Masthead Toggles

[svnakia]

I'm looking for someone with a lot of rigging experience, or a professional rigger, to confirm something for me:

I have a 1982 Kenyon mast, the masthead toggles are (I'm sure) original equipment. I want to replace them. The thing is, they are not symmetrical. The cross pin in the masthead channel is 1/2" (the bent part of the toggle goes over the cross pin). The clevis pin that goes to the back/forestay is 5/8". (wire size is 5/16").

I had a rigger send me two toggles and rigging pins that he said would work. But on receiving them I find they are 5/8" on both the cross pin and the clevis pin. I asked the rigger if this is ok, he said yes it should be fine.

I'm worried about point loading the fore/backstay toggle using a 5/8" radius toggle on a 1/2" pin. What do you all think?

The pictures attached shows the new toggle, one picture with a 5/8" pin and the other with a 1/2" pin.

[svcambria]

Hola John!
The rigger is probably correct, that the size difference is immaterial, or at worst the toggle will bend itself around the pin! However, I have a 1982 Kenyon mast as well and would worry about it whenever I lost sight of land...
Perhaps you could fit a bushing between the pin and the toggle?

Michael

[Jim Cate]

G'DAy all,

I would advise against just using the 1/2 " pin in the 5/8 toggle. IF heavily loaded, the toggle might well bend, and cold bending a highly stressed bit of s/s isn't a good idea.

However, simply adding an appropriate length of 1/2' ID, 5/8" OD s/s tubing as a reducing bushing would avoid the problem and not add much weight or expense.

Cheers,

Jim

[jellyfishsteak]

Re: Top chop

Anyone ever raise their boom (by, say, one foot) by cutting off the top (by the same amount) off their mainsail and adding a wider board?

jellyfishsteak

[FloridaWriter]

He ain't much of a rigger, if you ask me. Of course anyone can call themselves a rigger, sadly. You are right to be concerned with point loading.

Good luck,

David

[SV Demeter]

Your original toggle was probably 1/2" that someone drilled out the shroud end to accept 5/8 thinking they were "upgrading" the standing rigging. 5/16 wire can take either 1/2 or 5/8 pins. I would consider getting a 1/2" toggle from your rigger friend and doing the same. No rigging suppliers to my knowledge make a toggle that is 5/8 on one end and 1/2 on the other. Your only other solution would be to replace the stay end as Im guessing you dont want to change the mast end. Ive seen this sort of thing before on an Alberg 37. PO wanted to upsize the standing rigging thinking he was beefing up the boat. All it did was create work for a few of our guys when it came time to rerig...

[svnakia]

RigRite carries the Kenyon 1/2"x5/8" toggle, look for K-10469-1 on this page:

Kenyon Masthead and Forestay Toggles 1/2" Wide Slotted Masthead Toggles