Winch installation questions

[trlebus]

We just bought an 1973 Ericson 35. The mast has a winch for the jib which is on a roller furling, but no winch on the mast for the main halyard. There is a aprox. 3/8" aluminum pad on the mast obviously intended for a winch placement.

I have the drill, the tap and die set, etc. and a Barlow 20 ready to go. I see no way that the 1/4 20 screws can have any nuts on the backside/inside of the mast. Is is acceptable to simply drill, tap, and screw the winch down, or is there some kind of cosmic insert that is used in this situation. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

trl

 

[Geoff Johnson]

You might have a look at this guy's fascinating site. He has a section on mounting a mast winch. It seems his jib and main winches are mounted across from each other and the bolts to the pads run through the mast.

http://www.triton381.com/new.htm

 

[trlebus]

Thanks for responding. The winch is now in. Did it the old fashioned way with a tap. Now we have a winch for the main halyard....what a concept!