Morgan M38 Masthead Rigging

[anna_maria]

I am in the process of inspecting a 1971 m38, the jib halyard is missing. looking for a diagram or manual for this boat. help, before i go up I'd like to know how it supposed to be rigged.

[skipmac]

Don't know exactly how the 38 is rigged but there are only a couple of possibilities. There will be a masthead sheave and the end of the halyard that attaches to the jib comes out of the front of the sheave, the end that goes to the winch over the sheave and down the back side of the mast.

The end coming down could be internal or external (inside or outside the hollow mast) is the main variation I can think of. Is the main halyard internal or external? Likely the jib halyard is the same.

Internal halyards have two common options. Look for a small stainless fitting on the side of the mast maybe 8' over the deck where an internal halyard would exit the mast or at the deck level look for a sheave and exit where the halyard exits from the bottom of the mast.

If you have neither probably an external halyard.

[anna_maria]

it looks like the external, that means i only have two halyards, can i refit to make internal? or could there be snags in the mast? that way i could get at least 3 maybe four.

also the sheaves are very noisy on the main thats cable. boat have been sitting for years but the ageing owner kept the inside clean and dry. if i go up can i lube or whats the best solution? also need a mast light replaced so i know i get to make the trip a couple of times.

[skipmac]

1. Going internal from external halyards. I'm planning to make that change on my boat. I have the mast down and started looking at it and thought it would be an easy swap. Then ran into a comment by another owner who had done exactly that several years ago and was very happy with the change and had experienced no problems.

Yes there are potential snags inside the mast and potential to tangle with the wires that go to the masthead and steaming lights. I looked up the bottom of my mast with a spot light and binoculars and the wires are wrapped together and should not be a problem. Will just have to be careful droping the halyard down the mast to make sure it runs free.

Whether it works for your mast will depend on how the masthead fitting is rigged. For me it was easy. The masthead had four sheaves in two pairs. Two side by side on the front of the mast and two side by side on the back. The original mainsail halyard ran up the front of the mast, over the front starboard sheave, over the inside of the mast, over the top of the aft starboard sheavej, then out and down the back of the mast. Jib did the same but in the opposite direction on the port side.

So to go to four halyards, instead of going over one sheave, over the top and down the other side I just go over one sheave and down the inside of the mast. I will have to cut exit holes in the sides of the mast and fish the ends of the halyards out but shouldn't be too tricky.

If you have a similar setup you should be able to convert. You might have just large sheaves right in the middle of the mast which would make the changeover much more problematic.

2. Noisy sheave. Is it a noise like a squeaky hinge? Lube it. If it's rattling then the sheave or it's shaft may be worn and require repair.

Does the boat have a spinnaker halyard? Since you have only the main halyard I would want to find some way to rig a safety line in case the main halyard slipped, broke or in some way let me down (pun intended ). If you have only the main halyard I would highly recommend rigging a line around the mast with some type of sliding knot (would a Prussic knot work on something with that diameter?) to a harness to catch me just in case the main failed.

[skipmac]

Here's an old thread that has a couple of comments and pictures that may help.

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...rds-59098.html

[anna_maria]

Wow thanks, i can not see inside my mast from the bottom, that would be nice. looks like my sheave location would work pretty fine. i see that they make nice fancy fittings for the halyard exists on the mast. like the internal idea, at least for the main since it's all cable.

[skipmac]

For me the biggest benefit is having extra halyards. Will have a spare jib halyard, a main halyard and use the last as an adjustable topping lift.

I have lost halyards at sea before and having a spare saved a lot of hassle.