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Prindle Quick-Release forestay modificationsSunday, September 16. 2012
Attaching the mast forestay shackles on my Prindle 16 takes me a long time. It is also one of the more troubling steps in rigging this boat - somehow the mast has to stay up while I fumble with the shackle and its pin, holding up the bridles and pulling on the forestay turnbuckle. It's not ideal, and it could be improved.
People generally advise against using any sort of quick-release hardware on the forestay, and with good reason. Should it quick-release on its own, you'll have a 26 foot mast coming down on your head, and at best you'll be stranded. Thus I went through West Marine's entire sailboat hardware list 100 items at a time, until I had a solution. Basically, I need something that's quick to attach, but is relatively strong and secure. I am trying to go from this:  Original Setup To this:  Final Configuration Now, it's quick-release, and it's not as secure as the original shackle, but it is very unlikely to release under tension. As an added safety measure, I use a velcro tie over the pull-pin. Here is how this setup was made: First, I took an old turnbuckle jaw and shortened it so I didn't lengthen my forestay too much:
 Ready to Modify So it looks like this:  Shortened Jaws (Effectively I moved the hole further back) Then, all I had to do was attach a Synchro Block Snap Shackle and it was all set:  The 72mm model I bought is rated for 2400lbs, so I think I'm OK. Its rear opening is 12.5mm, and the jaws are almost exactly that size. The only problem is, I used the jaw from an old forestay, with the idea of screwing it onto my new forestay, but it was left-hand thread whereas my new forestay is reversed. Fortunately, I was able to simply remove the shortened jaw and place it on the new hardware, leaving the threaded components unswapped. The ease of just clicking the shackle shut has turned the previously scary mast stepping process into a pretty quick and painless endeavor. The forestay is about 1 inch longer than it was, and I simply took up the slack by tensioning the shrounds one click each. Trackbacks
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