Rhodes Kingfisher - Mast Conversion to a 2-Part Mast

While my little Kingfisher is easy to trailer, but dragging along the mast (all 19 feet of it) is a pain.  I used to own a Stuart JC9 Dinghy, and it came with a two-part mast.  Doing some research, I found that Dwyer Masts (www.dwyermasts.com) not only makes a mast in the same direction, but also makes and extrusion for the splice.  I ordered one, got the nerve to cut my mast in half, and installed it.  All told, the whole operation took about an hour.

Tools used:  hacksaw with a new metal-cutting blade, a rubber mallet, a small tape measure, and a sharpie.  Instead of using files to de-bur after cutting, I just used some sandpaper.

Mast laid out, supported on the ends, and clamped down on a wood miter box to guide the saw and hold everything steady during cutting.

The cut!  Measured (and remeasured to two 9.5' pieces).  If I had really thought about it, I would have cut it slightly differently to have two exact length halves including the sleeve in the lower half protruding 6.5".

The mast is filled with a 2" x 2" piece of foam so I trimmed that by at least 13" (6.5" each half) to give clearance internally to the sleeve.

The sleeve pressed into the lower half of the mast exactly 6.5".

Locating where to put the rivets to hold the sleeve in the lower half.

Installation of the rivets (3/16").  I used aluminum rivets.  They will not be under much stress.

The two halves reassembled.  I lubricated both mating surfaces with dry lubricant ("Sailcoat") and used a mallet to connect the two parts for the first time.  They came apart easily by hand.

Now, to try it under sail.  Keep in mind that the two halves will be held together by the standing rigging when the boat is rigged.

Rhodes Kingfisher - New Oar Locks

It's been a long winter but spring has come to New Hampshire in full force, and I'm chomping at the bit to take this little guy (and my Catalina 22) out for a sail.  One of my desires with my Kingfisher was to be able to row it as well, either as a tender, or if I'm out sailing and the wind dies.  I already have a nice set of 7.5' oars for my Dyer Dhow dinghy.  I put new leather protection on these over the winter.  On the Kingfisher, I bought some stock Perko Oarlocks (4 in total).  My friend Joe has a woodshop and he took a piece of 1" thick mahogany I had laying around and made me some blocks to raise the oarlocks above the lip on the gunwale.  I through-bolted them using 2" #10-24 stainless machine screws and nylock nuts.  I made a backing plate out of an old 1/2" kitchen cutting board.  

Maybe I'll get this out for a row and a sail this weekend at the Massabesic Yacht Club.  

Fair winds! 

Closeup of the forward port oarlock.  I should have clearance over the chainplate, even if the mast is up and the shrouds are installed.  The forward one will really only be used if I do not have the mast stepped though as it is stepped right where I would sit.  

Rear port oarlock.  This will be the one used most often.

Tippecanoe T27 RC Sailboat - Sail Numbers

I'm fortunate that two of my fellow Massabesic Yacht Club sailors purchased and built Tippecanoe T27s over the off-season.  So we have a fleet to race!

That being said, we need a way to distinguish our boats and what better way than by sail numbers.  

I printed out a catalog picture from a website that sells real sail numbers and using MS Paint, sized the picture so the numbers were about 2" high.

I cut these out using a sharp blade, and traced these onto the back of Contender Insignia sailcloth.  This is paper backed with adhesive.  These were then put onto the sail.

I like the way they turned out, and made a set for each of my friends too...  Dave with hull #888 and Wally with hull # 872.

I can't wait for our first race!