How much weight can the backstay take?

[sailingdolphin]

Do you think it could take the weight of an 81/2 foot inflatable and a 2 stroke 5 hp outboard?

I have an electric winch mounted in the port side lazarette with steel cable. The cable has a metal blockthrough it. It then comes through a round dry storage opening on the side of the lazarette then the block is attached with a shackle to a thru-bolted padeye in front of the binnacle on the floor of the cockpit right in the center.

This was designed to lower the mast-tabernacle.  I don't tabernacle so I thought I would try to use it for raising and lowering the inflatable.  I have one of those harnesses for the inflatable from west marine.  I usually connect the spin-halyard to the harnesand crank the winch up or down.  It works fine but it is exhausting after sailing all day.

So what I did was take the steel cable add another block to it attach it to a heavy duty stainless steel clip attached on the backstay about 8' above the cockpit that was already there designed to lower the mast. It now is running horizontal I attach the spin halyard to the eye of the cable then I use the remote control to raise or lower the inflatable . I tighten the back stay first since I have an adjustable.

I works great.  I tried it just once going down and then coming up w/out the outboard.

I wanted to get some input before I continue.  Thanks

[Ron Hill]

Doug : My only concern about your "rig?" is that your "clip" on the backstay, doesn't erode/destroy the integrity of your back stay cable strands.
Otherwise the weight of a dink(100lbs) and a motor(49lbs) should not be significant.  

[sailingdolphin]

Ron-thanks for your response.  There is actually an extra cable about a foot long attached to the back stay with some fixed piece of stainless-kind of like the piece that attaches the split  strands of backstay to the single strand backstay.  

That 1 foot piece also has plastic coating over it and then the stainless steel clip is fixed  to it.  The clip is about the size of a caribeener-not sure of spelling.  The rig has professionally installed years ago.

I will have to take a picture some time. We are taking her over to Catalina for about 8 days and leaving on Sunday.

[Brad Costan]

Doug

I too have the same set up for tabernacling the mast as you do, and I use it to get under the Mission Bay bridge in San Diego.

When tabernacling, the weight of the mast is far, far more than the dinghy so you won't have any problems.   On my rig, which sounds exactly the same as yours...the backstay (with carabiner) supports all of the weight of the mast when lowered as that carabiner clips onto a bail on top of the end of the boom.....the motorized cable then hooks to the underside of the boom and the mast has to be lowered to nearly a 45 degree angle where the backstay comes close to horizontal and parallel with the water.   The loads at that point are probably astronomical and the tabernacle rig was designed to handle that load.

I too will be in Catalina in the near future.....(Isthmus) from the 24th thru the 5th of August.

Perhaps we'll cross paths....

Brad
"Stromboli"  #413

[Ken Juul]

New term to me, can you describe it please.

[Brad Costan]

Ken

it means our mast have been modified (cut and hinged) so that we can lower the mast to get under low bridges.

the mast gets cut right at the deck, and a large hinge is installed to allow it to pivot forward

I can get under a 30' bridge........whereas normally you need 50' to get under.

with the backstay and rear lower stays on quick disconnect fast pins as well as the main sheet and vang,  the mast will fall forward.

we have a motorized winch in the rear lazarette that hooks to the bottom of the boom and lowers it down gently.

[Ted Pounds]

Brad,

Just curious, how do you handle the furling extrusion?  (or do you not have a fuler?)