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New Sailor with questions on toe rail and mast

Permenter59

Member II
New to sailing and purchased an E-29 just over a year ago. Have lots of questions, but will limit it to a couple?

To rebed a toe rail (it is a toe rail or a genoa track?), can a person simply back the bolts out from topside, or is more involved? Pulled back the mahagony trim and could see a few bolts on the toe rail dripping. Removing the mahagony trim completely (port side) looks like an adventure as it is wedged behind the cupboard shelf above the galley stove. Is there a secret to removing it?

One more question: Last year sailing in superior we encountered a small storm. We refeed the main, but the mast made a "pumping" motion. Later in the season while docked at the slip, in strong winds, we received the same pumping motion from the mast. Does that means the rigging needs to be adjusted? Did we not reef the main well - is that possible to not reef a main accurately?

Thanks for any help

Learner Bob
 

Randy Rutledge

Sustaining Member
On the E29 the toe rail is part of the deck, (the 1” high raised part). When you take the mahogany trim out you find that the deck to hull layup was done after the genoa track was installed and the layup covers some of the nuts. This makes it a real pain to remove the track bolts. I opted for Capt. Tolley’s creeping crack cure for the track bolts.

The mahogany behind the cupboard can be removed but you have to wedge the cupboard out a little to give room and then the panel must flex almost to the breaking point to remove it. I cut the panel at the point it is behind the first upright on the cubby above the cupboard, this allowed for a much easier replacement and removal.

Do you mean the mast flexed near center or at the top?
Check the rigging and make sure the mast is in column, (not out of line at the spreaders, this is adjusted by the lowers) and that all rigging is not loose. If possible find a gauge and check the tension. When sailing there may be a little looseness on the lee side in a stiff wind. On my 1978 29T weekend before last at the Dauphin Island race we had 3 and 4 foot chop and the mast did not move only a little flex from the load of the wind.

Reefing the main means you have the sail tied down to the mast at the reef points, the tack and clue should be tight and the other reef lines should be just tight enough to keep the bunched sail from flapping around. Reefing is neat or ugly but if the tack and clue are tight and the new foot is tight you are reefed. The lines in the center are for neatness and this reduces windage not sail power.
 

Permenter59

Member II
Thanks Randy. That is very helpful. How do I find and use Cpt. Trolleys creeping crack cure (almost sounds like a red neck joke..."you might be a red neck if you think creeping crack cure is..." never mind)

As to the mast. All I can say is the mast made a shaking/vibrating motion when we encountered some stiff winds...the entire mast shook in ways that didn't seem normal. I thought the way I reefed it may have caused the shaking (though I doubt it). The main sail ripped in that event - though it is probably at the end of its life. In that instance with reefed main, the vibrating mast stop when we head up. Once when we were docked, the mast did the same thing. However we have been out in strong winds since then and encountered strong winds at the dock with no intense vibration. We launch this Saturday in Superior and have some sailing friends that may have tools to help us determine status of standing rigging.

Thanks again. This is of great help.

Robert
 

Glyn Judson

Moderator
Moderator
Finding Captain Tolley's Creeping Crack Cure.

Robert, Any West Marine should carry it, I just with checked my local one and it's on the shelf. That red neck reference reminds me of a guy I used to work with. He was so dumb, he thought asphalt was a hip disorder. Cheers, Glyn Judson, E31 hull #55, Marina del Rey, CA.
 

Permenter59

Member II
Thanks Randy and Glyn. Will see if Bubba at my local West Marine store has some. Loved the asphalt joke. My sailing friend thought acetone was an arobics exercise.
 
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