andyatos
Well-Known Member
So when I got my used 1988 Laser, I noticed that the connector sleeve and connector plug on the upper mast section looked like they had been exposed to nuclear fall out or something. You could practically chip off the plastic with your finger nails. Lots of time in the sun, maybe? This seemed to be the cause a lot of play in the upper and lower mast junction.
I ordered a replacement set from Intensity Sails and had a look at Steve Cockerill's footage on removing and reinstalling these two pieces in one of his, "swap the ends of the upper mast" videos. Seemed like a snap.
When I got the connector sleeve and plug from Intensity I did a quick test fit. But there was no way the connector sleeve would fit over the mast. Super, super tight. In Cockerill's video, once that connector sleeve's rivet was drilled out, it slid up and down the mast pretty easily. The plug didn't fit either.
Seeing as how the sleeve and plug from Intensity were dirt cheap, I figured it must have been a manufacturing defect or something. So I ordered another (more expensive) set from APS.
When those two arrived, the plug was snug but I could see that the fit would be just right. But the connector sleeve was very similar to the one from Intensity; a very tight fit... even when I removed imperfections on the plastic inner wall.
Just to see how it would go, I gently used a hammer and tapped around in a continuous circle to get it to the point where it is flush with the bottom of the upper mast. But I thought I'd stop and get some feedback on how to get it the rest of the way. See the attached photo.
One thing I thought of doing was...
1) Insert it as it is now in the top of the lower section of the mast
2) Make sure it is perfectly lined up
3) Buttress the bottom of the mast on something so it won't move
4) Start tapping the very top of the mast with a rubber mallet.
If the connector sleeve will still move, that should slowly move the sleeve up the mast to where I have the old position marked.
Anyway, got any suggestions? Has anyone experienced a similarly tight fit when replacing the connector sleeve? That thing is really tight.
Thanks,
- Andy
I ordered a replacement set from Intensity Sails and had a look at Steve Cockerill's footage on removing and reinstalling these two pieces in one of his, "swap the ends of the upper mast" videos. Seemed like a snap.
When I got the connector sleeve and plug from Intensity I did a quick test fit. But there was no way the connector sleeve would fit over the mast. Super, super tight. In Cockerill's video, once that connector sleeve's rivet was drilled out, it slid up and down the mast pretty easily. The plug didn't fit either.
Seeing as how the sleeve and plug from Intensity were dirt cheap, I figured it must have been a manufacturing defect or something. So I ordered another (more expensive) set from APS.
When those two arrived, the plug was snug but I could see that the fit would be just right. But the connector sleeve was very similar to the one from Intensity; a very tight fit... even when I removed imperfections on the plastic inner wall.
Just to see how it would go, I gently used a hammer and tapped around in a continuous circle to get it to the point where it is flush with the bottom of the upper mast. But I thought I'd stop and get some feedback on how to get it the rest of the way. See the attached photo.
One thing I thought of doing was...
1) Insert it as it is now in the top of the lower section of the mast
2) Make sure it is perfectly lined up
3) Buttress the bottom of the mast on something so it won't move
4) Start tapping the very top of the mast with a rubber mallet.
If the connector sleeve will still move, that should slowly move the sleeve up the mast to where I have the old position marked.
Anyway, got any suggestions? Has anyone experienced a similarly tight fit when replacing the connector sleeve? That thing is really tight.
Thanks,
- Andy