Today i totally failed to get it up !
To think of all those years getting big ones up over and over all day and hardly a problem !.
Must be my age.
So today i had a go at getting the rigs up on Narwhal as it turned into a nice day and i have been inside for far too long. I thought, and had a message that the tabernacle was fitted the wrong way round and i figured that once i corrected that problem i would be able to set the mast in its pivot and heave it up. Well several hours later and lots of head scratching i have given up, been out for coffee and now dropped the main-stick back into a safe position.
Here is the initial tabernacle position and what i didn’t notice at first is that the pivot point is below the level of the front plate such that when i turned it round i still wouldn’t be able to pivot the mast up with it over the back of the boat.
Turned around.
I’m wondering if Ian used to put the stick up using a different technique because there is no way that i can do it in the conventional manner.
This is about as far as i got with the mast head initially resting on a barrel on the shed roof and then on an improvised crutch.
At the point where i thought that i was going to have to drill 2 new holes in the tabernacle cheeks above the front plate and drill through the tube itself i felt it was time to give up and take stock. For the boat to be a successful small cruising boat it has to rig quickly and easily and singlehanded : when you consider that i can get both masts in the liberty in under an hour , and that they are bigger masts i was disappointed that i couldn’t rig what is essentially a dinghy rig quickly. There probably is a simple answer but what i am thinking right now is to go ahead immediately with the rig conversion as neither the spars or the sails are in good condition.
While i am thinking about that and drawing sail-plans i took a quick couple of pictures of the underside of the cuddy to show what the mast supporting arches look like, Ted says that these are iron hoops glassed in and that they don’t allow for much rig tension. Alan has already suggested that they have a carbon cap to make them into a beam. Here is a quick look. The tabernacle position is in between the 2 arches but the compression is taken by the section of plastic tube. I need to get that out so that the cuddy is more useable….that is exactly where i want to sit. Now : my planned rig modification would bring the mast back a bit, enough to sit directly over the aftermost arch so reinforcing just that one really well would be the job to do first.
I am leaning towards short-gaff as my first choice as that gives me a shorter and simpler rig which can be built out of a stock tube if i can find one or is a relatively simple build in timber : various options available. I am also thinking of ditching the mizzen completely which again make the back of the boat simpler and allow the tiller to come over the rear deck when i build the new one, then also if i had a relatively long boom (if i go with a boomed gaff rig) then i can sheet from centre and aft with a simple span across the stern.
Edit : end of day. After my coffee-in-town break i had another try at getting it up. I took the tabernacle back off and turned it around to its original position with the plate at the front. There are 2 holes through the mast and i was hoping that i would be able to slide a bolt through the bottom one just to secure the base but the hole in the mast doesn’t i think align with the holes in the tabernacle with the mast in the temporary crutch. With the tabernacle back in place i wedged the butt in there and tried to hoist the mast by heaving on my temporary gantline. With nobody else to give a hand i couldn’t keep the mast from just waving around as the shrouds won’t give any support until right at the last moment. As of now the stick is up in the crutch with everything tied off. What i did do while i was thinking about all of that was get in the cuddy and strip all the extraneous fittings out and take a look at the best way to build a proper compression arch and see if i can get comfy in the bow without the mast support tube which is a later addition anyway : good news is that i can which is great because it means that i will be able to get in under there if i don’t want to rig a tent/cover. At this stage i’m not sure whether both of us can tuck under there.
Dutch short curved gaff rig.
Right now i am thinking of going ahead with the rig conversion at this stage because it might not be worth persisting with the old rig which isn’t in great condition anyway. Over the next few days i will do a search to see if i can find some simple plain alloy tube or posh carbon tube to make a round stick out of. The carbon option is very appealing if i can find some tube of the right diameter : then build a new tabernacle that works first time and fabricate the compression arch.
Edit.
Both the previous owner (Ian) and father Ted commented on my masterectile difficulty.
Ian emailed with his technique for getting it up.
”
Hi Steve,
Just looking at the blog, prompted a few thoughts:
- Tabernacle: not sure about the wrong way round because the double hole for the kicker eye is aft of the mast. And is the front panel low enough to pivot the mast anyway? Oops. Have just read “This has never happened before!” and realise that you came to the same conclusion as me.
Technique I use when singledhanded.
No mizzen mast – it gets in the way..
Shrouds fastened at both ends.
Foot of mast over tabernacle. Line around it down to kicker ring to prevent it from lifting
long line from bottom of forestay to a block mounted on end of bowsprit and back over cuddy to cockpit.
Stand in aft end cockpit and heave mast onto shoulder
In one seamless move (!) climb up onto side tanks (one for each side)
move forward, lifting the mast as high as possible
take forestay line, using rock climbing belay method around waist, start heaving until mast leaves your extended arm and starts being pulled up.
restraining line will lead mast foot to drop into tabernacle.
Mast didn’t sway too much on the way up.Two handed, I have someone haul on the forestay extension rope from forward.
- Handrails. I realise I have two unused teak 3 loop handrails at home, unused. £24.65 each on Force 4 website. £30 to you and I could drop them off before the end of September.
- Rigging was replaced about 3-4 years ago
Ted sent several mails : here is the part relevant to this. I am going to do a much longer thread about my rig ideas when i have time over the next few days.
:
Dirty Wet Dog, the great adventure. 
Looks to me as if its designed to be rigged from forward with the mast over the bow. The tri I worked on is done like that, its not that easy with a 12 m mast, that’s rigged with the boom as a part of the triangle and 2 tackles from where the main sheet attaches out to the amas to stabilize the whole thing, that tabernacle looks a bit home made to me as if could have been added.
The ring frames look fairly substantial how deep in section are they ? If they are steel mind the holes drilled in to them for those bits of plastic pipe, water + steel …..
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I think now that it is supposed to be rigged from the stern with the mast foot just stuck into the tab and walked up. I tried every which way to do it myself but failed in the end because i couldn’t stop it waving around. I have taken the screws out of the arches….all i can feel there so far is glass. I will measure and photograph the whole thing to give you an idea of the construction.
Just been looking for plain alloy tube : looks like i can get a 10 swg section (3 inch) at 5 metres length. The hounds are about 4.6 M so there would be enough stick to rig the peak for a dutch gaff.
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agree re rig raising, has me in mind of late model CDN Wayfarer mast slot where the heel just floats while raising. pinned after, to permit stay attachment. l am a gunter guy as love to have the sticks stowed within the length of the boat. hollow spars so even this old fart can handle them. big plus is they fit in my Wife’s art/craft studio room for varnishing when she is away. the couch/radio/view is just a another bonus.
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Is that mast tube ? as stock tube may not be the right temper.
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I was worried that I may have given you a bum steer about tabernacle wrong way round. But checked the photos in my archive and all have the open side to the front. The closed of side varies in height. As it is a bespoke item they all look to be slightly different. Not sure why the one in DD16 has opening on aft side, which also has the kicker U bolt on that side. Obviously the easiest way is to ask Ian how he went about it. I can send some pixs of DDs if you let me have your email address.
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Usual afterthought. The mast is just under 7 m. From distant memory of seeing DDs rigged, the shrouds were attached and bottom bolt inserted, then the forestay used to pull the mast up into position. Memory could be wrong, but best option is to contact Ian and find out how he did it. I should have made clear in previous post that photos were to show some variations on the tabernacle.
About 70 DDs built, though exact number not known. I have a soft spot for the DD and over the years had the opportunity to sail about five, and race two of them. The racing was just for fun as the DYs out perform them, especially now with their improvements in rig and the like. What they really need is their own Yardstick number to race fairly against the Yawls, but I guess that would be a minefield.
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Father Ted again!
Not sure why you are seeking a round mast section. If you are going for a narrow type of gaff rig such as you have illustrated, a conventional section would work with the sail luff fairly easily hoisted via the mast slot. It should not affect the use of a short straight or curved gaff. You may be able to pick up a Yawl mast where a shroud has broken and the mast bent, which is usually low enough for the bottom to be cut off and the necessary mods made to attach to the tabernacle. DD mast not to exceed 21′ 3 5/15″ or 6485mm in new money.
Re loose foot I would suggest this would be unwise. The DD is not a Drascombe Lugger. The boom fitted with proper kicker (lever type) and the centre main sheet arrangement works extremely well and allows the boat to point well up wind, etc.
Most DDs, that is those who have been in the DYA, have added the king post. It really does not detract much from the available room, and if cuddy is fitted with bed boards infill between the side tanks/seats there should be room to stretch out. The aft opening to the cuddy either covered with the cockpit cover or a special tent cover for over the cockpit. Photos available.
Anyway. one pays one’s money and makes one’s choice.
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With previous owenr’s input have you managed to raise the main, and als set up the mizzen?
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