Does anyone have a source for mast wedges? Now that Pleiades mast is on sawhorses prior to getting all new standing rigging installed, I realized that when the mast goes back in she will need mast wedges.
Because the mast boot was already in place when we bought her, and I did not want to disturb it, I made up some prior mast wedges from a few Douglas Fir 2x4's, which I then pounded into place "upward", from below. Not the best. After beating in big seas, all the wooden wedges would come loose, and now and then one or two of them would actually fall onto the salon table.
This time I plan to use a mallet to pound the wedges downward from above BEFORE installing the mast boot. Ideally I would like to use rubber wedges with a small "lip" fitting just over the partner flange so the wedges would not be able to wiggle loose. Does anyone know a source for rubber mast wedges? Failing that I will make new ones, hopefully out of white oak so they will not rot in place.
Paul Jacobs
Pleiades
1990 MK 1.5 No. 1068
Wickford, RI
RigRite
Custom Rubber corp
Spartite
Jus Google em.
I did spartite on my mast when i put it back up.
What was your experience like with the spartite? Still like it? I need to deal with the wedges myself. I watched several YouTube videos on how it gets poured and noticed they were all being done in boats with quite large gaps between the mast and collar, I think on my boat there's only about a 1/2 gap and it gets thinner at the aft end of the mast. Any issues with that and using spartite?
It has a relatively short pot life once you are ready to pour. I would definitely still do it again. Make sure to lubricate the mast partner VERY well. Also make sure the dam is set to a level flush with the deck. If not, you might never be able to get it back out. I would also suggest making quite a large masked off area on the deck. If spilled, it spreads out quickly and is a bit tricky to get out of the nonskid.
Paul : I made some new ones out of pressure treated lumber (slightly larger than the OEM wedges). Also I found that 6 wedges were much better than 4.
A thought
My boat is going back in the water Friday but it's 2.5 hours away. Does anyone have dimensions for wedges handy that I could use to cut some new ones?