Mast Cleats

Could you elaborate on this a bit more? I have heard it in the past, but never understood the issue properly.

The galvanic reaction between stainless and aluminum is what causes the aluminum to basically dissolve. If you remember the old lead-acid batteries in cars. You had two different plates of metal in a solution of water with lots of free ions in it (acid works great for this). Because the plates where separated the charged particles could not transfer from one plate to the next, so the electrons would flow through whatever circuit was connected to the posts on the battery. The same thing happens between SS and Al, except on your boat there is no separation between the metals, so the charged particles from one jump to the other (Al to the SS).

This is also why you see the sacrificial anodes for sale in marine stores. The zinc will deteriorate before many metals used in boat construction on your prop, and on your motor. By having a piece of zinc near these parts you prevent those parts from corroding.

I have forgotten most of the details of the electro-chemical reaction, but this should cover the jist of it.

_________________
Nick

Current Boat
In the market
Previous boats owned
'74 Pearson 30
'84 H16
'82 H18 Magnum
St. Louis, MO

Thanks man, so when you see those "chalky" rivets/screw/hardware, is that what's going on? Which breaks down first, Alum or SS?

That chalky stuff is it. The Al breaks down.

_________________
Nick

Current Boat
In the market
Previous boats owned
'74 Pearson 30
'84 H16
'82 H18 Magnum
St. Louis, MO

Update: I got my murray cleats and attempted to install them using my cheap 20 gun. They were too much for the thing and now I've destroyed my gun and still don't have the cleats tightened down. I knew that would prob be the case, but I just had to try it. I guess I'll try and hit my local dealer to see if they can snap them down really fast.

Can anyone else think of a business type that might use heavy duty rivet guns?

The rivet gun that we sell here has the two handles ($32) and it's the only way to go for popping stainless rivets. As you found out, if you into sailing for the long run, it's dough well spent to just get the bigger gun. The $89 gun that I use is nice, but the $32 gun does just fine. The $20 gun doesn't.

Mast cleats can be a problem, the hole pattern on the old cleats doesn't line up with the holes on the new ones, and they're usually too deep for the nose piece of the rivet gun to properly seat the rivet.

If you have to drill a new hole, I've seen people use JB weld or silicone to seal up the old hole. I've used a rivet with a cap to seal a drilled hole in the mast with good results.

Here's what to do:
1) Get a better rivet gun.
2) Get the holes lined up.
3) Place rivet caps in the holes with a little silicone on them to seal them up well.
4) Place the cleat with the rivets onto the mast
5) Make sure the rivets are seated into the cleat. Use a pair of plyers and 'snap' the rivet body onto the seat of the cleat.
6) To make the nosepiece of the gun seat properly on the rivets, use some small washers and place them onto the mandrel. Use 3 or 4.
7) Pop the rivets

What the heck is a 'murray cleat'?
Support your local dealer!

http://www.hobiecat.com/company/dealer.html

Hope this helps!

_________________
Sail Revolution
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My Hobie dealer sold one like this to me and it makes short work of the rivets.

"Give me a lever long enough and a place to stand, and I will move the world."
-Archimedes

This one will pop 1/4" rivets, mostly just used for wallowed out corner casting rivet holes on 16s and 18s, and anything smaller. Don't buy the hardware store variety expecting to work on your boat.

http://www.blindrivetsupply.com/Marson- ... p_814.html

They also make a "Big M" (or made) which was more handy for a lot of other uses. I can't find a link. Maybe they quit making it. It stretches out and closes sort of like an accordian.

Either one of these pop rivets with little effort and make it much simpler to work on a boat on the beach where there is not ready access to compressed air.

The Harbor Freight heavy duty rivet gun works and is relatively cheap at $15.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=66422

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Alan
'86 H16, Sail #89057