Association Forum - Alternative Mast Head Sheaves?

Assn Members Area · Join

Home.

Association Forum

Ships Store

Cruising

Racing

Technical Tips

Photo Gallery - New

Boat Search - Updated

Manuals & Brochures

Swap Meet

Links

Officer Flag Line & Staff

Bylaws & Constitution

Members Area

Join the Association

Notice:
The advice given on this site is based upon individual or quoted experience, yours may differ.
The Officers, Staff and members of this site only provide information based upon the concept that anyone utilizing this information does so at their own risk and holds harmless all contributors to this site.

Association Forum

Username:	Password:
Save Password
Forgot your Password?

All Forums

Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

Catalina 25 Specific Forum

Alternative Mast Head Sheaves?

New Topic

Topic Locked

Printer Friendly

Author

Topic

JimGo
Admiral

Member Avatar

USA
962 Posts

Initially Posted - 04/17/2012 : 06:47:09

My boat is basically ready to go in the water. That's not to say there isn't a lot left to do, but most of the rest of the work can be done while she's basking in the water. So, the plan is to call the towing company later today to make arrangements to have her towed to the launch marina at the end of next week (April 27th). When she arrives at that marina, we'll be replacing the keel cable, and the marina is one of the few sailing marinas in the are, so I'm also considering paying to have the mast stepped and tuned.

What does all that have to do with masthead sheaves you ask? Well, when I was at the boat this past weekend, I started to replace the mast head sheaves with new ones that I purchased from CD. I pulled the pins out and examined the sheaves, and two of them were badly cracked, which would explain why I was having trouble with the halyards. I want to switch to all-rope halyards, and I had pre-ordered the sheaves, so I reached into my bag and grabbed one, only to find out that they were the ones for when you are employing two internal halyards (i.e., I purchased [url="http://www.catalinadirect.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=product.display&product_ID=171&ParentCat=407"]four of these[/URL] rather than [URL="http://www.catalinadirect.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=product.display&product_ID=34"]four of these[/URL]), and I'm not ready to go down the internal halyard path yet (though I have the parts), plus I really liked the idea of having more than two halyards. When I got home Sunday night, I ordered the correct sheaves, in the hopes that they would be here by this coming Friday so I could then install them on Saturday and not have to push back my launch date. As my luck would have it, I got a call last night from CD saying that the sheaves are on back-order, and that it would be 2-3 weeks before they are back in stock.

So, I really need to find alternative sheaves. If I can't find them and have them delivered by the end of this week (or, at the worst, the end of next week), then it really isn't worth getting the rigging tuned, because I'll have to drop the mast again to replace the sheaves. And if I'm not going to have the mast tuned, then it's probably not worth paying someone to step the mast for me (he was charging $200 to step it and tune everything). But, that means that I need someone there to help me step the mast, which makes a Friday launch more of a problem. So, then my other option is to push back the launch date, but that brings with it its own set of problems.

Does anyone know of an alternative source for the mast head sheaves? That would really make things a LOT easier!

- Jim
Formerly of 1984 C25 named Dragon Wing

NOTE: In my case, PLEASE don't confuse stars/number of posts with actual knowledge. On any topic.

Edited by - JimGo on 04/17/2012 06:58:03

Bill Holcomb
Admiral

Members Avatar

USA
769 Posts

Response Posted - 04/17/2012 : 07:14:50

Hi Jim
About ten years ago I had a local machine shop make four mast head sheaves for me out of silicon bronze. I don't remember how much they cost... but at the time I thought that I'd gotten a pretty good deal. The machinist used one of the old sheaves as a pattern and turned the new sheaves on a lathe. The work was done while I waited - - maybe a half an hour.
Bill Holcomb - C25 Snickerdoodle #4839

Edited by - on

Lee Panza
Captain

Members Avatar

USA
468 Posts

Response Posted - 04/17/2012 : 07:46:33

Try Rig-Rite, Inc., one of my favorite sources:

http://www.rigrite.com/Spars/SparParts/Sheaves.html

You'll have to know the specs for the sheaves you want, which I don't have handy, but you should be able to simply measure your masthead truck and pins, and the sheaves you have.

Hope you can find something.

Edited by - on

delliottg
Former Mainsheet C250 Tech Editor

Members Avatar

USA
4479 Posts

Response Posted - 04/17/2012 : 08:28:23

I took a look on the Rigrite site that Lee recommended and in the 2" sheave section they specifically call out for Catalina 25 mast head application for 2-3 of them. They don't have bookmarks on the page so you'll have to search.

Edited by - on

JimGo
Admiral

Members Avatar

USA
962 Posts

Response Posted - 04/17/2012 : 09:49:57

Thanks for the link and the suggestion to search for Catalina. I called Rig-Rite, and they said the sheaves are $30 each. I also called CD, and they said that both their Delrin and the aluminum ones with the ball bearings are on back order, but they COULD be in as early as tomorrow. UG! I'd really rather spend $60 than $120 to replace those.

I wonder if there are any local machine shops...

Edited by - JimGo on 04/17/2012 09:50:20

dmpilc
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

USA
4593 Posts

Response Posted - 04/17/2012 : 09:51:31

$30 each seems very high!

Edited by - on

JimGo
Admiral

Members Avatar

USA
962 Posts

Response Posted - 04/17/2012 : 10:02:37

I agree! That's what CD wanted for aluminum ones with ball bearings, rather than the Delrin ones.

Edited by - on

redeye
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

3476 Posts

Response Posted - 04/17/2012 : 10:15:14

Well any hoo...

Annapolis is the center of sailing in the World.. Call Annapolis Performance Sailing. ( APS )

or

http://riggingonly.com/

If they don't ask them who does.

Edited by - redeye on 04/17/2012 10:20:53

dlucier
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

Virgin Islands (United Kingdom)
7583 Posts

Response Posted - 04/17/2012 : 11:43:48

How much were Rig Rite's non-aluminum sheaves?

Edited by - on

JimGo
Admiral

Members Avatar

USA
962 Posts

Response Posted - 04/17/2012 : 12:00:43

I didn't write it down. I believe the nylon ones were $26, and the aluminum were $32-35. The aluminum were price competitive with CD.

Edited by - on

Dave5041
Former Mainsheet Editor

Members Avatar

USA
3758 Posts

Response Posted - 04/18/2012 : 13:31:18

One of my favorites: http://www.riggingonly.com/ . If somebody makes it, they probably have it.

Edited by - on

JimGo
Admiral

Members Avatar

USA
962 Posts

Response Posted - 04/18/2012 : 13:44:08

Thanks Dave. I checked out http://www.riggingonly.com/sheaves04.htm, but the sheaves they carry are all too wide. I need something on the order of 0.40" wide with a 2" diameter, and to get close to that width, I have to go down to 1 7/16. I don't understand enough about the mechanics behind the sheaves, but I'm guessing that the bigger diameter is typically better (or at least stronger), so I'm reluctant to lose something like 25% of the diameter (and significantly more if you go by overall volume).

Here's the link to the CD sheave: http://www.catalinadirect.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=product.display&product_ID=34&ParentCat=407

They say it's 2" in diameter, and 0.413" wide.

Edited by - JimGo on 04/18/2012 13:45:04

Stinkpotter
Master Marine Consultant

Members Avatar

Djibouti
9080 Posts

Response Posted - 04/19/2012 : 11:31:13

As I recall from installing mine, the main issue with diameter is being large enough to keep the halyards clear of the edges of the mast-head casting.

Edited by - on

JimGo
Admiral

Members Avatar

USA
962 Posts

Response Posted - 04/20/2012 : 06:54:26

Hurray!!! They arrived from CD last night, just in time for me to take them to the boat this weekend!

Edited by - on

JimGo
Admiral

Members Avatar

USA
962 Posts

Response Posted - 04/23/2012 : 05:49:49

I got out to the boat on Saturday, and installed the replacement sheaves and a mast head crane. For those who might be following after me, note that at least on my C25, the crane and the forward sheaves use the same pin, so it is MUCH easier to put them both in place simultaneously. Pulling the pin while the nice, new, unscathed sheaves are in there isn't the best of ideas. There's a metal bushing/bearing that rides inside the hole in the sheave, separating the sheave from the pin, and that can fall out of one (or both) sheaves should they accidentally fall out of the mast head.

Edited by - on

Topic

New Topic

Topic Locked

Printer Friendly

Jump To:

Association Forum

Notice: The advice given on this site is based upon individual or quoted experience, yours may differ.
The Officers, Staff and members of this site only provide information based upon the concept that anyone utilizing this information does so at their own risk and holds harmless all contributors to this site.