Hi Neil,
I had not previously seen the setup you have at the mast, so I am not able to comment.
I would suggest reaching out to Mike Quill if you have concerns about any of the rigging.
Regards,
Peter Grabow
Neil,
It looks like your boat was built in ‘84 and Peter’s in ‘87, so it might be a difference in what the factory was doing at those different times.
It does, however, seem different from my first Nonsuch, an ‘83 N26. I went back and looked at pictures of that one. It was similar to Peter’s arrangement.
Your mast appears to have a painted black band, which racers are supposed to have at the upper and lower points of the sail. There also appears to be a very nice chafe guard for the topping lift control blocks in addition to the cover. So, someone’s being paying attention to its set-up.
Unless there’s corrosion around the bolts, having the tack bolted shouldn’t be a huge issue. The forces on the tack are upwards, parallel to the mast, which is where bolts provide the strongest resistance.
I’d be a bit more concerned about bolts instead of a collar for the turning block attachments, and about the absence of bands holding the mast track. The forces in both those cases are more conducive to pull-out, especially if there’s any corrosion involved.
Consulting with Mike Quill is free if you’re an INA member and he has extensive records on many of the boats. So even if he doesn’t know your boat specifically, he’d know what was standard for boats built around your time. With free being a relatively affordable price, it certainly wouldn’t hurt to touch base with him.
– Bob