sailboat mast grommets

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Selecting Slugs, Slides & Shackles

Why use slugs or slides.

Why bother with slugs and slides at all? Well, there are some great perks for taking the time to install these on your sail. The main benefit is that they make for easy operation of your mainsail. Utilizing slugs and slides lets the sail move easily inside the track and, when used with a sail stop, the slugs and slides allow the sail to quickly and easily stack on the boom in the mast slot. This prevents the sail from coming out the bottom of the mast slot and catching the wind, creating havoc. Additionally, slugs and slides reduce the wear on your sail by keeping it out of the mast slot.

What Are Slides, Slugs & Shackles?

In order to choose the best fitting slugs or slides for your mainsail, let’s first go over some terminology.

Small nylon barrel that is secured ahead of the boltrope and inserted into the slot on the mainsail instead of the rope. Slug diameters range from 5/16 inch to 1/2 inch.

Small flat “T” shape piece that is secured ahead of the boltrope and inserted into the slot on the mainsail. Flat slides range from 5/8 inch to 7/8 inch wide.

Internal Slide

A slide that fits inside the mast slot. This is the most common type of slide.

External Slide

A slide that fits into a track that is mounted on the mast. These slides were common in the days of wooden masts when internal slots were difficult to create.

Secure around the bail of a slug or slide and attach to the sail. Most shackles attach to the sail via a spur grommet, although some attach right through the sail via self-tapping screws.

Which to Choose?

The choice really boils down to fit and personal preference. First and foremost, you want to make sure that the slugs and slides properly fit your mast slot. Then select a shackle that fits through the slug or slide. If you are replacing old hardware match the slugs and shackles to the old ones, either using the same parts or new parts with identical dimensions. If you can’t find an exact match for existing parts, then replace them all. Sails won’t function properly if the hardware has different amounts of space between it and the sail.

If installing slugs or slides on a new sail, start by measuring the sail slot. Pick a slide or slug that will fit well inside the slot with some wiggle room (think not too tight, not too loose). Slides are designed to fit in rectangular slots and slugs are made for round slots.

If the sail has full battens, we recommend using AllSlip or Ronstan slugs. These slugs are all nylon and are specially designed to help distribute the batten pressure to prevent jamming when hoisting or dousing a full batten sail. The Ronstan slugs even have rolling ball bearings in the bottom to keep them sliding on the mast.

Sailrite stocks a full selection of slugs and slides. Take a look at the options to find a good fit for your sail.

How to Install

With slugs or slides chosen, now it is time for installation. Depending on your preference and your sail, there are several different options to choose from. The most common way to attach a slug or slide is by using a shackle. Shackles should all be the same length and should be wide enough to fit around the boltrope and deep enough to bolt through a grommet (if installed). Shackles come in plastic or metal varieties that either snap or screw into place.

The strongest installation method is using a shackle and grommet. In this method, the slug hangs from the shackle, which is secured to the sail through either a #1 or #2 grommet. Grommets provide strong attachment points and work with both metal and plastic shackles. If grommets don’t appeal, there are also Screw-On Plastic Shackles. These shackles have a screw that taps right through the sail to secure it but are only suitable for use on smaller boats.

Or, there is always the option to scrap the shackle altogether and use webbing instead. Create a webbing loop to secure the slug and either sew the loop directly to the sail or loop it through a grommet. Installing slugs with webbing is the most labor-intensive method, but does provide the most give and take for the sail.

Here are some attachment examples:

Choosing the right shackle for your slug or slide can be difficult with so many types and sizes to choose from. We’ve put together a handy guide to aid in the process. This Slugs, Slides & Shackles PDF matches slides and slugs to which shackles will support them on a standard 5/16-inch boltrope with a #2 spur grommet.

In the end, sorting through all the options is worth it. Finding a great fitting slide, slug and shackle system will give you the smoothest running mainsail on the water.

For more information on slugs, slides, and shackles check out this video series.

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• Masts & Spars

Sailboat Masts and Spars

In purely engineering terms sailboat masts are structural columns designed to resist the compressive loads and bending moments applied by the rigging.

Leonhard Paul Euler (1707 to 1783), a Swiss mathematician and physicist who probably didn't know one end of a sailboat from the other, provided us with the theory that structural engineers and mast designers rely on to this day.

Euler established that a column will buckle long before the applied load would cause it to fail in pure compression, and went on to prove that the load at which buckling failure will occur depends on the 'slenderness ratio'.

This is expressed as the effective length of the column divided by the radius of gyration of the column section - the l/r ratio.

High Performance Sailboat Masts

In their quest for minimal windage and ultimate mainsail shape control, designers of racing yachts push the slenderness ratio to the limit, relying on elaborate lateral support provided by multiple pairs of spreaders and complicated sets of shrouds.

These finely tuned, unforgiving structures require a high degree of operator expertise and maintenance. Stunning as they are, they have no place on an offshore cruising yacht.

For us cruising sailors, mast failure is a catastrophe that should be avoided at all costs.

Most often, as on the beauty shown here, mast, boom and spinnaker poles will all be manufactured from carbon fcomposites.

Cruising Sailboat Masts

There is still a thriving business in making wooden masts and spars for the classic yachts of yesteryear and their modern replicas, but sailboat masts for today's cruising yachts are far more likely to be engineered from aluminium extrusions.

Certainly that's the case for sailboats with stayed rigs, but for unstayed rigs , the lightness and stiffness of a tapered keel-stepped carbon composite mast makes it the only practical option.

A typical aluminium mast section with an integral mainsail track is shown here.

If this mast was designed for in-mast roller furling , then the section would be modified to incorporate a structure to house the furling gear and an enlarged mast slot for the mainsail.

Mast Mounted Equipment

This is where most of us fit some highly important equipment; the windspeed and direction sensor, the VHF antenna, the tri-colour light and the Windex.

The Windex is a most useful, low-cost item that consists of two sights and a pivoted pointer that shows us the apparent wind direction. Unlike electronic instruments , it never lies.

It's not a great idea to put the radar reflector or the radar scanner itself anywhere near the top of the mast, as the heeling moment produced will work against the boat's righting moment , affecting stability.

But it is a good idea to inspect the masthead from time to time, either by going aloft or removing the mast. Check out the shroud terminals for wear, particularly for any ovalisation of the eyes or bent shackle pins.

Look for stress cracking in the corners of sheave blocks and check that the sheaves revolve freely. And take a close look at any electrical cables where they exit the mast; if the cable insulation has chafed through, any stray current will help electrolytic corrosion along nicely. It's always worth using rubber grommets at cable exits.

Lower down, check the gooseneck (the fitting that connects the mast to the boom) for solid fixature to the mast, and similarly the lower fitting for the boom kicker.

Unless your halyards are taken back to the cockpit you'll have a cluster of other fittings at the foot of the mast; winches, jammers and cleats. If the base plates for your winches are made of bronze as most are, then you'll need a layer of insulation material between them and the mast to prevent galvanic corrosion.

Rivets or Engineering Screws?

Most mast-builders choose rivets for attaching fittings to the mast. It's a quick and easy method, but not as strong as an engineering screw of equal diameter, and if you want to remove a fitting you'll have to shear the rivet off. In which case you just might decide to drill the old rivet out, tap the hole and use a stainless engineering screw.

Remember to smear the threads with something to prevent galvanic corrosion; white lead, paint or silicone should do the trick.

A Keel-Stepped or Deck-Stepped Mast?

Conventional wisdom has it that for offshore sailing boats, the masts should be keel-stepped because:

• If a shroud parts the mast is likely to remain standing, supported by the cantilever provided by the keel step and the partners.
• In the event of a capsize any damage to the mast is most likely to occur some distance above the deck, leaving a mast stub available for a jury rig.

But unless the deck is massively strong at the partners this area is likely to suffer structural damage, which in conditions severe enough to cause a capsize will be very serious indeed.

A lesser problem is that rainwater always gets inside the mast through the various openings and a keel stepped mast ensures that this ends up in the bilge rather than draining out on deck. Nevertheless, for sailboats of 40' (12m) and above, a keel stepped mast is the more seaworthy option.

A sailboat mast stepped on deck must be supported by a compression post below, which will transfer all mast loads to the keel and floors.

Structurally, a deck-stepped mast is pin-jointed in the deck mounted baseplate. This helps for a dry bilge and facilitates easier removal at layup time, but does make it more likely that if you lose your mast, you're going to lose all of it.

Read more about Rigging and Sail Handling...

Lazyjacks, Slab Reefing and Mainsail Covers

With reefing cringles and pennants now a thing of the past, lazyjacks are the most popular way of containing a slab-reefed mainsail. Combined with a mainsail cover, it's win/win all round

Are Roller Reefing Mainsails Worth Having on a Cruising Yacht?

There's no doubt that headsail furling systems are reliable and efficient, but roller reefing mainsails? The jury's still out on that one

The Case for In-Mast Furling and Reefing Systems on Cruising Sailboats

Many cruising sailors are wary of in-mast furling systems, claiming that they're prone to jamming. This experienced offshore sailor shows us exactly to how to avoid this problem

Ignore your sailboat mast rigging at your peril!

Most mast rigging failures are the result of poor maintenance and cheap fittings. Having your mast come down is most inconvenient and highly dangerous; definitely something to be avoided at all costs

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RC Sailboat Rigging Setup- Briefed in 17 Easy Steps

Table of Contents

Introduction

To build a model sailboat, you’ll need a lot of time, patience, and talent. Remote control sailboat beginners should start by altering or fixing a pre-existing model. It is possible to create a quicker and more sophisticated sailboat by rigging an existing model.

What to do for the rc sailboat rigging setup ?

Tether the retaining bolt and wire mainsail luff. Insert the mast stub and slide the entire main boom assembly. Push the masthead and backstay crane. Adjust the sail to match the mast reinforcement ring. Attach the eye in the mainsail clew. Close the hooks. Set the backstay’s length to the right.

To get the overall understanding, read the entire article.

Things to Bring

• Stitching Device
• Sailboat Controlled via Remote
• Thread Made From Polyester
• Fisherman’s Spectra Line
• Dacron Sails
• Utility knife

Procedure for Rigging

Use these rigging guidelines to their full extent. This ensures that the boat will sail with the qualities and performance that its creators intended. You can also check the RC dirt oval setup guide to ease your work.

Step 1: Replace Old Sails

Remove and replace the old sails. Cut out the new main and headsails from Dacron. Measure the old ones from the model and add a half-inch on each side to the new measurements. Tether the retaining bolt.

Step 2: Wire Mainsail with Eyelets

All six eyelets on the mainsail luff should have wired mainsail luff rings attached to them. 

Step 3: Place the Mast Stab

Be careful not to get the plastic collar’s bevelled edge. Insert the mast stub into the bottom of the mast.

Step 4: Slide Main Boom

From the bottom, slide the entire main boom assembly onto the mast stub.

Step 5: Slide Rings Under the Mast

Starting at the luff of the mainsail, slide all rings beneath the mast one at a time.

Step 6: Assemble Plug

Push the masthead and backstay crane. Assemble the plug into the mast. Cut a 250mm Dyneema length and tie the mainsail’s head to the backstay crane. 

Step 7: Layout the Sail

Adjust the sail to match the mast reinforcement ring at its highest point. The sail’s head may readily swivel. Poles are sheeted out at an angle of 80 degrees when the boat’s sailing with the breeze.

Step 8: Attach the Cunningham

Attach the Cunningham (downhaul) as demonstrated by cutting a 300mm length of Dyneema. Tie a cord to the eye in the gooseneck fitting’s uppermost eye. 

Step 9: Tie Bowsie’s Eye

Follow this path: First, tie one end to a Bowsie’s eye. Then, tie a second Bowsie’s eye; finally, tie a third Bowsie’s eye.

Step 10: Attach the Mainsail Clew

Attach the eye in the mainsail clew (bottom right corner) to the mainsail clew using a line.

Step 11: Close the Hook

Close the hook’s open end with thin-nosed pliers. Keep your sail from falling off while you’re out on the water.

Step 12: Replace the Sail If Needed

If you need to replace the sail, simply use a flat-bladed screwdriver to pry it open once again.

Step 13: Cut Dyneema

For the Backstay, cut a 900mm length of Dyneema. The Backstay Crane’s end hole has a loop where you can tie a piece of string. 

It’s time to attach one of our 6mm stainless steel rings to its bottom end. Using a Mast Socket, insert the mast and the rigged Mainsail into the hull.

Step 14: Attach the Loop

Once you’ve cut a 500mm piece of Dyneema, tie a loop in one end. Weave the other end through the first small gaps in a Bowsie. Then throw the rim at the bottom of the Backstay. 

Finish it back at the Bowsie. Using a metal hook in the Transom (rear edge of the hull), attach the loop to the backstay. Then put the Bowsie nearly halfway along the bottom rope and secure it.

Step 15: Tighten the Leech

To allow the leech (back edge) of the main to twist a little, lightly tighten the compression strut. Such that the leech (back edge) is under mild tension. Adjust the Cunnigham such that the luff of the sail is just slightly strained.

Step 16: Adjust the Position of the Rings

Set the backstay’s length to the right. A spacing of roughly 25 millimetres between the boom tube’s centre. Achieve the sail foot midway by adjusting the position of the silicon rings (SR5) and the mainsail clew hook.

Step 17: Connect the Foresail

Use the spectra fishing line to loop between the grommet and the eyebolt. Connect the foresail to the top of the mast before the mainsail. 

To make use of the foresail, equip the boat’s bow with a second, shorter boom. Connect the sail’s grommets to the short boom’s front and back eye bolts with spectra lines.

You can check these suggested rigging tools. You need these tools for rigging setup-

Apply a few drops of thin CA adhesive into the Dyneema cord at the point of the cut. Then cut through it at an angle. The cut end will be firm and pointed, making it simple to weave through the Bowsies.

A dollop of thin CA adhesive applied to the knot can help keep it in place. Once you’ve tied it, trim any extra rope. 

Don’t use hot gun glue as it doesn’t stick to this type of surface. If you take the time to secure all knots now, you’ll have a long-term reliable vessel.

Tips for Better Setup

A Dacron sleeve should be added where the lines come into contact with the hulls or plastic parts. Because Spectra is extremely powerful and can shred into the material.

Ask sailmakers for scraps or old, ripped sails that you may use to build the remote control boat sails. Only if they are willing to part with them.

There are a few things to keep in mind when it comes to rigging more sophisticated rigs. Like double mast designs or using spinnakers until you’ve gained some experience in the activity. Always clean your RC boat as you clean your RC car to avoid rusting. 

How tight should the rigging on a sailboat be?

If you push or tug on them, they shouldn’t wiggle about too much. So make sure they’re snug. Tighten them up if they’re still slack or floppy.There is no need to tighten any of the other shrouds after the cap shrouds are in place. Because they follow in consecutive order.

What’s the simplest way to sail a boat?

The Lateen Rig is a great starting sailboat. It only requires 2 ropes in its basic form.The Lateen Rig is one of the most basic sailing rigs. A  spar, boom, and mast are all part of this rig. As are a single jib sheet and mainsheet.

How much does it take to replace a sailboat’s rigging?

Re-rigging a sailboat can cost anything from $1,000 to $5,000. Re-rigging a 40-foot boat with wire is estimated to cost roughly $100 per foot. Which includes the round-trip costs of hauling, launching, and unstepping the rig (about $2,500).

Final Words

We’ve discussed here in detail on the rc sailboat rigging setup. This should help with the rigging setup, and we sincerely hope it does.

OK, so the above may look a little daunting. You’ll be able to recall this procedure with ease after completing it five or six times. Be familiar with and comfortable with your tools, settings, and methods.

The very best to you!

Travis Murray

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• General Discussion
• General Technical Discussion— Ranger Tugs

Mast Grommet

• Thread starter dsherburn
• Start date Sep 4, 2022

Active member

• Sep 4, 2022

I have a 2019 R23. I ran TV antennae wire down the mast into the boat. I must have lost the rubber grommet that was in the mast. Is this a hardware store item or does RT make one that specifically fits this 1 1/2" (approx.) hole in the mast to keep rainwater out?  

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Main types of the sailing equipment of a yacht

Dear friends, we shall continue our series of articles on the topic “Yachting for beginners”. In this selection, we share the information that will help you gain your desired aim of becoming a true yachtsman. Even if you do not have such ambitious plans, it will be interesting to learn some more facts about sail catamarans and their design.

Today we will talk about the sailing equipment of a yacht. It consists of sails, a mast, a boom, shrouds, a mainsail, a spinnaker, a gennaker, a stay, a jib and a sheet.

• A sail is made of a special cloth or a plate. It is attached to the hull in order to transform the airflow energy into the energy of motion. The sail has a sophisticated structure consisting of many different elements. You can see them on the picture below.
• A mast is a stand-up structure that provides the form, the stability and the flexibility of the sail.
• A boom is a facility serving for the stretching of the lower part of the gaff-sail. It is fixed horizontally on the mast, and it can be movable or not.
• Shrouds are galvanized or steel cables of the dead ropes of a sail catamaran. They fix the mast in a vertical position.
• A mainsail is the back part of a sail playing the key role in its structure. Its settings influence the running if the sail catamaran in different weather conditions.
• A spinnaker is an extra “racing” sail helping the mainsail on the high speed. It is made of light cloth and acts like a parachute.
• A gennaker is an alternative to the spinnaker, but it is smaller. It can be used not only in regattas, but also in cruises with a few people on board.
• A stay is a rigid steel cable keeping the mast from falling back.
• A jib is a triangular sail fixed on a stay in order to support the mast.
• A sheet is a rope that is fixed at the lower part of a goosewing or at the lower back corner of a gaff sail.

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Questions for Investigators Trying to Unravel Mystery of Luxury Yacht’s Sinking

The investigators searching for answers about the shipwreck, leaving seven dead, face questions about extreme weather and possible human error or problems with the yacht itself.

• Share full article

By Alan Yuhas

More than 180 feet long, with a mast towering about 240 feet and a keel that could be lowered for greater stability, the Bayesian luxury yacht did not, in the eyes of its maker, have the vulnerabilities of a ship that would easily sink.

“It drives me insane,” Giovanni Costantino, the chief executive of the Italian Sea Group, which in 2022 bought the company that made the ship, said after its wreck last week. “Following all the proper procedures, that boat is unsinkable.”

But the $40 million sailing yacht sank within minutes and with fatal results: seven dead, including the British technology billionaire Michael Lynch, his teenage daughter, four of Mr. Lynch’s friends and a member of the crew. Fifteen people, including the captain, escaped on a lifeboat.

Mr. Lynch had invited family, friends and part of his legal team on a cruise in the Mediterranean to celebrate his acquittal in June of fraud charges tied to the sale of his company to the tech giant Hewlett-Packard.

The Italian authorities have opened a manslaughter investigation, searching for answers from the survivors, the manufacturer and the wreck itself. They face a range of questions and possible factors.

An ‘earthquake’ in the sky?

When the Bayesian sank around 4 a.m. on Aug. 19, the waters in its area, about half a mile off the Sicilian port of Porticello, were transformed by an extremely sudden and violent storm, according to fishermen, a captain in the area and meteorologists.

But what kind of storm is still a mystery, compounded by the fact that a sailing schooner anchored nearby did not have its own disaster. Also unclear is whether the crew was aware that the Italian authorities had issued general warnings about bad weather the night before.

Karsten Börner, the captain of the nearby passenger ship, said he’d had to steady his ship during “really violent” winds . During the storm, he said, the Bayesian seemed to disappear behind his ship.

Severe lightning and strong gusts were registered by the Italian Air Force’s Center for Aerospace Meteorology and Climatology, according to Attilio Di Diodato, its director. “It was very intense and brief in duration,” he said.

The yacht, he said, had most likely been hit by a fierce downburst — a blast of powerful wind surging down during a thunderstorm. His agency put out rough-sea warnings the previous evening, alerting sailors about possible storms.

Locals have said the winds “felt like an earthquake.” A fisherman in Porticello said that he had seen a flare go off in the early-morning hours. His brother ventured to the site once the weather had calmed about 20 minutes later, he said, finding only floating cushions.

The Italian authorities have so far declined to say whether investigators had seen any structural damage to the hull or other parts of the ship.

Open hatches or doors?

The boat executive, Mr. Costantino, has argued that the Bayesian was an extremely safe vessel that could list even to 75 degrees without capsizing. His company, the Italian Sea Group, in 2022 bought the yacht’s manufacturer, Perini Navi, which launched the ship in 2008.

Mr. Costantino said that if some of the hatches on the side and in the stern, or some of the deck doors, had been open, the boat could have taken on water and sunk. Standard procedure in such storms, he said, would be to switch on the engine, lift the anchor and turn the boat into the wind, lowering the keel for extra stability, closing doors and gathering the guests in the main hall inside the deck.

At a news conference on Saturday, almost a week after the sinking, investigators said the yacht had sunk at an angle , with its stern — where the heavy engine was — having gone down first. The wreck was found lying on its right side at the bottom of a bay, about 165 feet deep.

12 guests occupied the yacht’s six cabins. There were also 10 crew members.

Open hatches, doors and cabin windows could have let in water during a storm, according to the manufacturer.

Open hatches, doors and

cabin windows could

have let in water

during a storm,

according to the

manufacturer.

Source: Superyacht Times, YachtCharterFleet, MarineTraffic

By Veronica Penney

Water pouring into open hatches or doors could have contributed to the sinking, experts say, but that on its own may not account for the speed at which such a large boat vanished underwater.

Asked about the hatches at the news conference, the authorities declined to comment on whether they had been found open at the wreck.

The authorities have also not specified whether the boat had been anchored, whether it was under power at the time or whether its sails had been unfurled.

A retracted keel?

The Bayesian had a keel — the fin-like structure beneath a boat that can help stabilize it — that could be retracted or extended, according to its manufacturer. On some yachts, keels can be raised to let the large vessel dock in shallower water, and extended downward to help keep a boat level.

But like the hatches, the status of the keel alone may not explain why a large ship sank with such precipitous speed. Investigators have not disclosed what divers may have seen at the wreck, aside from saying divers had faced obstacles like furnishings and electrical wiring in tight quarters. Officials want to raise the wreck to better examine it, a process that may take weeks.

Human error?

Ambrogio Cartosio, the prosecutor in charge of the case, said at the news conference that it was “plausible” crimes had been committed, but that investigators had not zeroed in on any potential suspects.

“There could be responsibilities of the captain only,” he said. “There could be responsibilities of the whole crew. There could be responsibilities of the boat makers. Or there could be responsibilities of those who were in charge of surveilling the boat.”

It remains unclear what kind of emergency training or preparation took place before the disaster, or what kind of coordination there was during it. So far, none of the surviving crew members have made a public statement about what happened the night the ship sank.

Prosecutors said they want to ask more questions of the captain and crew, who have been in a Sicilian hotel with other survivors. They said that neither alcohol nor drug tests had been performed on crew members, and that they have been allowed to leave Italy.

Prosecutors also said they were also investigating why the captain, an experienced sailor, left the sinking boat while some passengers were still on board.

Besides possible manslaughter charges, the authorities are investigating the possibility of a negligently caused shipwreck.

The bodies of five passengers were found in one cabin, on the left side of the yacht, the authorities said. The five were most likely trying to flee to the higher side of the boat and were probably sleeping when the boat started to sink, they said.

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Mast sheaves on O'Day 32

• Thread starter Konstantin
• Start date Apr 22, 2009
• Oday Owner Forums
• Ask An Oday Owner

Do anybody knows dimensions of halyard sheaves on the top of the Mast in O'Day32? I mean diameter and width.  

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Shoaldrafter

Konstantin said: Do anybody knows dimensions of halyard sheaves on the top of the Mast in O'Day32? I mean diameter and width. Click to expand

HI! Ed My boat is in Helsinki but I'm in the Moscow at the moment. Therefore I can't measure the sheaves now. I hoped that if I can get to know exact sizes, I can purchase new halyards prior to my trip to Helsinki. In addition I'm thinking about new synthetic halyards (old halyards are steel wire rope). P.S. Usual Russian measurements is metric.  

Good question, my main halyard is about 7/16 (I need to measure this to be sure) and I also have a another 3/16 wire rope as a spare working halyard (bosuns chair) A couple of years ago I tried to replace the main halyard by using a paper clip between the halyards and I never could get it past the truck and whats on my list is to inspect those sheaves to see whats going on.  

Konstantin said: HI! Ed My boat is in Helsinki but I'm in the Moscow at the moment. Therefore I can't measure the sheaves now. I hoped that if I can get to know exact sizes, I can purchase new halyards prior to my trip to Helsinki. In addition I'm thinking about new synthetic halyards (old halyards are steel wire rope). P.S. Usual Russian measurements is metric. Click to expand

Re: Hi all! Konstantin, On my 26 the boom is adjusted by the topping lift which is attached to the top of mast. The bitter end goes to a cleat on the boom. Releasing the end from the cleat allows the sail to hold up the boom, thus adjusting the shape of the sail. Ed K South Carolina, USA  

Hi Ed! Thanks for explanation. I didn't understand what is the additional rope on the top of the mast... Now it's clear for me!  

Re: Hi Ed! Konstantin: After I posted, I notice that I forgot to say line first goes thru turning block on end of mast then to cleat. That allows for adjusting leach for sail shape. Fair Winds, Ed K  

Konstantin: Let me try a 3rd time: Line goes from top of mast to turning block on end of boom to cleat. This allows adjustment of boom height and leach of main sail. I guess a technical diagram would be easier to post. I further guess that the topping lift could be further run to mast again and other blocks to lead back to cockpit so that you do not have to get on side deck to adjust? I might have to add organizer under mast next year to do that. Hummm... Ed K  

Konstantin here's a link for a company that can replace the sheaves with new ones for rope halyards http://www.rigrite.com/Spars/SparParts/Sheaves.html Also my 1978 32 has a label down below in the salon on the mast that says Schafer Spars and I've read that other ODays about that age had the same hope this helps identifying your mast for parts  

Hi RAD! I was in Helsinki last week and I've bought new plastic sheaves from "Selden". This sheaves enables to use halyards up to 12 mm.  

Konstantin nice sheaves! where was the picture taken on the boat, in other words what is that board for? looks like it was taken in the cockpit  

Hi RAD! Yes, a photo was taken in the cockpit of my boat.  

Konstantin Is the board used as a seat? by the looks of where the picture was taken it looks as though its between the lockers and aft of the wheel in front of the entrance to the aft cabin  

It's a small folding table in front of the entrance to the main salon. It's mounted on the steering column. There is a more informative photo.  

OK now I see, I have a simalar table on my pedistal. The original picture looked like there was a custom table across the cockpit, its fun to look at other 32s to see what other owners have done for ideas  

New sheaves in the top of the Mast.  

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