Tighten Up Spar

Better late than never. I finally centered the mast and applied the Spartight. I bought the kit at Boaters World when they went out of business and the rig has been in the boat since September of 2012. This was way overdue.

The process was a little messy but not too difficult. One thing I didn't realize was the mast was off center and about an inch to starboard. I used the boomvang to center the mast by attaching it to a port block and giving it a good tug. I was able to split the difference and the mast is now centered relative to the rigging.

To move the mast forward a touch, I used the spinnaker pole downhaul. By attaching it the mast and using one of the primary wenches, I was able to more the rig forward about an inch. The instructions also mentioned putting on backstay and that seemed to give it a little more forward position.

Next I put petroleum jelly on the rig so it will slide when pull the rig out. I used modeling clay to seal up under the deck and taped a dam around the boot to keep in the Spartight. I mixed the 2 parts together and filled in the cavity from around the mast. In the summer heat it set up in less than an hour. I was really happy to get it set up as we have been dodging rain showers all weekend. I am going to leave the rig set up with the vang, downhaul and backstay on until Wednesday night to give it plenty of time to fully cure. Can't wait to see how this helps the boat perform.

Give it all you got!
Fat Bottom Girl
USA 30812