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07-01-2025, 12:10
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#1
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Registered User
Join Date: Jun 2024
Posts: 56
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New mast step, mast leans forward now.
I recently replaced my old mast step with a new one of same design. We re-bedded the new step in a light layer of thickened epoxy and bolted it down.
The old step was heavily corroded so it was impossible to get exact measurements of exactly where the new mast step should rest in the bilge. I did the best i could and think i got pretty close to where it originally rested within 1/4" tolerance or less.
When we restepped the mast though (keel stepped), it appears the mast leans slightly forward in the step. To the best of my ability, I calculate that the mast sits at a slight forward angle in the step approximately half a degree, so if you measured with a plum bob from the top of the front of the mast to the interior floor at the mast base, it would be about 5" of gap give-or-take. I dont know if this was the case with the old step or not before we removed the mast or if it was perfectly in column.
Right now the rigging is tensioned just enough to hold everything in place securely until i adjust the mast in step, however i can only easily push the mast in the step forward about 1/2" more. This will get it approximately exactly where it sat in the previous step. I'm using the floorboard cutout and the deck opening to approximate this.
With all of this done the mast will still be at a slight forward angle less than half a degree. The gap from top of mast to forward edge of bottom of mast will then be about 4" or less give or take.
Would this be an acceptable amount of forward lean in the mast assuming i want to add a little rake in the mast about a degree or so, or should i make every effort to try and get the mast to be as perfectly vertical as i can get it?
With some difficult effort i could get the mast forward an additional 1/2" to 3/4" in the step which should get the angle even closer to zero.
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07-01-2025, 12:28
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#2
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Registered User
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Now based on Florida's West coast
Boat: Pearson 34-II
Posts: 2,756
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Re: New mast step, mast leans forward now.
Hi, User,
If you want to rake your mast, start with the mast in column as it was intended to be when the boat was built. Then, induce the amount of rake you desire.
Rognvald
__________________
"And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music."
Friedrich Nietzsche, Thus Spake Zarathrustra
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07-01-2025, 14:53
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#3
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Registered User
Join Date: Apr 2022
Location: USA East Coast
Boat: Edel 35
Posts: 112
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Re: New mast step, mast leans forward now.
rather than trying to guess adjustments to the mast rake, why not check the rake using the original forestay length? Using the old turnbuckle or toggle or what have you, set to the length it had before removing the mast, can you tension the forestay with the new mast foot position ? This is much more accurate than measuring tenths of a degree of rake angle
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07-01-2025, 15:05
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#4
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Registered User
Join Date: Aug 2021
Location: PNW
Boat: 35 Ft. cutter, custom
Posts: 2,952
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Re: New mast step, mast leans forward now.
Again, not enough info. What kind of boat? Is the company still in business?
Can you get info from them about proper mast rake, (or no rake)?
Many boats are designed with no rake, many more have been designed with a certain amount of rake.
Notwithstanding changes in rake due to helm/CE issues, a forward rake is generally a pox on the aesthetics of a boat.
__________________
Beginning to Prepare to Commence
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07-01-2025, 16:23
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#5
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Registered User
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Lower Chesapeake Bay Area
Boat: Bristol 27
Posts: 10,932
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Re: New mast step, mast leans forward now.
So with my racing beach cats, I usually had lots of mast rake.
With my Old Bristol 27 cruising boat, the PO had the mast tilted a bit forward which I figured was due to a short forestay. Maybe a mistake.
Later though due to the boat having too much weather helm like many of the older plastic classics with their short masts and long booms maybe the PO was trying to get rid of some of the weather helm by tilting the mast just a tad forward.
It doesn't help pointing, but can help a bit with weather helm.
So I haven't changed it since I bought the boat in 2011
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08-01-2025, 02:25
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#6
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Registered User
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Panschwitz, Germany
Boat: Woods Mira 35 Catamaran
Posts: 4,699
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Re: New mast step, mast leans forward now.
Forward rake is not helping pointing ability, but if you can't change it there are things you can do.
If you are not racing to class rules, you could add a bigger roach on the main sail to rebalance to some degree.
Alternatively a smaller headsail can help.
Both is easier than making changes to the lateral plan.
I agree it will look a bit odd with forward rake.
Still, sometimes there are reasons to it. We added a large roach to our cats mainsail, as light wind performance was poor.
Boat performance is considerably better now in light winds, albeit at the cost that we need to reef earlier now. The boat was rebalanced by inducing some forward mast rake and a masthead genoa.
Boat is balanced now.
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08-01-2025, 04:19
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#7
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Senior Cruiser

Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Thunder Bay, Ontario - 48-29N x 89-20W
Boat: (Cruiser Living On Dirt)
Posts: 51,834
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Re: New mast step, mast leans forward now.
What You Need to Know About Rig Tune & Performance” ~ Quantum Sails
➥ https://www.quantumsails.com/en/reso...ne-performance
Quote:
“... A typical mast rake ranges from 1° ➛ 1.5°[AFT] on a cruising masthead rig, to as much as 4° on a fractional racing rig. More aft rake generally produces more weather helm, and vice versa.
A mast should never be raked forward, unless there is something unusual in the boat design [like some Chinese junks, some catamarans, etc] ...”
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__________________
Gord May
"If you didn't have the time or money to do it right in the first place, when will you get the time/$ to fix it?"
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08-01-2025, 04:47
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#8
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Registered User
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Lower Chesapeake Bay Area
Boat: Bristol 27
Posts: 10,932
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Re: New mast step, mast leans forward now.
In racing though, a common tactic for downwind is to rake the mast forward a bit.
I used to do that on our 100 mile distance race where most times much of the race was downwind.
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10-01-2025, 09:42
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#9
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Registered User
Join Date: Jun 2024
Posts: 56
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Re: New mast step, mast leans forward now.
Quote:
Originally Posted by CatLove
rather than trying to guess adjustments to the mast rake, why not check the rake using the original forestay length? Using the old turnbuckle or toggle or what have you, set to the length it had before removing the mast, can you tension the forestay with the new mast foot position ? This is much more accurate than measuring tenths of a degree of rake angle
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Thank you. I didn't think about this but realized after reading that we did not loosen the forestay turnbuckle, we loosened the back and simply pulled the pin on the front.
I was at the boat this week and looked at everything very closely and the mast looks to be fairly straight from deck level to the top of mast with a very, very slight rake aft. The mast seems to lean forward from the keel to the inside cabin rooftop. This interior lean is what i was basing all my previous assumptions off of. I rechecked everything and compared again to my measurement notes and it appears the mast between the keel and interior deck penetration is about .625" aft from where it was. Its possible the mast was leaning slightly forward before i re-tensioned the shrouds and didnt notice, but looks ok to me now on closer inspection.
I will be back at boat tomorrow so will drop a halyard to the deck to try and tell for sure but it appears that all i may have to do is kick the mast forward on the keel step and redo the wedges at the deck penetration.
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10-01-2025, 09:49
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#10
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Registered User
Join Date: Jun 2024
Posts: 56
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Re: New mast step, mast leans forward now.
Quote:
Originally Posted by thomm225
So with my racing beach cats, I usually had lots of mast rake.
With my Old Bristol 27 cruising boat, the PO had the mast tilted a bit forward which I figured was due to a short forestay. Maybe a mistake.
Later though due to the boat having too much weather helm like many of the older plastic classics with their short masts and long booms maybe the PO was trying to get rid of some of the weather helm by tilting the mast just a tad forward.
It doesn't help pointing, but can help a bit with weather helm.
So I haven't changed it since I bought the boat in 2011
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Interesting, i didnt realize it affected weather helm.
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10-01-2025, 09:54
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#11
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Registered User
Join Date: Jun 2024
Posts: 56
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Re: New mast step, mast leans forward now.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Franziska
Forward rake is not helping pointing ability, but if you can't change it there are things you can do.
If you are not racing to class rules, you could add a bigger roach on the main sail to rebalance to some degree.
Alternatively a smaller headsail can help.
Both is easier than making changes to the lateral plan.
I agree it will look a bit odd with forward rake.
Still, sometimes there are reasons to it. We added a large roach to our cats mainsail, as light wind performance was poor.
Boat performance is considerably better now in light winds, albeit at the cost that we need to reef earlier now. The boat was rebalanced by inducing some forward mast rake and a masthead genoa.
Boat is balanced now.
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Thanks. My boat sailed beautifully on all points of sail before we pulled the mast and replaced the step. She had a perfect amount of weather helm which could be adjusted almost down to none by pulling the outhaul tight. Hoping i can get things back to roughly where they were, although i was using a big 130 genoa and want to put her 100% back on. The genoa is nice but cant see forward at all when its flying. I'm not sure it was made for my boat. I call it the deck sweeper.
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10-01-2025, 09:58
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#12
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Registered User
Join Date: Jun 2024
Posts: 56
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Re: New mast step, mast leans forward now.
Quote:
Originally Posted by GordMay
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Thank GordMay. I'm currently reading Brian Toss's 'Riggers Apprentice' to help shed some light on some of this.
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10-01-2025, 10:00
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#13
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Registered User
Join Date: Jun 2024
Posts: 56
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Re: New mast step, mast leans forward now.
Quote:
Originally Posted by thomm225
So with my racing beach cats, I usually had lots of mast rake.
With my Old Bristol 27 cruising boat, the PO had the mast tilted a bit forward which I figured was due to a short forestay. Maybe a mistake.
Later though due to the boat having too much weather helm like many of the older plastic classics with their short masts and long booms maybe the PO was trying to get rid of some of the weather helm by tilting the mast just a tad forward.
It doesn't help pointing, but can help a bit with weather helm.
So I haven't changed it since I bought the boat in 2011
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You should see my racing neighbors boat. If someone would make giant arrows, i could shoot them across the bay from his rig. His mast looks like a giant bow.
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16-01-2025, 03:05
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#14
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Registered User
Join Date: Jul 2019
Posts: 15
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Re: New mast step, mast leans forward now.
The best way to set the mast is to go sailing and set it with minimal weather-helm. The rig must be tuned to each individual boat. You want the best sailing performance on all points of sail. therefore you must compromise on some of the directions. As long as the overall is to your liking.
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16-01-2025, 09:22
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#15
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Registered User
Join Date: Nov 2024
Boat: Haiku sharpie 30'
Posts: 22
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Re: New mast step, mast leans forward now.
Unless you're sailing a junk rigged boat, forward mast rake always looks awful.
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