E34 Kenyon Mast

[Richard Elliott]

Just below the lower spreaders the track for the sail slugs is sectioned with flat head machine screws in each piece. The upper screw backed off and was sheared off by the sail slide. Do these screws just go into a flat piece inside the mast? With the missing screw, the sail slides tend to hang up so it obviouly needs replacing.

 

[escapade]

Mast confusion

Yes, there is a flat surface behind the slug groove. This is also where ALL of the wiring for the masthead (anchor), steaming, & deck light run as well as the coax for the VHF (if so equiped). Be careful not to damage the wiring or you will have to de-step the mast to get at it.
The whole business comes apart rather easily once the spar is down. Starting at the bottom, the sections just slide out the bottom after you remove the boom vang & goose neck fittings.
If you carefully drill & countersink for a 8-32 or 10-24 screw directly above & in line with the old screw you should be OK. The screw will need to be about 1 1/2" long. Just be aware of the wires.
If you have any other questions let me know & I'll try to answer them.
Have fun & sail fast
Bud E34 "Escapade"

 

[Richard Elliott]

WOW! Thanks Escapade for the most useful information. Based on your clues re: wiring etc. I think I will try to extract the old screw end and replace it with a new one.

 

[Richard Elliott]

I went up the mast yesterday to replace the broken screw in the sail track and I guess I wasn't paying enough attention to Escapade"s comments. I didn't realize that the "box" containing the wiring is just behind the mast track and the fastening screw goes entirely through the box into a plate in the mast. When told I needed a 1 1/2" screw I probably should have figured this out. Needless to say, the EZ Out approach did not work on the broken screw end, needing to reach about an inch into the box. I'll try again later drilling and tapping a new screw hole, trying first in the existing position and, if that doesn't work, moving up an inch or so.