RIG IT RIGHT!
INTERNAL SPINNAKER HALYARD AND POLE CONTROLS

(Updated 7 Jan 07. This was originally written when the old, gold-anodized Proctor mast was the only Wayfarer mast, and is aimed at conversion of the set-up found on these masts.)

Rationale: This is a major operation, requiring two people and the better part of a day's work. If you are at all serious about using your spinnaker, it is however, well worth that one day of effort to get years of trouble free work from these systems. Ours have now been in constant and hard use over 4 seasons and nothing has ever fouled up or needed repair. (Uncle Al’s note: This was written in 1981. Since then, we’ve replaced the various parts of the system only twice! And everything was still working when the mast finally broke at the 2005 Midwinters!) Even when something does go, the repairs will be relatively simple since all the hard work needs doing only the first time.

The idea is simple: we use the interior of the mast which is otherwise empty and can thus easily accommodate the spinnaker halyard and pole controls. This also puts these controls where they (virtually) never snag and reduce turbulence around the mast (see diagram below).

Note: In the early 90's, our mast began to crack at block #4, just above deck level on the front of the mast. This was likely caused by the fact that I did not know to round off all the corners inside the cut-out made to accommodate block #4. I have since learned to do the required rounding, and also to add a mast sleeve to help strengthen the mast at this potentially great stress point. When I discovered the crack, I (messily) covered the (w)hole area with carbon fibre and then added an aluminum sleeve (available from Proctor/Selden Masts) that stuck out about an inch or two above deck level. I subsequently moved block #4 about 6" above the foot of the mast, still on the front of the mast. This required my lengthening the downhaul rope from 7 to 10 feet, and drilling a hole through the deck directly in front of the mast and as close to it as possible - the further from the mast this hole is, the greater the tendency of the pole to want to swing towards the forestay. I protected the hole in the deck with a Thru-Deck Bushing such as R3044 shown at the Annapolis Performance Sailing site at http://www.apsltd.com/Tree/d3000/e534.asp. Based on my experience, I would recommend keeping block #4 below decks, just to be on the safe side!!

Gear required:

  • a spool of good quality whipping thread and an electrician's fish tape
  • 16' of 1/4" shock cord
  • 72' (75'???) of 4-mil 8-plait pre-stretched line [45'(spi hal)+20'(pole uphaul)+7'(pole downhaul) (10' if #4 block is below the deck!!)]
  • two Ronstan RF 453 or RF 452 (or other small) entry block plus 3/16" aluminum rivets (these blocks accommodate 4-mil rope nicely despite their recommended max. 3-mil diameter rope)
  • one HA6 (APS http://www.apsltd.com/Tree/d42000/e39643.asp about 1/3 down the page) (or similar) entry block for spi halyard plus rivets
  • one HA7 (APS http://www.apsltd.com/Tree/d42000/e39643.asp about 1/3 down the page) (or similar) double entry block plus rivets for spi hal and topping lift at mast foot
  • two good cam cleats, one of them with a lead-in eye plus screws
  • one cheek block (e.g. Harken 092) plus screws
  • 12 - 3/16" aluminum pop rivets
  • 6 self-tapping stainless steel screws to fit cam cleats and cheek block
For these operations, you should also have the following available:
  • electric drill
  • electric jig saw with blade for metal (not essential but saves work)
  • hack saw
  • pop rivet gun
  • flat file
  • round file
  • fish tape


Step A: Preparing the mast

We will be putting five new holes into the mast: four in front and one in the aft face. See diagram below:

Hole 1: Drill a 1/4" hole into the front of the mast just below the uppermost black band. Use a round file to enlarge slightly and to remove all sharp edges to lengthen the life of the shock cord that will emerge from this hole.

Hole 2: (Older Proctor masts only – thank goodness!) This is the toughest one. Using a ½” bit, drill out the tube that runs through the main body of the mast just above the hounds. Enlarge this hole into a vertical rectangle 14x52mm by further drilling and liberal use of the flat file. Be sure that the rectangle is not so close to the forestay fitting that the lower lip of the halyard block (HA6) which will go into this spot ends up on the forestay fitting. Also remember that a rectangle that is too small can be made larger but once your hole is too large it cannot be shrunk and the mast will be needlessly weaker!
Before going on to hole 3, be sure that no sharp edges remain from the tube that has been drilled out as these could otherwise snag and possibly damage shock cord and halyard that run up and down inside the mast!
Holes 3 and 4: As you can see from the diagram above, these blocks go just below the spreaders (#3) and about 8” above the mast pin hole (#4). 
CAUTION: After only 13 years, I had to move hole #4 to a position near the foot of the mast - just far enough up from the mast foot to stay clear of the double block that will go into hole #5 - when a stress crack appeared from a corner that I had left too sharp. I’m told by engineering types that a slightly rounded corner distributes the stress much better. 
This is especially important at deck level where the mast has additional stresses placed on it by the chocks that are sometimes put in front of the mast at deck level. I was also told when this disaster struck, that I should have protected the mast by getting a partial sleeve which Proctor Masts makes just to protect the front of the mast at deck level. I was unable to get this from Proctor in Canada at short notice but managed to get a scrap piece of a boom that was easily made to fit and do the job.)
The two  RF 453 blocks (Ronstan) to be used for the pole controls require  8 x 25 mm vertical rectangles which I started off by drilling two ¼” holes one at each end of the rectangle. Complete the rectangular cut-out with a jib saw after which the sides can be filed straight. You will need to file slight indentations halfway down both sides (round file) to allow the block axle to enter the mast. The final touch needed will be to use the round file to file a 1/4” diameter semi-circle (removing all sharp edges) at the top of rectangle 3 and at the bottom of rectangle 4 (where the rope will emerge).
Before making these holes, check to see if rivet holes already exist in the vicinity and be willing to move the hole up or down an inch or two to incorporate the existing hole(s) into your rectangle. 

Hole 5: Now we go to the very bottom of the mast where the double block (HA7) will go into the aft face of the mast. You will need to remove the bottom four inches of mast groove to lay bare the flat aft face of the mast. I did this as follows:
1. I removed the boom vang strap (which is best replaced by a base plate ( HA4003) bolted to the centreboard case as close to the mast step as possible)
2. I hack-sawed through the mast track (a pair of flanges), being careful not to cut into the main body of the mast.
3. Flange removal: I tried sawing but that is very awkward, so I tried the “if at first it doesn’t work, bash the heck out of it” method. And it worked!!! Hammer one flange flat against the aft face of the mast. Then pry it back up with a strong screwdriver. Repeat the hammering and the whole flange should break off. Do the same for the other flange. This merely leaves some rough edges to be filed smooth.
Leaving about ½” at the bottom of the aft face of the mast to accommodate the bottom flange of the double block, mark out a 29 x 52mm rectangle on the aft face. One ¼” hole in each corner, then jig saw, then file.

Step B: Insertion of shock cord, ropes and blocks

It helps to have two people to thread shock cord and ropes into the mast. After some horrible experiments with whipping thread and sinkers, I discovered the electrician’s “fish tape” which does a great job. What I found useful was to more or less permanently attach (with clove hitches covered by duct tape) about a foot of whipping thread to the end of the fish tape. I put a bowline into the loose end and then tie an appropriate length of whipping thread onto that with another bowline.
1. Attach 25' of whipping line (e.g. Marlow waxed thread) and unwind about 25’ of fish tape to match. Feed fish tape and thread into hole 1 (at mast head) until tape and thread appear at hole 4. Turn the mast so that hole 4 faces down. This permits gravity to bring the tape and the thread near hole 4. Using a hooked piece of wire, fish the whipping line out through hole 4 (lowest on front of mast). Detach the 25’ thread from the 1’ thread (untie the bowline on the 25’ length or cut it) and tie it around the mast near hole 4 (or have your helper hold it in a death grip!!). Remove fish tape.
2. In one end of a 16’ length of ¼" shock cord, tie an overhand knot (single half hitch) as near to the end and as tightly as possible (use pliers). There must be no possibility of its coming undone!!
Attach the 25’ whipping line to the unknotted end of the shock cord via two tight clove hitches on final inch of cord at the end without the knot. Gently feed and pull shock cord into the mast through hole 1 by pulling the whipping line out through hole 4 until the shock cord is stopped from going further as the knot in the other end hits hole 1. It helps to have an assistant who will feed the shock cord into hole #1 in such a way that the whipping line is not unduly stressed or chafed! There is stuff like rivets inside the mast so feel free to ease a bit of thread and rotate the mast if the shock cord shows signs of sticking, and try letting the shock cord take a new path inside the mast!
3. We now need to make a loop in the lower end of the shock cord to which the seven-foot (10' for the lower hole position of #4) length of downhaul will be attached. The slack shock cord will not reach hole 4 and will need to be gently stretched by pulling on the whipping line until about two feet of shock cord protrude from hole 4. For this procedure, I again like to have a helper. You want to somehow keep the shock cord from snapping back into the mast while the loop is being created. I have been clamping a pair of vise grips onto the shock cord and then easing it against hole 4 so that 2’ of shock cord are left hanging out. Cut of two more feet of whipping line to use for a seizing in making the loop. See diagram below.

Note that this diagram is old: It's actually easier to tie a tight clove hitch about 1/2" from the end of the shock cord (instead of where the diagram suggests!)
Double the cord as shown above.
Hold the loop tightly together and wind about 15-20 turns of whipping line as tightly as you can around the base of the loop like a whipping.
Finish with a tight clove hitch around each side of the loop.
You may want to then wind another 15-20 turns in the other direction before finishing off with yet another clove hitch. This is probably overkill but I want this to last for 20+ years without having to go back into the mast for repairs.
Finally, I knot the two loose ends of whipping line together and burn the ends so that they (gently) melt into the knot. Overkill, as I mentioned!
4. Once the loop is secure, the seven (ten??) foot length of downhaul is tied into the loop with a bowline (the only safe knot!!)
5. We then thread one RF 453 block onto the downhaul and keep it from falling off with a figure eight knot in the loose end.
6. The loop-bowline connection is now gently nursed into hole #4, and then the entry block can be riveted into place.
Rivet notes: Set blocks in without riveting first, in order to confirm that ropes can run smoothly without chafing. These blocks are somewhat touchy as the walls tend to buckle a wee bit under pressure when the rivets go in. This causes the sheave to become reluctant to turn. To avoid this, drill slightly oversize rivet holes in mast. I find that I can't drill all four rivet holes at once and then still have them all in the right place for rivets 2, 3 and 4. So my routine has become drill 1 - rivet 1, drill 2 (diagonally across from 1), rivet 2, drill 3, rivet 3, etc. (I have also found that riveting only two of the four holes - either of the diagonal pairs - will do the job adequately since there is little stress on these beyond their task of keeping the entry blocks from falling out of the mast.)
If riveting does squeeze the walls of my blocks together and prevents the sheave from turning freely, I remedy this problem by wedging a nail set in between the sheave and the block wall as though I were threading a line into the block, and gentling tapping the nail set with a hammer. This does not take much doing but is important! After all, it is (obviously??) essential to the smooth and breakdown-free operation of your system that all block sheaves must turn with a minimum of friction!
The downhaul should be tied around the body of the mast with a clove hitch with a bit of pressure on the cord (to keep it from getting tangled up in the ensuing threading operations).
7. The "fish tape procedure" is now repeated into hole #3, such that the whipping line eventually emerges from hole #5. This time, the whipping line will be clove hitched to the 20' of 4-mil rope that will become the topping lift (= pole uphaul).
8. Use the whipping line to pull the 20' topping lift into into the mast such that its ends hang out of holes #3 and #5.
9. Thread the other RF 453 block onto the free end that hangs out of hole #3 before riveting the RF 453 entry block into its hole #3 position. Secure both ends of the topping lift rope around the mast with clove hitches in order to take up any unreasonable slack inside the mast (snag prevention!!!). As you start your clove hitch near hole #5, pull to the port side of the mast where the uphaul will exit.
10. The fish tape-whipping line combo then makes a third and final appearance to thread the spinnaker halyard from hole #2 to hole #5. The top end of the 45' spinnaker halyard is threaded through the spinnaker halyard block (HA6) once the rope is properly in the mast. HA6 is then riveted into place. Put a figure 8 stopper knot in the halyard end that exits the HA6 block.
11. Double exit block HA7 now goes into hole #5. Thread a good ten feet of spi halyard through the starboard side of the block. Then untie the topping lift clove hitch from the foot of the mast and thread it through the port side of block. Insert block HA7 into its hole, being sure not to twist the ropes. Use the four screws provided (or rivets for the upper pair of holes) to fasten HA7 to the aft face of the foot of the mast.

Step C: Adjustments to Topping Lift and Spinnaker Halyard (Cleats, etc)

1. Topping Lift/Downhaul: Using bowlines, attach topping lift (coming from hole #3) and downhaul (from hole #4) (likely up through the deck) to your pole attachment mechanism (hook, loop on pole, etc.). Once the mast is back in your boat, set your pole and pull it up to its maximum desired upward angle (usually about 20º above horizontal) and hold it there. The downhaul is deliberately somewhat too long to allow for personal preferences. Untie it and feed its loose end through the eye in the hook or the lower part of your pole loop while the pole is set at maximum upward angle. Pull loose end until no more downhaul will come out and mark the spot where the downhaul rope hits the hook eye or pole loop. Then stow the pole and make a bowline in the downhaul to attach it to the hook eye or pole loop with the mark in its correct position. This keeps the pole from skying to higher than desired angles. Once you are sure it won't be needed, you can remove the excess rope. Note: the old system with the #4 hole was really great since the mast could be taken down for travel without untying the downhaul. When it comes up through the deck, that is, alas, no longer an option!
2. Cleating arrangements: As shown in the diagram below, both topping lift and spinnaker halyard are led back along the upper edge of the centreboard box under the thwart.

The pole uphaul (topping lift) comes to port of the centreboard box to a cam cleat with a lead or an eyestrap across the cams, which is mounted on the underside of the main thwart (on wood block for glass boats) at the aft edge of the thwart near the CB box. The spinnaker halyard comes to starboard of the CB box to a cheek block mounted just aft of the thwart on the upper edge of the starboard side of the CB box (wood block may be desired for extra support on glass boat). A strong, long-lasting, high quality and well maintained cam cleat is then mounted on the back of the CB box so that the halyard leads nicely from the cheek block to the cleat when you reach over to the left to put your halyard into the cleat.