So I have a fitting as below with some line spliced to it in a locker on my boat.
From the fitting on the end it clearly seems to be intended to be fitted to the mast through some vertically elongated aperture which is hopefully reinforced.
I'm a bit lazy and haven't gone up my mast as yet since the boat just had the standing rigging replaced in 2018 a couple of years before I bought it.
It is possible that there is an aperture hiding behind the spinnaker or jib halyards but perhaps it may be intended to go in the pole topping lift aperture although I would have thought that this would wreck the sheave.
I'm on the boat at the moment so I can only get a crappy picture from deck level of the fitting where the topping lift disappears into the mast but does anyone know of a dual purpose sheave/forestay anchorage fitting that might be up there?
I can't really see how there could be such a fitting so perhaps the fitting in the locker is really really old from before my boat had it's present non-original mast fitted in 2000.
Ideas??

Hi JM,
What's on the other end ?

It's a T-ball or tee-ball. Lots of dinghy masts use them. There would be an oval slot with a backing plate oriented verticaly. put the ball in and turn 90 degrees.
The thing is, for a removable forestay, you are not likely going up the mast to install it if conditions require it. Is there a slot on the deck with the other end perhaps going in through your topping lift sheave then tensioned by winch & jammer?

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shaggybaxter said..
Hi JM,
What's on the other end ?

Nothing. Bit weird. Meant to measure the length but a couple of other jobs went overtime so I forgot.

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DrogueOne said..
It's a T-ball or tee-ball. Lots of dinghy masts use them. There would be an oval slot with a backing plate oriented verticaly. put the ball in and turn 90 degrees.
The thing is, for a removable forestay, you are not likely going up the mast to install it if conditions require it. Is there a slot on the deck with the other end perhaps going in through your topping lift sheave then tensioned by winch & jammer?

Yes that would make more sense but there is no such fitting on deck. Think I'll just bring it home and assume it had something to do with the previous mast.

Length? A couple of metres? Or long enough to go up the rig somewhere?

I have the same fittings on my mast for my running backstays for the staysail the forstay fitting is welded
It looks like you have a allyachtspars mast like my boat
It might be worth looking up and seeing if there are fitting under the top set of spreaders where they might fit for running backstays

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tarquin1 said..
Length? A couple of metres? Or long enough to go up the rig somewhere?

Long enough to go up rig somewhere although probably not long enough to have a long tail to go round blocks to winches and jammers but I stupidly forgot to measure. Bad wear spot through cover at one point too so well used.

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kurt88 said..
I have the same fittings on my mast for my running backstays for the staysail the forstay fitting is welded
It looks like you have a allyachtspars mast like my boat
It might be worth looking up and seeing if there are fitting under the top set of spreaders where they might fit for running backstays

Thanks but weirdly there is only one and no elongated holes on the mast that look suitable. Inexplicably however I do have the strange holes shown in the attached photo complete with what look like very hard-wearing texta locating marks but they are round and don't look too have any reinforcing fitting. I just assume these mystery holes were a mistake for something that was never fitted.

That hole in the pic immediately above would be for a runner tang. Maybe if that hole isn't for a keyhole fitting then maybe the line was from a previous mast. It is possible though that the hole in the mast wall looks round but the fitting inside has the key portion...

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Jethrow said..
That hole in the pic immediately above would be for a runner tang. Maybe if that hole isn't for a keyhole fitting then maybe the line was from a previous mast. It is possible though that the hole in the mast wall looks round but the fitting inside has the key portion...

Thank you. That makes sense. I will of course check next time I go up the mast or have the mast down which hopefully won't be for a while. As I mostly single hand and the spreaders are very swept back I won't be wanting runners anytime soon.

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julesmoto said..
So I have a fitting as below with some line spliced to it in a locker on my boat.

I would not be using that thing for anything bar a fishing sinker. Even if the weld was professional rule number one with stainless is that you don't hang a load on a weld.

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cisco said..

I would not be using that thing for anything bar a fishing sinker. Even if the weld was professional rule number one with stainless is that you don't hang a load on a weld.

Thanks.

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julesmoto said..

Jethrow said..
That hole in the pic immediately above would be for a runner tang. Maybe if that hole isn't for a keyhole fitting then maybe the line was from a previous mast. It is possible though that the hole in the mast wall looks round but the fitting inside has the key portion...

Thank you. That makes sense. I will of course check next time I go up the mast or have the mast down which hopefully won't be for a while. As I mostly single hand and the spreaders are very swept back I won't be wanting runners anytime soon.

You want to revisit that about 10 seconds after have a double or triple reefed mainsail and you hit the first big wave.

I've also seen t ball fittings slotted into D shackles to make for speedy engagement/disengagement.

It could be someones home made jib halyard/downhaul, or something of the likes. The welding on it looks very after market

Check the boom. maybe a gybe preventer?

Thanks again guys for your ideas. I guess if I've had the boat nearly 18 months and haven't found a need for it can't be that important. I will however measure the attached line tomorrow when I am on the boat which may just help satisfy my curiosity.