I need y'all to tell me its ok.....

[ttex]

Hey y'all,

I just finished removing the jib tracks, drilling out the holes, and filling with epoxy. I will be removing the teak deck next! WOOOOO fun times.

But first, I need to redo my chain plates because they are leaking pretty bad.

I have researched how to do it and I am confident but I was just hoping y'all could tell me that my mast isn't going to fall down if I loosen a stay. It is freaking me out.

[sailorboy1]

well use the halyard to replace the stay while doing it and loosen the other side up

should stay up, ......................... unless a bird lands on the top of the mast

[cal40john]

Depends - deck or keel stepped?

[Sailmonkey]

if it makes you feel better we just pulled our mast. prep for pulling was to remove the forestay, backstay, and port/stbd uppers prior to going to the yard. Mast didn't fall.

I've also replaced one stay at a time, no problem. we're deck stepped, double lowers (fore-aft)

[ttex]

Originally Posted by cal40john

Depends - deck or keel stepped?

Keel stepped.

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by ttex

Keel stepped.

Don’t even worry. Take a halyard over to a cleat or something strong in the same area as the stay you remove. Tighten it up to take the load off the stay a and the stay will even show slack. Then just remove the stay at will.

[David M]

It doesn't even need to have the same tension. Okay if the mast moves a little bit.

[capn_billl]

How big a mast? How much does it weigh?

[ttex]

Thanks I feel a lot better. I will be trying my first one this weekend.

If the mast shoots off like an arrow and impales the big trawler two docks down im blaming ya'll.

[stormalong]

Don't just rebed the chainplate. Remove it and dye penetrant test it for crevice corrosion.

You can by a kit from a welding supply store or take it to have someone test it for you. Leaky chainplates and salt water are the recipe for crevice corrosion. Test them now so you can sail with confidence that the rig will stay put in a blow.

[ttex]

Originally Posted by stormalong

Don't just rebed the chainplate. Remove it and dye penetrant test it for crevice corrosion.

You can by a kit from a welding supply store or take it to have someone test it for you. Leaky chainplates and salt water are the recipe for crevice corrosion. Test them now so you can sail with confidence that the rig will stay put in a blow.

Roger that.

Edit: Nice boat btw! My dock neighbor is an astronaut by the name of Mike Barratt and he has a beautiful example of that boat. We have a bit of a Robert Perry boat area at our marina. Two Babas, a Nordic, Tayana 37 and something else I cant remember what it is.

[captmikem]

Originally Posted by ttex

Keel stepped.

I pulled all six chainplates out to have them checked for cracks. only the head stay and backstay left, but I ran a main halyard to the starboard rail, and a jib halyard to the port rail, snugged them up. Sat like that for 10 days while the chainplates were out, no problems. (47' boat)

before you loosen the turnbuckles, wrap a couple of turns of blue tape around the threads just at the top of the turnbuckle. Will simplify getting the rig tuned when you hook them back up.

M

[billgewater]

The tape marking is a great idea. Also, it may pay to take some of the load off the opposite cap shroud so it is not pulling as hard as under normal circumstances. As you are easing the screw on the shroud you are removing, run your eye up the mast looking for any bending. Check out the local water traffic. If jet ski's and larger bow waves/wakes are a regular event then maybe you need to reconsider.

[roverhi]

I've been up to the masthead at least 10 times with both cap shrouds or forestay and backstay removed. Ran halyards to life line stanchion bases to replace the missing wires. If you have double lowers, you can remove all the cap shrouds and stays and the mast will still stand. Doesn't matter whether it's deck or keel stepped.

[sck5]

If you take the chain plates off you might want to just replace them. I was on a transatlantic when a chainplate failed without any warning on normal trade wind day with normal seas. Sounded almost like a gunshot. We ran around like meth crazed hamsters for a few minutes setting some halyards to take the tension but all ended OK (thanks to dyneema)

That boat was about 45 years old at the time and the whole rig had been checked and everything but the chainplates replaced. After that they were ALL replaced which is what I would do on an older boat. People joke about crapping your pants when something happens. Better safe than sorry.