Removing standing rigging on E38

Boats on the hard; mast is down. I want to remove and replace standing rigging.
It appears that I need to drill out rivets to get the shrouds off the mast. Anyone done that?

Before you break the drill out...

If your mast is anything like ours and most of the 80's vintage Ericsons I've seen, with a curved Navtec(?) "T-Ball" fitting in a slot in the mast, all you should need to do is rotate it 90 degrees and wiggle it a bit and it should come right out.

- Cory

I believe the stock rig on your boat used t-ball fittings at the top. There should be a black rubber plug that you remove in order to turn the t-ball fitting 90 degrees. The only rivets you should have are the ones that secure the backing plates in the mast. See the link. The photo is from when I refinished my mast that shows the backing plates inside the mast.

http://www.rigrite.com/Spars/SparParts/Tangs-complete/T-Ball_Backing_Plates.htm

The occasional rivet might be found...

In 1988 the riggers at Ericson did put a little aluminum plate on top of each of our runners (T ball), presumably to keep them from rotating and popping out (?) of the slots machined in the sides of the spar.
Each end of this little (about 1 X 3 inches) plate is secured with a pop rivet.

Loren

Thanks

I checked with a rigger and that is the case Loren. One shroud is connected to each spreader and can be removed when the spreader is off. Those connected to the mast need the pop rivet drilled out.
My shrouds are longer than that spec' by several inches and the turnbuckles are maxed out on a few of them.
The deck is flat, the mast is keel stepped. Maybe they were not sized right by PO. The cable seems in fine shape.
Anyone had them stretch?

Loren, did you look at Wings of the Morning in Annapolis? That's the boat I own.

They don't technically stretch

Initially they may lengthen as the wire strands lay closer to their neighbors. There is a formula for this dependent on the size of the rigging. Sounds like someone replaced them, and cut them too long.

Guy

Had to remove each of the rivets to get the stem ball fittings out. Not a big deal to do. Make sure to have a decent sized rivet gun to replace on the reinstall. Hardest one to deal with was forestay only bc of the furler. I marked all of the shrouds before dropping the rig. Most of mine were pretty maxed out on the turnbuckles. Be careful shortening in them too much though...