets, and
> Forestay Tang.

Using Stainless Steel would have proved too heavy, so it was to be Aluminium 5083 plate. Even with this alloy, weight would still be an issue, but one we were very happy to live with. We have chosen to weld this to the ‘A-frame’ and make a single unit, reducing the number of screws required through the main forward beam and in turn reducing weight again.

The components were cut at home using a jigsaw (and about 8 aluminium cutting blades) and an Angle Grinder. Also cut at the same time were the desalinator and radar frames.

The roller holes have been cut to take standard fittings from the boat-shop. Given that the shop items are galvanised steel, this would definitely not be compatible with straight aluminium. We have made bushes that slot into the holes and are easily replaced when and if needed.

The number of holes are to provide the best fitment once in the water and also in the event that one hole-pair wear to much, they can be moved to the next most suitable.

 

 

 

4/ Cockpit Hatch Hinges
These hinges are little unusual it that they need the strength to open a large cockpit hatch door while still being aesthetically appealing. Similar units were costed which made their purchase a no-go affair.

The Stainless steel used was from the scrap metal dealer and 316 too, a real win. The Cockpit Hinge Plan was drawn up and pieces cut with old faithful…the angle grinder. They were then polished and ready for assembly. An option here is the get them powder-coated which we may still get done.

While this may appear a little eccentric, for those who are not in a real hurry, these can prove very useful and remove possible repairs at a later stage. Additional insurance as we see it.

 

 

 

5/ Mast Build
The mast design and build presented some fast learning of new words and a few headaches along the way. The team at All Yacht Spars were kind enough to supply most of the equipment and while their plans were rather scant, our preferences in equipment position soon resolved the positioning problem. What also provided a great deal of help was a morning with a friend on his EASY and he kindly went through all the fitting positions, the do’s and don’t's, and preferences. We took their preferences and canvassed a few others then made our own call. So…we will find out soon if this was worth the battle.
We quickly found too that there were many fancy words, and saying ‘rope’ is a definite no-no (used only when one talks about the raw material or about the piece of ‘rope’ below the ships bell). Its a halyard (used to haul up something and comes from ‘Haul yards’) or sheets.

The mast blank had to be positioned below the bridgedeck and stuck out past the front fence. This provided protection from the elements and allowed work to be done at ground level (on a chair too).

Looking back, planning is crucial and the equipment needed for the mast had to be purchased and available during the build process. This included the radar, decision on television aerial, radio (VHF) types of sails to be used, nav lights etc. We had to our advantage, two friends who fad built a few masts in their time. It appears to be one of those things that when done once, can be easily done again with the new found experience.

All the cutouts were marked using masking tape in an effort to help keep the mast-blank clean from marks and scratches. This worked very well. After double checking all positions, the rather noisy cutting began in earnest. The router and some good files proved handy and having friends with previous mast building experience helped too.

Given that two different metal surfaces are used with the components (aluminium and stainless steel, additional precautions had to be taken. There are various compounds on the market and ours proved invaluable. Under the winches, we also used a quality strengthened tape.