Cal 25 Internal Halyards

Looking to find out how you did it. Drill and file? Cut off and re-weld? For those that don't know, there is a 1/8" thick plate at the top of the mast. The masthead is then welded onto that. How many of you have made the conversion? Thanks! -KC

Hi, KC. Almost no CAL 25s around Annapolis have internals since we banned their use for racing. At a minimum a boat that was previously modified cannot use the extra halyards that the internals afford in races. I’ve seen a number of internal set-ups on boats in the Detroit area and the West Coast. My second CAL 25 (sold last year) came from Detroit, and had internal halyards. I modified it back to external. I think you have to just plain hole saw the top and make sure you have decent drainage at the bottom (mouse holes at the base of the mast). I haven’t heard of any re-welds. Of course then there are the line exit ports that shaped holes. Personally, I am not a fan of lines running where I cannot see/not get to them. My 25 has external outhaul tension (at the mast to the deck) and external halyards. I suppose the internals cut windage some, allow more halyards, and cut the dock line chatter to some extent (but when the sails are down there are still external parts). Don’t forget that you have a compression pipe running through the middle of the mast t the spreader, and also any number of sheet metal screws sticking through that may act as snags depending on position. Take Care Charlie From: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com [mailto:Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com] Sent: Saturday, March 28, 2015 7:24 PM To: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com Subject: [Cal_Boats] Cal 25 Internal Halyards Looking to find out how you did it. Drill and file? Cut off and re-weld? For those that don't know, there is a 1/8" thick plate at the top of the mast. The masthead is then welded onto that. How many of you have made the conversion? Thanks! -KC