Refurbishment of the Mast and Spars

Drascombe Gig

 Refurbishment of the mast and spars

There are a number reasons why the mast and spars on Tra Bhui need a bit of refurbishment.

1.     Damage – through wear and tear there is some minor damage to the spars. While this is not extensive, small issues such as the split in the boom for the mizzen sail if not repaired in time will eventually lead to rig failure.

2.     Standing Rigging – this was in a very poor state when we purchased Tra Bhui. Before we sailed her for the first time we replaced the standing rigging (the standing rigging is only applicable to the main mast) with a full new set of shrouds and forestay – ex Churchouse Boats.

3.     The placement of the fittings – mainly cleats – are not where I would like them to be e.g. the cleat for the main halyard is at the bottom of the mast which means that to raise the sail you have to be either on your knees or bent double where upon you struggle to see what the sail itself is doing. The jib halyard is cleated on the front of the mast, but the jib cleat is placed where the too close to the thwart making it awkward to use. 

The fittings may reflect Tra Bhui’s previous life as an outdoor education boat when it carried a number of pupils as crew. If crew numbers were not a consideration, I am sure the positioning of the fittings would make more sense, but as we sail as a couple mainly (with limited lone sailing) the fittings need to be moved and or replaced.

4.     The fittings themselves are a bit of a mix match of different fittings of indeterminate age. While most are fine there are certain ones that I am not happy with. As they will all be coming off when the mast is sanded and will be replaced in potentially different positions, I will use this opportunity to replace any worn fittings.

5.     The mast and spars while in good condition have been treated  over the years with a preserver and stain. While this generally looks OK, I hope the actual finish can be improved on.

6.     Mast Head fittings – As the new VHF antenna and mast head light have to be fitted, a route for the associated cabling will have to be set into the mast.