Help! Clevis pin size difference.

[DenisHeinrichs]

Hi,


I am in the middle of re-rigging my Whitby 42 with sta-lok fittings. My cap-shrouds have 3/8 wire. The new sta-lok fork has a 5/8 pin. When I went to install the new shroud, I found out that the old fork and tang have a 1/2" hole....not 5/8.
That is what I get for having someone else do the measurements for me ;-(



A boat neighbour of mine (who was previously a rigger), suggested using a toggle. He had to leave so I couldn't query him more on this. I looked up rigging toggles and could figure out how this would solve the issue.....I could just be not seeing it right.....



I would rather not pull the tang and have it drilled larger, or replaced.


I have been told that just putting in a 1/2" pin is not ideal as it would put inappropriate loads on the sta-lok fitting.


Any suggestions as to what to do???



Thanks
Denis

[Benz]

You can use machine bushings to make holes smaller where needed. I have G-10 bushings on some parts, and it works fine. Ones as this as you need might be better in SS.
A toggle with 1/2" at one end and 5/8" at the other might be hard to find, and then your wire would have to be shortened.

[Orion Jim]

Use a reamer to enlarge the hole in the tang as long as the web in the tang has sufficient meat. Reamers are made to enlarge existing holes and are frequently employed in the machinists trade.

[The Yacht Rigger]

I'd prefer to open up the tang hole size, if there's enough meat in it.
If not, a bushing and stick with a 1/2" pin, but bushing a toggle can be a pain in the rear.

[DenisHeinrichs]

I talked to a former rigger today, and looked at some more detailed pictures of the tang, and I think that I will go up the mast tomorrow and try to remove the tangs. If all goes well, I will take the tangs into a machinist to widen the hole to 5/8". This is of course assuming that there would be enough meat left, otherwise I think I would have to go the bushing route on the toggle forks and use a 1/2" pin.

[Boatguy30]

On a 40+ y/o boat best to replace tangs and thru bolts anyway.

[Bowdrie]

Generally speaking, many of the tangs and chainplates I've observed already started with not enough meat between the edge of the pin hole and the end of the tang/chainplate.
A 5/8ths pin would want ~3/4 to the end of the tang/chainplate at a minimum. IIRC, Skene's proscribed ~1.1 > ~1.2 as the minimum.
Assuming there is enough meat, a machinist would use an end mill in a milling machine to re-drill the holes in an offset position so that no meat was removed from between the edge of the existing hole and the end of the tang.