bent striker rod

It's probably fine, I would gently try to straighten it. I've had several boats with bent rods like that from people tying them to a trailer or other object. I just used my foot to gently straighten them all and was good to go.

If that doesn't work, a stainless rod is easy enough to come by.

I agree, doesn't look too bad. I've sailed on worse. It should probably be replaced at some time but you can probably use it for a season or two.

i can get one easily but if its not bad i was just going to use it.

Hey guys, how bad does this look? Can I use it for the rest of the season? Seems like trying to straighten it will just weaken it more. Looks like a real pain to replace and I just want to sail this thing.
Sorry, I have an hour trying to get the image in the post... this is the best I could do.

Is this your image?

Looks like someone de-masted with the pin in.

i'd be tempted to leave it on and NOT try to straighten it

as taking it off looks like it's going to be messy...

nacra55 wrote:

Is this your image?

Looks like someone de-masted with the pin in.

Yep, Guilty. I must have missed that memo.
Ron, What do you think of sailing it for a season? I'm no racer.

The downside Scott, is the mast ball will sit on an angle. If you analyze the forces, they will no longer be pushing the ball straight down onto the pin. The mast will not ride on the top, but biased to the side of the ball.
Am I correct in thinking that is a 9/16" rod, with a 1 1/2" ball?
I have a spare rod that I could lend you for the season, but shipping it back & forth is probably 1/2 the cost of a new one.
I would straighten it, you can bend 304 SS that amount with little loss of strength. Then use it for the summer, & have new one built...see my album here. (By the way, to post an image, right click the image then select "copy image location". Then click the 3rd tab, (IMAGE) just below where you are typing the post. That will insert a couple of brackets & IMG into your post. Put the cursor right between them & paste the link from the photo that you copied, voila!)
http://www.thebeachcats.com/pictures/?g2_itemId=73301
There are 2 ways to straighten, on or off the boat. The album shows how to get it off. If you elect to do it on the boat, you will need 2 extra nuts, & I mean the ones on the rod! They are 9/16" NF, I believe it is 18 threads/inch. Thread them on, & turn them down to 1/4" above the start of the bend. Line them up so you can place a deep socket over both of them. Place a long extension into the socket for leverage. Now comes the tricky part, you will need someone strong underneath to positively hold the rod, you should not use the beam alone to hold it. Go a little at a time, you don't want to overbend it, & don't look for perfection. It will bend to within a millimeter or two of true.
When you do go to replace the rod, you will most likely have to cut it. If the rod straightens OK, you MIGHT be able to turn the nuts off the top, but generally it takes very little bend to prevent that. There are most likely only threads 1/2 way down the bottom of the rod, so they won't come off that way.
If you get in a real bind, let me know,& we'll look into a loaner.

Edited by Edchris177 on Jun 04, 2013 - 08:11 AM.

Yep, Guilty. I must have missed that memo.

Did you dismast while sailing, or was it while lowering the mast?
Remember, when lowering YOU MUST ROTATE THE MAST 90* SO THE DS ROD LINES UP WITH THE SLOT.
This photo shows my mast lowered correctly,notice I was an idiot & turned it 90* the wrong way, making removal of my ghetto mast pin(bolt) impossible. I said screw it, & got the bolt cutters.

In this photo you can clearly see why dropping the mast in any position but 90* results in a bent rod.

Had this happen on a 5.8 couple weeks ago. The skipper just came back next morning with a 4' long hollow steel tube that fit perfectly over threaded rod. Took 10 seconds to bend it back upright. Pete

Thanks for the quick comments and your time.
BIG disappointment here, I was rigging it for the first time in the driveway to confirm it was all here and I could make it work. I was lowering the mast.
I was well aware of the 90 degree rule and thought I was following it.... my best guess is that it was a combination of the mast a couple degrees off center and not quite turned 90 degrees. There was a lot going on, watching the mast, watching my feet coming near the rear beam, the whole tramp/trailer hitch rocking moment, and the thing feels heavier than I expected, leverage I expect. I had plenty of help. No excuses just stupid here.
The old style foot does not leave much room for a mistake.
Yes, 1 1/2" ball. I even remembered to start the pin on the correct side.
I'm headed to the hardware for nuts and a try at straightening.
Thanks again comrades. I'll let you know how it goes.

I had two extra front 16 racks but just scrapped out one. I did not want two sitting around. If you want one let me know.

My sailing buddy Lance keep a boat at Anna Marie and he travels down your way often. 😎

Bill Kent

Edited by bill40421SE on Jun 04, 2013 - 03:55 PM.

Good call Pete.
As Pete said above, if you have a tube that will fit snugly onto the rod, it is a very easy job. If the pipe doesn't fit well, it is easy to screw the threads. Then you run into problems with threading the ball back on, or moving the nut on top of the beam.
You can use two lengths of pipe. If you have a short piece that fits well, place that on the rod, then slide any piece of pipe over the first piece.
If you do queer up the threads, they are easy to fix, assuming you haven't really destroyed them, & have a 9/16" NF die. Just turn it down the rod, though it won't go beyond the bend. It will jam there, & you screw the die.

Edited by Edchris177 on Jun 04, 2013 - 06:07 PM.

I've bent a rod like that twice now. Yes I'm an idiot, however I think inevitably everyone forgets to rotate the darn thing at some time, usually when you are lowering rather than raising.

The first time I just bashed it back into place by hammering the ball with a hammer wrapped in a rag. The second time I was fed up and just sailed with it, and its still bent. As long as the mast can still rotate it should be fine just leaving it bent.

bill40421SE wrote: I had two extra front 16 racks but just scrapped out one. I did not want two sitting around. If you want one let me know.

My sailing buddy Lance keep a boat at Anna Marie and he travels down your way often. 😎

Bill KentEdited by bill40421SE on Jun 04, 2013 - 03:55 PM.

I will take it. thanks Angelo

Edited by optikid on Jun 04, 2013 - 07:48 PM.

Ed and Pete:
I read Ed's album on the repair before I posted here. Excellent.
Pete, I got a power right system from you a couple weeks ago and I've been watching your store here, thanks.
I found that it is 9/16 w/ 18 threads and picked up two galvanized nuts. I'm looking for pipe to fit over the nuts so the threads are protected. Interesting that it will take 4' of leverage to do the job. I'm thinking big channel locks padded on the rod below and a two hundred pounder holding it to keep from twisting the beam. I'm going to try to gently bend it back to close.
Thanks for everything guys. Maybe I can get onto the water this weekend after all.

We didn't hold the striker below or worry about the beam, and had nothing over the threads. Ball screwed right back on. The skipper was so stoked after his first sail, then dropped me off to head north. Got a call hour later he tried to go under a bridge, hit abuttment & split bow 3' crack. He was a bit depressed, but I talked him into fixing it himself. Couple days later, he called super stoked about the fix & now a very confident sailor! Pete

I got the image in!

New vs Old mast foot for a N5.7.
A bit more clearance probably would have gotten me by.
The boat came with a New one ready to install. Man, those Stainless pop rivets are tough.

The reason I suggested the nuts/deep socket, is that it gives you fine control over where the re-bend will occur.
It is not like folding a piece of paper, on 9/16" material, a short bend will occur over about 1/4", a long bend, say 90* will take over an inch. Hence if you leave the nuts 1/4" above the center of the present bend, that is pretty close to where it will re-bend.
Even if the socket drops somewhat further, the nuts will create the fulcrum.
IF you slip a pipe over, just be sure not to drop the pipe all the way down to the beam. The bottom edge of the pipe becomes the fulcrum, & you will bend it at that point.
Looking again at your photo, I see there are no threads on the top 1/4", so as Pete said, you won't have problems threading the ball back on.

This is after I banged on it with a wrench to straighten it up some.

And it probably proves Ed's point above.

I had no Ed, though, so I took a hacksaw and cut the top off, then removed the bar (and left a large screwdriver through the hole to keep the compression tube in place.) Then went to metal supermarkets and bought a stainless round stock (maybe 5' long or so...) and cut it into a few pieces, then paid a buddy at a machine shop to thread the rods with a die. He did it by hand, which didn't make he straightest threads in the world (they kind of spiral and give the illusion that the rod isn't straight, but it's really just the threading on the rod) but I took the best looking one and had a working dolphin striker/mast step in no time.

The (lack of) rounded top of the stock rod was an issue for the ball, though, and I don't remember what I did to get around it. I probably should have just dremeled it but I don't think I did.

We didn't hold the striker below or worry about the beam, and had nothing over the threads. Ball screwed right back on. The skipper was so stoked after his first sail, then dropped me off to head north. Got a call hour later he tried to go under a bridge, hit abuttment & split bow 3' crack. He was a bit depressed, but I talked him into fixing it himself. Couple days later, he called super stoked about the fix & now a very confident sailor! Pete

I love this. Nothing inspires (over?) confidence like breaking and fixing your boat.

Man, those Stainless pop rivets are tough.

Tough to remove or install? Right tool for the job and they're not that bad, although certainly quite a bit stronger than aluminum.

Quick question on this topic. I just purchased a Nacra 5.5sl. Only thing wrong with it was the dolphin striker being bent. I purchased a new one from Murrays. Their directions indicated putting silicon on the threads as well as on the support casting. Is the silicon necessary? Is there anything special needed to lock the nuts. Any help on this is appreciated. Btw not trying to hijack the thread. The question seemed relevant to the topic. If I should have started a new thread let me know. More dumb questions regarding my purchase will be on their way.

--
Gary
Stevenson Ranch, CA
Nacra 5.5sl
--

I imagine that they recommend the silicone b/c the rod and bolts are stainless, while everything else is aluminum. They'll corrode the aluminum in salt water or coastal regions if they're touching.

I don't think you need to bother with anything to lock the nuts, but that's just IMO, others may disagree.

Congrats on the 5.5. That's a fun boat.

As Yurdle said, it prevents galvanic corrosion between aluminum & SS. By silicon, I would use silicon grease, or any other thick grease if you don't have it. Coat the portion of the rod that sits inside the compression sleeve, inside the beam.
I have never worried about the support casting. The casting is aluminum, the rod just sits in a depression, there are no threads or fine tolerances to seize. Anything you put there will wash out pretty quick.
I had aircraft lock nuts,(nylock?) on 2 of the rods, the others were plain. I would not use Loctite etc. I have not ever seen them back off, they are not subject to much vibration. I have never used any grease or anti seize in that area as it is SS to SS.
Be sure to pretension the beam 3/8". Then turn the top nut down snug against the beam,I mean "snug", not gorilla force. Occaisionally give an upwards yank on the V brace strap, it shouldn't move more than 1/4". If it does, tension the beam a bit. don't forget the big washer top & bottom, or you'll crunch the beam

Edchris177/yurdle thank you for the response and the very complete explanation. Very much appreciated. Believe me there will be more questions to come and it is nice to know that there is a knowledgeable group willing to share their experience/knowledge. I am looking forward to getting the 5.5 out on the water.

--
Gary
Stevenson Ranch, CA
Nacra 5.5sl
--

Edchris177 wrote: The reason I suggested the nuts/deep socket, is that it gives you fine control over where the re-bend will occur.
It is not like folding a piece of paper, on 9/16" material, a short bend will occur over about 1/4", a long bend, say 90* will take over an inch. Hence if you leave the nuts 1/4" above the center of the present bend, that is pretty close to where it will re-bend.
Even if the socket drops somewhat further, the nuts will create the fulcrum.
IF you slip a pipe over, just be sure not to drop the pipe all the way down to the beam. The bottom edge of the pipe becomes the fulcrum, & you will bend it at that point.
Looking again at your photo, I see there are no threads on the top 1/4", so as Pete said, you won't have problems threading the ball back on.

Thanks Comrades. I used to bend my sons steel axels to adjust camber and caster on a soap box derby car. Ed's info was a good refresher. Here is the repair and my tools. I used two nuts for better control. I read Ed's album here: http://www.thebeachcats.com/pictures/?g2_itemId=73301 Excellent primer, nice work.

May not be perfect but I expect it to get me through the season.

Hoping I did not hijack the thread either.