I bought a new H16 and was raising the mast when the masthead (Goose neck) broke off, the 4 rivets holding the mast head came out and in looking closer it looks like there has been some damage to the mast head before. Unfortunately I do not have the experience to know if this is normal or not (obviously broken rivets are not normal), but the part that I think looks unusual is the metal bar that goes from the mast head to the lower section, it looks like it's worn through has too much movement.

Do you think just having the masthead Riveted correctly with new rivets will resolve the problem? The rivets that came out look like there were not correctly installed.

Would really appreciate some advice.

Mark

See attached photos







O

That is not the gooseneck, that is the MAST STEP. The GOOSENECK is that little contraption that is attached to the boom and then attaches the boom to the mast using the sail track.

A common problem and one easily fixed, first, check your DOLPHIN STRIKER, the stainless steel rod that protrudes from the bottom of the mast step, unscrew from mast step and make sure the threads are still good, if the threads are stripped on the mast step, big problem as this is made from aluminum, you will have to get another, either new from Murrays.com or used, check e-bay. You might have to bend the dolphin striker straight. If the threads are good, screw back into mast step, do not overtighten.


Second, cut/drill out rivits, whoever replaced the rivits last time drilled them out and oversized the hole, the rivits pulled out from the crossbar, they did not break, you're going to have to use rivits a size bigger, stainless steel or monel rivits are recommended because of the stresses placed upon the mast step. Clean area on crossbar before attaching mast step, make sure there are no burrs on the aluminum, attach mast step, re-rivit, make sure the rivits are tight this time, additional rivits can be drilled if neccessary.

On page 2 of Technical Help Gallery is an album labled "Replacing H16 Mast Step", check it out, will give you a visual guide, will also help with the dolphin striker rod issue, this has to be loosened in order to raise the dolphin striker in order to unscrew mast step. Hope this all helps

Keep on sailing...

PS never, never secure the cat on the trailer by hooking onto the dolphin striker with the winch strap, like motor heads do, this will bend the dolphin striker and puts un-neccessary torque on the mast step, and can cause the dolphin striker to strip threads/pull out of the mast step.

PPS while you're at it, go ahead and fill out some details on your profile so we know where you're sailing.



edited by: turbohobo, Aug 02, 2009 - 09:37 PM

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TurboHobo
H14T
H16
P18
G-Cat 5.0
P16
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Thank you for the correction.

My concern is that the hole in the CrossBar that the Dolphin Striker Post passes through has been enlarged. If you look at the 1st image it seems as though it has the potential for about 1/2 an inch of movement, I would have thought this would just be a hole of the exact diameter of the Dolphin Striker Post.




edited by: mchequer, Aug 03, 2009 - 08:08 AM

Mark, you are quite correct, that hole should be just big enough for the dolphin striker to fit through, over time the hole will become enlarged from wear and tear, all the stresses from the mast are transferred to the dolphin striker, and especially if the dolphin striker rod has never been torqed tight at each corner over the years. Your first option, find a tubular metal sleeve that will slide over the dolphin striker and fit through that enlarged hole, acting like a bushing, you might have to ream the hole a little larger in some spots, try and get a tight fit. You would then tighten the dolphin striker rod on each end at the corner pylons, be very careful not to strip the threads but it must be good and tight, (Pic H on that same album). This would be a temp quick fix.

Ultimately you would want to try get your hands on a used front crossbar in good condition, $$$, making sure it does not have the same enlarged hole.



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TurboHobo
H14T
H16
P18
G-Cat 5.0
P16
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if you keep your eyes open.. you should be able to pick up a h16 that the hulls are shot on (Cheap).

you could also contact Jerremy at jeremy@surfcitycatamarans.com (in Santa Cruz). i know he has many spent hulls (as i have seen images) and they usually come with the rest of the boat... he may have some beams around

tell him i sent ya!

Thx, I have a feeling that the movement is what caused the rivets to pop, plus the fact that they were not well installed. Is this something that a welder could fix?

probably not.. i am no welder.. but they are probably very dissimilar metals

PLUS.. if you ever needed to tighten/adjust/replace a part... you would be screwed

A good aluminum welder could fix that hole, by welding a lip around the old hole, top and bottom. It's an option, you would have to talk to a welder and find out if the welded area is going to be as strong as the surrounding material. You do not want to weld the dolphin sriker to the crossbar, as Andrew says, dissimilar metals will not weld. But to get the welding done you would have to either remove the crossbar or haul your cat over to the welding shop, which could be a huge undertaking, that is why I suggested the sleeve option as a quick fix. But if you have a reputable welding shop in the area, give it a try.

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TurboHobo
H14T
H16
P18
G-Cat 5.0
P16
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