Replacing
the Mainsheet Horse
The main sheet
horse on Tra Bhui when we purchased it showed the normal signs of age that are
common on most of the older Drascombes. The galvanized tube had oxidized and
had turned a dark grey interspersed with small patches of rust.
The galvanized
tube which forms the majority of the horse on the Gig is attached to the
gunwales via two stainless steel sockets welded to sections of stainless steel
flat bar which in turn are bolted through the gunwale. Where the galvanize steel
and the stainless steel meet the rusting was more prominent. Apart from being
unsightly I was concerned as to how much steel actually remained at the end of
tube. The failure of the horse could be fairly dramatic if it happened in windy
conditions.
Removal of the
horse is simple as there are two set screws holding each plate on. Remove the
crews and the horse and mountings can be gently eased from between the
gunwales. I was interested to see how the galvanized steel tube was connected
to the sockets. Car body filler was the answer – well epoxy resin and filler,
but it is the same stuff. I suppose that this served its function of providing
a waterproof seal at each end of the tube and keeping the two different metals
apart, but it can hardly be considered cutting edge engineering even by
Drascombe standards!
On inspection
there was still sufficient metal left to be sure that the strength of the
traveler was not compromised. The rusting on the tube however was unsightly so
I decided to simply replace the galvanized tube with a bit of stainless steel.
Having previously replaced the horse on our Lugger with a stainless steel one I
knew how much better it would look.
As the fittings
at each end of the horse were already made of stainless steel the easiest
option was simply to have a piece of stainless steel tube but welded to them.
As I was about to order tubing for the tent that I was making for Tra Bhui I
added a piece of 30mm stainless steel tube to the order.
As stainless
steel welding beyond my capabilities (and my own welding equipment) I asked a
local fabricator to weld it for me. Fifteen pounds later and I had a new horse.
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