mast step for a folkboat

[schoonerdog]

i am wondering if anyone has a link to a site on the internet or personal knowledge into the keel step of a folkboat. mine was deck stepped and now I am keel stepping it and my plans don't actually have a diagram or measurements for the mast step...ideas...also any idea what yard in Horsens, Denmark was building folkboats in the 50s? thanks.
i do have insights into other related topics on the subject of folkboat restoration and other matters regarding the art and preservation of the wooden boat. thanks again
schoonerdog

[Stephen Smith]

Hi schoonerdog. All the Folkboats that I have seen have the mast deck stepped; some onto a pad supported on laminated beams and others having a tabernacle. In all the web searches that I have done I have yet to see a set of plans showing keel stepped. A Folkboat has not much beam and a keel stepped mast would cut down on the usable inboard space quite considerably. Just my views though.

[Noah]

Hopefully this image is working. It's the mast step from my (soon to be another forum members) 1958 Nordic Folkboat built in Sweden. I'm going to disagree with the previous poster and say that most folkboats were keel stepped. It's true some had deck stepped masts (probably more in England) but I believe all the original plans called for a keel stepped mast.

Good luck,

Noah

http://www.woodenboatrescue.org/image.php?Id=423

[ 02-28-2006, 09:22 AM: Message edited by: Noah ]

[Noah]

Here are the plans from the Rudder showing the keel stepped mast:

http://www.morebutter.com/folkboatimages/patience/folkboatplanlarge.jpg

[Popeye]

http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f234/popeye24/IM000467.jpg

[ahp]

The plans I have for the Folkboat which I obtained from the Skandinavisk Sejlerforbund, Kobenhavn, show the mast passing through the foredeck, just foreward of the trunk cabin, and stepped on a block of wood resting on the stem piece which is bolted thru the stem piece and keel where they overlap. The stem piece comes quite far aft.

[schoonerdog]

thanks for the replies. and the photos to boot. my boat was deck stepped with a tabernacle over two bulkheads. as a folkboat owner, i am not concerned about interior roominess but rather seaworthiness and strength and integrity. i appreciate the feedback. i knew it was as simple as a block of hardwood fastened to the ajacent floors and keel but now I know what it looks like and how to egin designing one up. my plans are from denmark and are written in scandinavian so sometimes the translation is hard. Thanks again.

[lagspiller]

Just put the difficult translations up on the forum here. There are plenty of scandinavians 'floating' around who can help...
(By chance, I'm on my way to Copenhagen tomorrow)

[Twister]

There are still many wooden Folkboats owned in the UK. You might get some help from the UK Folkboat Association

www.folkboats.com (http://www.folkboats.com)

[DerekW]

The Folkboat keel-step I've seen hands-on close up has a squared heel socketed into a short box with wedge blocks fore and aft to allow for correcting or altering mast rake. Not a bad idea, if you are starting from scratch, IMO.

cheers
Derek

[schoonerdog]

OK, all that info has been wonderful. Now my question is this.....my mast was 4" dia at the deck where it originally stepped. i am scarfing a spruce extension on. what is the diameter of the hole in the deck? how much room do i need? I am assuming I will be wedging it into correct position once it is in the mortise on the step. thanks for all the great information.

[schoonerdog]

I answered my own question i think today after some research on some other plans and i believe the hole in the deck should be 120 mm, maximum. am i correct...

[Uncle Duke]

Remember to create a limber hole at the bottom of the "slot", so that it does not permanently trap water...

[Popeye]

the limber hole can have a short piece of copper or bronze tube , easier to keep clean

place a penny under , copper is antimicrobial