Mast Base Repair

just .02 for any future readers I found my step link was installed upside down when i got the boat, It kicked my butt the first year, this spring looking closer i saw an arrow on the side and figured it should be pointing up instead. Installed wrong the mast pivots past the cup and is really hard to pull back up and in.

On my 16, the hole marked 14 is the only one that lines up well enough to remove the pin. I think as the step and base changed to increase mast rake, the step link became more and more wrong. As long as the 14 hole works all is well I suppose, but I'd like to have a link with just one hole that's in the correct place. I hear Murray's has something like that.

I have to yank the mast backward as I lift it to get the base and step to seat properly. Maybe the Murray's link fixes that also?

_________________
'00 H16 #104691
'78 H16 #32692 ex-rental [gone]
Old Holsclaw trailer
My Hobie 16 pages

Kind of a follow-up question to the last few replies: If the mast doesn't properly get seated when you step it, is this something that would be pretty noticeable?

I ask because the few times I stepped it last season, I had the issue that some have described, the base of the mast ended up too far forward and I had to pull it backwards.

Last weekend, I didn't seem to have to do this, but I wonder now if it's really properly seated? It seemed to rotate OK when we went out, but we did have a few times when it counter-rotated and seemed a little wobbly maybe. Then again, it was a very light wind day and I've heard that counter-rotating can be caused by sheeting in tight too soon during a tack (something we probably did).

Yes. It would be hard to get the mast forward enough to fasten the forestay, and you would destroy the step link.

_________________
'00 H16 #104691
'78 H16 #32692 ex-rental [gone]
Old Holsclaw trailer
My Hobie 16 pages