| Author | Message | ||
     Mike Sheppard Rating: |
While sailing the Verve Cup we almost lost our rig when the headstay suddenly failed dropping the jib and headstay to the deck, only quick reation by the crew to drop the main and run the jib haylard forward to the bow saved the rig. Upon inspection we found that the cotter pin had worn away and over time the pin worked loose. The pin is covered by a u-shaped plate making inspection difficult. There is a design flaw that causes the cotter pin to rub between the turnbucle and the mast. Over time the cotter pin will wear. You can improve the situation by making sure the pin is pointing up and down minimizing contact area. It would be even better to put the pin on the outside, but that is almost impossible with the rig standing. So I would think this is a common problem for all the boats. Please inspect your rig! We nearly had a disaster. If the waves had been a bit higher we would be looking for a new mast. The pin only cost $0.50 an an ounce of prevention would have saved us a race. Good Luck! |
