Last year I bought an old P-16 and a new mast for it. The mast has a hook on the back where the mainsail hangs from a ring and a twisted shackle.
Today I had a hard time releasing the loop from the hook when I needed to lower the mainsail quickly. I tried pulling the halyard then turning the mast as the manual says, but the ring continued to hang up on the hook over and over. I'm concerned that this could be a major nightmare when I need to lower the mainsail quickly in a storm.
Any suggestions for a fix?
Get an Aussie Ring to replace the one you have. The ring and shackle are one piece. Then make sure the knot to the ring is on the right side, (I can't remember which is correct). This should help, if not completely solve your problem. Keep us posted, Brian
You will have rigged it so that the halyard passes the 'hook' on the right or left side when looking aft from the mast. If you've used a twisted shackle it matters which side it passes (the hook needs some space to exit the shackle). Next, make sure you turn the mast in the opposite direction (away from) the halyard when you rotate.
With the Ozy ring you can have the halyard on either side of the hook but you still must turn your mast away from the side the halyard is on.
I'm assuming this is the same system as used on the larger Hobies.
Make sure you have the boat pointed into the wind.
Make sure you're rotating the mast the correct direction.
Pull the sail up, then rotate the mast approximately 90 degrees and begin pulling down on the sail with the mast still rotated. Only let the mast straighten after the ring has gotten below the hook.
All the P-16's i ever saw had a locking system like the H-16. The fork style lock is in the front of the mast w/ a ball swaged to the halyard.
Was yours converted or did the factory change the boat?
If converted, that could have been done wrong.
i have never needed the welded shackle/ring on any boat that i have sailed.