Solent Stay Installation aboard WHOOSH,
a Pearson 424 Ketch
March,
2003
(click on any picture for an enlarged view)
Why a Solent Stay?
Probably the best overview of this choice is provided at Brion
Toss' web site (www.briontoss.com)
in the Archives of of the Spartalk section (search using Solent
Stay, inner stay). Basically, it's intended to offer the offshore
boat an inner stay as the weather builds, when continuing to roller
reef a furling headsail becomes a less attractive option. Its advantage
is that it is mounted near the masthead and therefore uses the
offsetting tension of the backstay vs. requiring the installation
and use of running backs. It also offers a longer luff if the sail
is cut in that fashion. Whether additional tracks on the cabin
top are added (to sheet the solent jib) depends on how you design
the sail and the sheeting angles you want to have. In our case,
we had an unused Hood #2 hank-on jib that came with our boat and,
having that recut, found we could sheet it adequately by adding
a new set of genoa blocks at the forward end of the genoa track.
However, we are unable to drive the boat to weather using this
sail as it won't sheet in that far. Offsetting that is the logic
that we can start experimenting with what we have while keeping
the initial installation costs down, we doubt we'll be hard on
the wind in over 25 knots of wind, and there are some ways to reangle
the sheet leads inboard if that's what's needed (see Brion Toss'
book for a discussion of this).
 There are four fittings required to install this stay the way
I chose to do it; (see a picture of them together before installation)
Is this a preferred choice over a conventional staysail? I don't
have the experience to comment on that, but I do like its simplicity
and it gives us the offshore sail option we think we need.
Deck Fittings Installation
Fittings to be installed:
- Deck Plate to which release lever is attached
- Angled Backing Plate to mate with Deck Plate on underside of
deck and anchor locker bulkhead
- Flat Backing Plate in anchor locker to mate with Angled Backing
Plate
- 3/8"; stainless machine screws, carriage bolts and Nyloc fasteners
Materials Used:
- Polyester resin, MEK and Bi-Axial Cloth - to increase laminate
strength of anchor locker bulkhead
- 2-part Pearl Grey Epoxy Paint - to refinish anchor well after
bulkhead is glassed; same as used to repaint engine and V-drive
bilges
- WEST System Epoxy and 404 Hi-Density Filler - to bond Angled
Backing plate to underside of deck and eliminate tendency for
fittings to 'work' over time due to uneven mounting surface of
underside of deck
- 3M 5200 - to bed in Deck Plate and Flat Backing Plate in anchor
well.
- Tape and Wax Paper - to mask off Angled Backing Plate before
application of Epoxy Mix
Sequence of work:
- Make up patterns for all fittings and have them manufactured
at a good metal shop. (When taking your patterns, consider removing
a small piece of teak rim from the forepeake bulkhead at the
foot of the V-berth before patterning the deck-to-bulkhead angle.
This will permit better accuracy and the teak trim will be removed
in that area, anyway). For manufacturing the fittings, I used
JTR in St. Pete, FL at a cost of $325, with all fittings made
of 316 stainless and polished nicely. I was pleased with their
work and recommend them. I began with patterns provided to me
by Hal Sutphen of SEA DUTY but then adjusted the angles to fit
WHOOSH's bulkhead (these bulkhead angles are apparently somewhat
different from one another) and further modified them after examining
a 1982 424 Cutter's staysail deck fittings, all of this in consultation
with JTR. General specs for these fittings were: ¼"; stainless
plate, 3/8"; fasteners, 5/8"; pin diameters for 5/16"; 1x19 wire.
- I chose to begin by laying up multiple layers (I chose two)
of bi-axial cloth on the aft end of the anchor locker, which
also forms a portion of the forward bulkhead in the Forward Cabin.
I don't believe this was originally done by Pearson when they
built their cutters. Nevertheless, this build-up seemed prudent
despite the fact I was told by one 424 cutter owner that no signs
of stress had ever appeared, even after extensive Caribbean cruising.
I covered the full height of the locker's aft bulkhead plus an
inch or so of the locker's bottom pan, this 'L' shape increasing
the rigidity and strength of the additional laminate.
 You next need to determine where the deck fitting is placed,
fore & aft, to mate up with the Angled Backing Plate…and
also where the Angled Backing Plate is placed, port & starboard,
to mate up with the deck's centerline (which I found helpfully
molded into the deck pattern). As you can imagine, this is a
bit of a 'chicken & egg' challenge. (Use of a 'peekaboo'
hole or two for referencing is okay since they will be covered
by the deck plate). At this point, you will know with some accuracy which portion
of the teak trim on the forward bulkhead must be removed in order
for the bulkhead to receive the Angled Backing Plate flush with
its surface. Then the Backing Plate can be held in place, its
outline scribed with the Sharpie, and a utility knife used to
cut out the fabric which covers the underside of the deck. Remove
it and the foam backing. Finally, you will judge the accuracy
of that first drilled hole. It took me two more holes being drilled
before I got one exactly right, but no matter as misaligned holes
can be filled (epoxy & filler) and later redrilled. I used
a 5/16"; bit when initially drilling the holes and, once I got
two holes accurately drilled, opened them up to 3/8"; after which
I could over-drill the other holes. The two aligned plates made
good guides, allowing me to correct for the holes that were not
quite on target.- When the four deck holes are drilled correctly, the Angled
Backing Plate should fit flush against the forward bulkhead while
its holes also line up exactly with the deck plate. With the
fasteners in the deck fitting temporarily but firmly installed,
drill the holes for the carriage bolts in the forward bulkhead
and insure the Flat Backing Plate can be accepted by them in
the anchor well. Some hole alignment may be needed with the rat-tail
file. Perhaps it's worth noting at this point what is revealed
by these steps. The underside of the deck is probably somewhat
uneven (mine was considerably so), and the deck coring where
you've drilled may be plywood rather than the balsa used elsewhere
in the deck mold. The bulkhead is a formica-covered ply structure
on the cabin side, but backed with a few layers (not many) of
fiberglass on the anchor well side.
- What follows are a few 'prep' steps I took before moving further
with installation of the fittings. I used acetone to remove the
cement on the deck's underside which held the fabric & foam
in place, then sanded that area with 60 grit and finally applied
a thin coat of WEST epoxy (no filler) to insure later 100% bonding.
Using an artist's small paintbrush, I also coated all of the
plywood coring revealed by the drilled holes with WEST in hopes
of avoiding later water penetration if one of the fasteners somehow
began leaking. I also used acetone to fully clean the back side
of both backing plates, to remove milling residue and such. This
is especially important with the Angled Backing Plate since it
must receive the epoxy filler. Finally, and with the Angled Backing
Plate again in place for a final 'dry fit' check, I masked off
the area around that plate as I expected to use an abundant amount
of epoxy filler when mounting it and anticipated quite a mess.
 Using 5200 for the Deck Fitting and a WEST epoxy + WEST 404
'mush' on the 'top' of the Angled Deck Fitting, install the fittings.
As the machine screws are pulled down from below, monitor the
Angled Deck Fitting where it mates up against the forward bulkhead,
insuring that it remains flush. As the plate is pulled into place,
ram the carriage bolts home as well but consider leaving them
unfastened at this time; your priority is get a full fit of plate
to deck underside with the filler solidly filling on voids and
allowing an overnight cure.-
Finally, the next day apply 5200 around the carriage bolts
on the anchor well bulkhead side and pull that plate home.
Masthead Fitting Installation
I'll let the pic tell the story as it's pretty straightforward.
The main decisions to be made are:
 Designing the fitting and choosing it's location so the tang
will accept the halyard block, the T-Bolt and the toggle's pin,
things will not chafe on the spar, and its presence will not
intrude on the genoa when in use. I mounted ours as high as I
felt it could be sited in order to maximize the offsetting tension
of the backstay.- Do you insulate the fitting or not? I chose to use a thin inert
flexible (teflon, I think) sheet which I bedded to the fitting
the day before it was fitted to the mast. This maximizes the
cathodic protection.
- Do you bed the fitting or install it dry? If I hadn't been
helped by a good friend whose knowledge I deeply respect, I would
have fitted it dry. But a combination of the more certain, well
distributed attachment strength and better insulating qualities
were urged on me and, since I had a second pair of hands on deck
to do the smearing/gooping, I fitted it wet. Obviously, doing
a good 'dry fit' is important since, once you reach the 'goop'
stage, it's a bit tough to turn back.
- Do you tap for threaded fasteners or drill for Riv Nuts (rivets).
I have a big rivet gun and was planning to use ¼"; stainless
rivets, as the gun pulls those home fairly easily. (The metal
shop preferred this choice, as well). However, the gun got lame
just before installation and I opted for ¼"; machine screws.
Each of these was installed using Tef-Gel, which I've had great
success with re: avoiding corrosion of stainless fittings in
the aluminum spars. (Note: Beware of the similarly labeled Tek-Gel
with a 'K' now being marketed by West Marine, a rip off of the
Tef-Gel name and a far inferior product. WM should be ashamed
of themselves for doing this, especially since it's generally
atypical of them).
Final Steps
- There are a number of 'release lever' choices and some research
will give you many options. We ended up with an ABI lever because,
for its price, it seems nicely built, it offers relative ease
of release (some levers can be finicky to operate IMO) and is
stout. I would recommend the version with the 5/8"; pin and swage
for 5/16"; wire.
- Where do you stow the wire when you want the foredeck clear
for dinghy wrestling and/or easy tacking of the jib? Often with
removable staysail stays, the wire must be carried around some
structure on deck and tensioned aft of the mast. Another minor
advantage of the Solent Stay is that it can be moved to a simple
bow eye mounted between the forward lower and upper shroud, due
to the geometry of the stay (longer run and a more acute angle
at the masthead). I mounted the bow eye far enough forward of
the upper shroud chain plate to keep the wire out of mischief
with the spreaders. It does not intrude on passage up/down the
side deck.
- When pricing this out, don't forget the extra set of genoa
blocks, halyard block, halyard and sheets, and the fittings for
the sail plus the sail itself. Added to the materials referenced
above, this is not an inexpensive project. In the end, I estimated
I spent $800-$900 but started with a good sail for $0 that only
cost $75 to recut.
  How
does it work? Don't have a clue, as the boat's essentially been
decommissioned for the last too many months while many projects
were completed. But we're hoping to sail to Europe this Spring
via Bermuda and the Azores … and something tells me I'll
know more by the time we arrive. We'll let everyone know what
we think this coming Fall.
Jack Tyler
WHOOSH, being 'reassembled' in St. Pete,
FL
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