I put the sides on the Vacationer yesterday and the boat looks great, however, the mastbox is not alligned with the bits or stem piece. It is off center 2 1/2 inches, closer to the port side.
I noticed that when I was fitting the box something seemed off and I had a choice to get it perfectly centered on the floor or the deck, so I chose the floor where it is perfect. Now I wish I had chosen to center it on the deck instead. How serious is this? Will the boat sail alright?
Will it list to one side? Should I try to fix this (difficult ) Any suggestions?
I'll try to get a photo but the few photo's I tried to send other times wouldn't go. I only have dialup - all that's available in my area.
Once again, the mastbox lines up perfectly on the center floor line and is equal distance at the bottom to the edges. It is at the deck where everything is out of whack.
I don't know why, perhaps the keel warped?
The bottom line is what should I do? Just leave it or is this a serious concern. Thanks.
paul will be better to answer this then i, but it sounds like when the deck and sides were attached, you were off at the point of attachment to the deck? as a result is there a twist to your hull?
best of luck and i hope it works out, you can always correct any balance issues with beer filled coolersÂÂ
If the mast box and ultimately the mast itself is canted to one side, then you'll have one tack that is favored over the opposite. In other words, if the mast leans to starboard at the top, when on a port tack, it'll sail better then if the mast was straight up and down, but it'll sail worse on a starboard tack. I have a boat with a canting mizzen. I can intentional cant the mizzen to windward when close hauled and to leeward when off the wind. This gives me more drive, but it's also something I designed into the boat and is adjustable.
2.5" out at the base means it'll be way out at the top of the stick (probably a foot or so off the centerline), so you might want to fix this. It'll look a bit goofy, if the mast isn't straight up and down anyway. Don't get me wrong, you're not going to drown because the mast is canted, but you really do want it pretty straight.
The simple thing to do is cut the box out and start over. Insure the boat is level athwartship and us a plumb bob from the deck, so you can get the stick on the centerline and straight up and down. The bulkhead governs the rake, so just concentrate on getting it right, up and down. Stand back from the boat and eyeball it with the stem. Also holding a level at arms length and checking the mast against it. If you can eyeball it so it's close, it'll be good enough.
Thanks for the help Paul. Now I don't think the mast is canted, it seems straight up and down. It's just off centre on the top deck. It seems that it will go straight up and not lean to one side or the other unless I'm wrong about this. The box on the floor is a perfectly centered.
It's just at the deck that it doesn't line up at the center but as I said it seems plumb and that the mast will be straight up without a lean - unless I'm wrong. Please give me some further advice on this. Thanks and I much appreciate your feedback
I just remeasured my error. It is not 2 1/2 inches. I am only off center on the deck 1 1/4 inch.
and at the base (floor) I am centered dead on. I also put an 8 foot 2X4 into the mast box and it looks plumb. Any reassuring feedback on this? Thanks
Use a level. If the bottom of the boat is level, you should be able to check plumb (vertically level), by placing the level on the mast box. So, if the hull bottom is level (athwartship) and the mast box is plumb (vertically level), then you're fine and the hell with the spot it comes through the deck. Only you'll know it's off, so don't sweat it, there'll be other problems you can worry about later.
This said, it would seam you have the boat sides a bit cockeyed. If you check the angle from the bottom planks to the side planks, on each side you'll find they're not the same, which is skewing the deck to one side. Or the hull has some twist in her, forcing the side planks off a bit. Tracking down the actual problem, may be more trouble than it's worth, so you decide how much investigating you want to do.
Thanks again. I'll check with a level first thing in the morning and report back.
I did have alot of difficulty fitting the deck and noticed that the starboard side is about an inch more than the port side.
Check the angle of the side planks to the bottom planks on both sides at the mast box, too.