I am looking for information regarding rotating mast limiters.

A few years ago I bought a Tremolino with a Supercat mast. This was my first and only multi. The owner had taken off the rotating mast limiter (I never even saw what it looked like.) and told me it wasn't needed.

I sailed the boat for three years without the limiter. Last year, I sailed pretty hard and I noticed a number of frayed wires at the top of the forestay and one of the shrouds. I suspect this has something to do with the lack of a limiter. On a Tremolino the connection at the hounds is subject to a lot of movement.

Also, I live in rural, coastal Nova Scotia and there are not any multis around here or even close to here that I can look at for the limiter setup. I am also not racing but just looking for a limiter that will be functional.

So here are some questions:

1. Any companies selling commercial limiter products that would fit my Supercat mast?
2. Any easy, uncomplicated way to set up a simple limiter?
3. With the mast in the normal position, to what degree of rotation must the mast be limited?
4. Any pictures of limiters on the Internet?

Peter, East Port Medway, Nova Scotia

Peter,

Check out This site's on-line store or www.murrays.com to see if they have mast rotator arms. The standard ones for most Hobie, Nacra & Prindles should work, even if you have to bend the arms a little wider for your mast section.

The rotator arm looks a little likea wishbone from a turkey...two arms joined at one end, making a "V" shape. The free ends are bolted/riveted either side of the mast, usually just above or below the boom. A line is tied around the join point of the arms and passed along the boom through a fairlead and then a cleat. The arm is then pointed usually towars the leeward shroud and the line is cleated to limit any further rotation. You can decrease the rotation to flatten the sail on a pre-bent mast (increase it for a soft-rig mast) when going to weather or when you're overpowered in high winds. Downwind you increase rotation to 90 deg. or more so as to maximize sail draft.


PS if you have trouble finding an arm, let me know...I might just have an old one laying around I can send you.

Mike:

Thanks for that explanation of how a limiter works. I searched quite a bit but could not find any explanation on the Internet.

Peter

There is a rotation limit arm on ebay cheap.