I just finished making a new DS rod for a Nacra 5.7, total cost $16.75 and two beer.
If you are on a tight budget, they are pretty easy to build. I picked up a piece of 9/16" SS grade 304 rod at Metal Supermarkets for $16.75. It was a simple job to thread it(fine thread)to fit the nuts.
The biggest part of changing the rod is getting the old one out. If you have a large set of bolt cutters you can cut the old nuts off, there is no way to remove them if the rod is bent even a little. To save $5/nut, cut the rod just above or below the nut,(where there is a straight section leaving clean threads)& remove the nuts for reuse.
I posted a sequence in the tech help for anyone contemplating the job, though it is pretty straightforward.

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Hobie 18 Magnum
Dart 15
Mystere 6.0XL Sold Was a handful solo
Nacra 5.7
Nacra 5.0
Bombardier Invitation (Now officially DEAD)
Various other Dock cluttering WaterCrap
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Thanks EC!
That type of info is invaluable, especially when you break something and are stuck while trying to get a replacement part from the US. I bent my DS rod last year at mast step and am trying to figure out how to get the rod off without killing the hardware, probably should document that adventure when it happens.

I am going to take some pics when I rig up my 5.2 and post those. Airborne has a good album posted but there are definitely a few things I am doing that are slightly different.

D.

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Dave Bonin
1981 Nacra 5.2 "Lucile"
1986 Nacra 5.7 "Belle"
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
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Sent you a PM, thanks.

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Hobie 18 Magnum
Dart 15
Mystere 6.0XL Sold Was a handful solo
Nacra 5.7
Nacra 5.0
Bombardier Invitation (Now officially DEAD)
Various other Dock cluttering WaterCrap
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EC

I took your idea and picked up a 24" piece (a cut off piece) of 9/16" SS grade 304 rod at our local Metal shop for $9.95. I still have to thread it but thought it was a great price! it beats the $58 they want from Performance.
Thanks for the idea!

What did you do for the Mast Support Pad? Did you buy the one they offer or did you make something? I am putting this on a N5.2
Thanks for the help.


Jeff O


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Jeff O
N5.0
solcat 18(sold),
N5.2,
H16
Camarillo CA
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$9.95, what a deal!
By "mast support pad, I assume you mean the squarish pad that fits on the V brace? If you don't have that pad, I would just buy one from Murrays, ($17.50). I don't think you could machine one for less, unless you had your own C&C or milling machine. I don't know how they attach to the V brace, but I hit mine with a deadman hammer, & it stuck tight to the brace. I can't see any rivets etc, I think it just friction fits into a groove that is the width of the V brace.
I used the original one, (picture DS5)it stays attached to the V brace when you remove the DS rod. The end of the SS rod I bought had a bit of a "lip" where the metal shop cut it. My buddy cleaned that up to make a "square" end before he threaded it. Picture DS6 clearly shows the rod end that fits into the mast support pad & the compression tube. Bring one of the nuts with you to the shop, & make sure they cut threads to fit the nut. It is a fine thread, & here in Canada we also have metric threads, which are a bit different than NF or NC. Also make sure they cut enough threads, use our old rod as a pattern, you need threads from the end the mast ball fits on to a few inches BELOW the bottom of the beam. Mark what you need with a permanent felt pen when you drop off the rod.
Make sure you also have the compression tube for inside the beam, & the washers.

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Hobie 18 Magnum
Dart 15
Mystere 6.0XL Sold Was a handful solo
Nacra 5.7
Nacra 5.0
Bombardier Invitation (Now officially DEAD)
Various other Dock cluttering WaterCrap
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