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UrbanFisher



Joined: 01 Nov 2012
Posts: 24

PostPosted: Tue Nov 06, 2012 10:33 pm    Post subject: Beginners Question Reply with quote

Hey All,

Sorry, more total newbie questions. I was just wondering...will this mast base work on this mast track on the board?



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mark



Joined: 10 Apr 2000
Posts: 181

PostPosted: Tue Nov 06, 2012 11:41 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Considering that you bought the whole board and rig as a package I would assume that is the right part. Insert it into the hole with the long side of the orange part perpendicular to the track. After it is fully inserted rotate the orange part 90 degrees so it lines up with the track. That should lock it in place.

I think the small silver wire may also slide to act as a secondary lock. Sorry I don't remember exactly since it has been almost 20 years since I have seen that part.

Looking at the part again you may have to slide the silver wire toward the hole before you rotate the orange plate.
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U2U2U2



Joined: 06 Jul 2001
Posts: 5467
Location: Shipsterns Bluff, Tasmania. Colorado

PostPosted: Wed Nov 07, 2012 9:22 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

pretty certain it will. the button on the opposite side of the silver lever should side the whole gismo fore/aft
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UrbanFisher



Joined: 01 Nov 2012
Posts: 24

PostPosted: Wed Nov 07, 2012 10:27 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks, guys!

I gotta admit, I am just confused if this is the wrong connection to that mast track OR, that it's just I don't know what the heck I'm doing! The guy that sold it to me said he never actually sailed it. He showed me briefly how to put it together but at times looked uncertain himself. A big concern I have is that the UJ has a Mistral symbol on it and it's an F2 board (have no idea if they are universal). He showed me to shove the metal pin into the hole on the mast track and pull that little silver lever. It seemed reasonable, but when I got home and started assembling it, I notice the UJ just pops out of the hole in the track. As in other than the little metal pin protruding from the UJ actually being in the hole, there is nothing holding it in there! I tried every way I could think of, with the same result. None of the parts look worn or broken and they seem to fit. I guess it's that collar on that level you slide to lock it isn't gripping the pin. But looking at it...I don't see how its built to really even hold it that way anyway.

Other than that, everything else is in great shape. He said the sail rig was much newer than the board and it looks it. It's a 5.4 if I remember right with bag. It has a 2 piece mast, which is probably kinda heavy to today's standards, but feels light to me. A nice clamp on style boon, mast extension/base, up-haul line and all the other little parts. So even if the UJ is wrong and I can't find a replacement, I am super happy to have a nice complete sail rig. Now I can concentrate on finding a new board!

Also to add...I am a big DIY'er. I mentioned before I use kayaks for fishing. Well fact is I build my own kayaks that I fish with. Nothing fancy, just practical little fishing boats built from plans I get from hobby boat designers. So the point is if the UJ is not the right one and I can't find a suitable replacement...I'm open to jerry rigging it. I don't care much about the board so as long as I don't screw up the sail rig in anyway, I'm open to "making" it work. But before I do, I just wanted to make sure maybe I was doing it wrong and I didn't want to destroy a perfectly good mast track because I didn't know what I was doing!
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U2U2U2



Joined: 06 Jul 2001
Posts: 5467
Location: Shipsterns Bluff, Tasmania. Colorado

PostPosted: Wed Nov 07, 2012 11:41 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Been awhile since I had one of these, Moby Dick were a minnow

it should insert in the hole with the silver lever positioned like in the photo, then slide the lever towards the hole and it should grasp//slide into the slot on the pin

if its not secure after this, you may be correct in your suspicion that its not COMPATIBLE, NOW looking closer the orange base twist thing with 83, doesn't look like it fits this board.

if that's the case it would only require the correct bit, and someone will come along to confirm

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isobars



Joined: 12 Dec 1999
Posts: 20935

PostPosted: Wed Nov 07, 2012 12:38 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

UrbanFisher wrote:
I am a big DIY'er.

Good. Then you can fabricate something like this (I use aluminum, and insist on the two-bolt version for strength)

to adapt modern single- or double-bolted Chinook bases to your deck box, like this

or this


The Mistral (Equipe?) mast foot you have was never very robust in the first place, and probably won't fit that F2. Welcome to the pitfalls of buying old gear. Fortunately, we MacGyvers can prevail, within reason.
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swchandler



Joined: 08 Nov 1993
Posts: 10588

PostPosted: Wed Nov 07, 2012 2:09 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

My first complete kit was a 1985 F2 Strato, and from what I recollect, the Comet that you picked up is probably a 1986 or 1987 model. Seems to me that the universal isn't correct for an F2, and if it has the Mistral symbol or brand on it that further supports that. However, I should say that the attachment mechanism in the masttrack was different than mine was. F2 could have modified the design of the mast track cassette assembly from the style I had, but it's also possible that some modification could have been done at a later date.

The key to everything is the design shape of the pin. Unfortunately the European brands at the time didn't adhere to standard designs like the industry almost universally does now. Finding the correct F2 pin could prove to be difficult, but there are some internet/warehouse retailers today that carry old part inventories. It would be worth checking around to see what's available.

The other way to go is to do what isobars suggests by buying the threaded metal plate allowing you to screw the universal assembly to it. By screwing the plate and universal together, it grabs and fastens to the sides of the aluminum rails of the mast track. It's cheap and effective, and it allows you to go with a modern Chinook universal. However, you should check out the mast extension you got with the kit and see how it attaches with the universal. It should be a 2-pin type design that allows you to insert the universal in and the two pins pop out of the mast extension holding the universal in place. In a worse case scenario, if the fit isn't right, you can buy a new or used Chinook mast extension along with the Chinook universal. As a viable alternative, you can always go with the Streamlined brand universals or mast extensions, as they will be interchangeable with the Chinook brand.

By going with the Chinook universal, you will lose the ability to move the mast track on-the-fly while sailing. In my view, it's not really a problem since most of us attach the mastbase/universal where we want it and it remains fixed while sailing. Ultimately, you can always position it in the place you like the best. I would start somewhere in the middle of the track, and then experiment to find the sweet spot that works the best for you.

You can buy the threaded metal plate(s) that isobars has pictured above here.

http://www.chinooksailing.com/products/index.php?cPath=6_58
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UrbanFisher



Joined: 01 Nov 2012
Posts: 24

PostPosted: Wed Nov 07, 2012 3:21 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks again guys. I really do appreciate everyone's help.

When I first started assembling it and realized I couldn't get the U joint to attach properly to the board, all my excitement went down the tubes!! I was so disappointed, but hey as the old saying goes..."You get what you paid for!"...LOL Smile

I talked to the seller and he insist that it should lock fine. He said he was able to do it and was able to pick the board up by the U joint (if I try it just comes right off the board). So maybe there is hope and that I am just doing it wrong. His neighbor sold it to him. He told me to try again and if no luck, he will get with the original seller (his neighbor) to see if he can help.

But I REALLY do appreciate the help on how to retro fit it to a more modern U joint. I figured there had to be a way. I was thinking cut up washers (dremel tool), a nut and a bolt would do the trick. But the ideas you guys presented makes more sense. That way I can use a newer (replaceable) U joint on that old board.

But I'm still wondering how that little silver wire type locking mechanism on the mast track has enough grip to grasp that little collar on the U joint pin. It slides into the collar on the pin, but when I pull on it it doesn't hold. It doesn't look worn or broken and for the life of me, I don't see (even if it is correct) it holding very strong.

I only wish they had a local shop here in San Antonio. I did all kinds of searches and the only ones I found are in Corpus and Dallas (one 2 1/2 hours away and the other 4 hours away). I feel like I am totally on my own trying to figure this stuff out, but with all of you all's help...it has kept this dream alive for me!!! Smile
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NickB



Joined: 30 Jun 2009
Posts: 510
Location: Alameda, CA

PostPosted: Wed Nov 07, 2012 3:51 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

put that orange part perpendicular to the mast track and push down hard so it's flush, and the stainless steel paperclip thingie should slide into the groove of the pin? that should hold it down, at least that's the concept Smile
Basically it's not a "grip/grasp" factor as you seem to think, it's a "lock in the groove and provide up/down resistance" factor.
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joethewindsufa



Joined: 10 Oct 2010
Posts: 1190
Location: Montréal

PostPosted: Wed Nov 07, 2012 6:04 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

i sold my F2 comet this year
still had a pic of the pin on my blog
it looked like this and WAS available from the-house - at the time

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