|
That joint slides back and forth on most boats when under load. The Harken cleats for the sail control line and the furler generally prevent the cross bar from sliding more than a quarter inch or so. That's assuming the Harken cleats are right next to each other (one on each side of the hull brace). Some people relocate their furler cleat closer to the mast, but if you do that there is nothing to stop the cross bar from sliding back and forth. On one of my TI's it got so loose I had to put two pull ties around the xbar next to each cleat to prevent it from sliding too much.
My current 2012 slides back and forth maybe a quarter inch, and you can see the scrapes on the bar but I haven't done anything about it, doesn't seem like a major problem it only slides back and forth under extreme load, and only occasionally.
You want to make sure all the bolts are tight on the V braces, and also the two bolts that hold the cross bar to the mast base (under the rubber cups). If those two bolts have been loose for a while, the holes could now be oblong (a bad thing)
Hope this helps
FE
Edit:
The plastic caps on the two mounting braces (one on each side of the boat) are not really strong enough to prevent side to side play, the entire V-brace structure is a truss type structure and very strong, as long as all the bolts are tight (I put blue locktite on most of mine), everything should work fine even if the cross bar slides back and forth a little under heavy loads. That's kind of why the furler cleat is mounted so far out from center (a strange place for it) typically from the factory. Most people move it nearer the mast without .realizing it's a structural component.
|
Login
Register
FAQ
