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Front Crossbeam mast ball-race failure;
http://www.hobie.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=75&t=47107
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Author:  RSMoonlight [ Thu Apr 18, 2013 12:37 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Front Crossbeam mast ball-race failure;

mmiller wrote:
Odd choice of replacement parts to send. Way overkill. This is not a crossbar issue, so you can strip the bearing plate and balls off the replacement crossbar and install onto your beam. That would be the simplest and easiest solution.

My thoughts entirely but being new to the scene I did not question the recommendation. However I shall have to see what turns up a ball-race with balls or crossbeam I'll be more than happy with either. I'll let you know what arrives.
Ron

Author:  tonystott [ Thu Apr 18, 2013 2:42 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Front Crossbeam mast ball-race failure;

I spoke with my dealer yesterday about getting the errant bearing ball issue fixed under warranty, and his eyes glazed over, and he admitted that I already have way more experience (having already replaced a set of bearings) than anyone in his shop, so he wished me luck. It would therefore be nice if Hobie could offer some definitive advice on solving the problem, as I have read of some mistakes made by others (eg. filing the top plate down too much, overtightening the bolts, etc etc.

As a reminder. Ever since fitting a new set of bearings, I have always inserted a section of "uber-noodle" (a nice squeeze fit) whenever the mast is not stepped, yet I have still lost a couple of the delrin balls after only about half a dozen sails.

Author:  mmiller [ Thu Apr 18, 2013 3:53 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Front Crossbeam mast ball-race failure;

This issue has been discussed by us before... old issue.

The bearing system is rather simple. The design creates a channel that the bearings ride within. Two plastic plates sandwich onto the flat aluminum plate jutting over the receiver off the crossbar. A large portion of the bearing is exposed to contact the furler drum. The opening has to be narrow enough to hold the bearings in. If the plates have drilling burr material lodged between, the screws are not properly tensioned or the aluminum is bent or thicker than spec... the two plastic plates may be spread too far apart. Maybe they hold the bearings until a small amount or wear, damage or loosening occurs.

The fix is to first attempt tensioning the screws. Or remove and inspect for debris and re-install. Next you can try sanding the plates a little to close the gap. Too much and you pin the balls and stop them from rolling.

Author:  tonystott [ Thu May 09, 2013 11:17 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Front Crossbeam mast ball-race failure;

Okay, I fixed the issue today (hopefully). I removed both plastic plates, and sanded the aluminium "holder" to remove any flashing/unevenness. (I had already done this to the areas around the bolts on the two plates, without touching the flanges).

I then reassembled the two plates outside the boat, and fitted the delrin balls. Even though I tightened up the six bolts, it was easy to get balls to come out of the race.

I undid everything, and sanded the flange of each plate carefully on fairly fine wet-n-dry sandpaper, refitted and tested, and repeated the process about four times (cautious type), until the delrin balls showed no sign of coming out, but still had the slightest up and down movement within the race.

I then "hosed" everything out with Lanox to remove any residue from the sanding.

Should be good to go now.

Author:  Tony Kenway [ Thu Dec 29, 2016 11:56 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Front Crossbeam mast ball-race failure;

I have similar problems with the ball race and have done some engineering on the collars in order to reduce the gap for the balls. This fixed the problem for a season but now I'm using a spinnaker kit the balls are falling out again. After inspection it appears that the collar has distorted and increased the gap in one section therefore letting the balls fall out. Even with the balls in the race the mast is difficult to spin under load. I read on the forum that the mast should be sitting on the pin at the base of the sail rather than the collar. My mast is not, it is clearly sitting on the collar and is wearing on mast and on the top bearing plate.
My questions are; 1/ how do I rectify the incorrect length from collar to pin in order to have the mast weight on the pin. 2/ The ball race problem seems to be a design fault. Has anyone permanently solved the issue ? It seems to me that the plastic collars are not sturdy enough to house the balls considering the forces at play. A response from Hobbie would be appreciated.
Tony

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