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Measuring your mast step.
It has been a year now with the new mast step rule, and the results are in.
We kept our step in the same place, and observed others move their mast steps. We found that one hole forward from the old position seemed ok, but made the boat foot, and it was difficult to point. Two or more holes forward from the old standard position never went well. One snipe sailor decided to go back one hole instead of forward, and he had good speed! So on our boat, we will still be leaving the mast step where it was under the old measurement.
We wanted a way to compare mast step positions from boat to boat and builder to builder without having to get on the jig. After a discussion with Georgio, it was decided that the back of the centerboard trunk was the most consistent place to measure from.
With that as a starting point, we went out to measure our mast step position from the back of the mast (bottom of mast extrusion, and top of the mast butt) to the back of the centerboard trunk. Because you cant measure straight from the back of the trunk to the back side of the mast), we took a piece of cardboard, and bent it 90 degrees. The cardboard was then inserted into the back of the centerboard trunk. We made a 6 measurement from the back, center part of the truck to the edge of the cardboard. Then we measured from the 6 mark on the cardboard to the to the back of the mast. The pictures show the numbers.
The boat in the picture is Persson #29957. The mast step on this boat was measured on 5 separate occasions using both the old method of measuring from the bow, and the newer method developed by Steve Stewart of measuring from the measurement jig with a swing arm, and a laser beam. After all of this measurement, the mast step on this boat is believed to be at the old rule or 1/8 forward of the old rule.
George Szabo
Quantum San Diego
gszabo@quantumsails.com
619-226-2422
We kept our step in the same place, and observed others move their mast steps. We found that one hole forward from the old position seemed ok, but made the boat foot, and it was difficult to point. Two or more holes forward from the old standard position never went well. One snipe sailor decided to go back one hole instead of forward, and he had good speed! So on our boat, we will still be leaving the mast step where it was under the old measurement.
We wanted a way to compare mast step positions from boat to boat and builder to builder without having to get on the jig. After a discussion with Georgio, it was decided that the back of the centerboard trunk was the most consistent place to measure from.
With that as a starting point, we went out to measure our mast step position from the back of the mast (bottom of mast extrusion, and top of the mast butt) to the back of the centerboard trunk. Because you cant measure straight from the back of the trunk to the back side of the mast), we took a piece of cardboard, and bent it 90 degrees. The cardboard was then inserted into the back of the centerboard trunk. We made a 6 measurement from the back, center part of the truck to the edge of the cardboard. Then we measured from the 6 mark on the cardboard to the to the back of the mast. The pictures show the numbers.
The boat in the picture is Persson #29957. The mast step on this boat was measured on 5 separate occasions using both the old method of measuring from the bow, and the newer method developed by Steve Stewart of measuring from the measurement jig with a swing arm, and a laser beam. After all of this measurement, the mast step on this boat is believed to be at the old rule or 1/8 forward of the old rule.
George Szabo
Quantum San Diego
gszabo@quantumsails.com
619-226-2422
