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Topaz Upgrade

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Mark Aged 42 View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Quote Mark Aged 42 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: Topaz Upgrade
    Posted: 18 Jun 21 at 11:46am
So I made a school boy error. Just after a Covid lock down, I travelled and bought what was advertised as a Topaz Race X. It was raining, and I wanted to get back quickly. Also I did not do enough research.
Started rigging last weekend, and found its actually a bit of a Franken-Topaz.
It does have shrouds, a spinnaker and a fully battened main. It does not have jib cleats, a spinnaker halyard jammer or forward footstraps. It also has the cross beam which is for the Tres version, I believe.
I have now sourced most of the missing components. Quick thanks to Topper International, they have been very patient with me.
Questions:
1) To fix the footstraps to the forward bulkhead, I could go the easy route and use self tappers. In this solution, what size would be recommended. The harder option is to bolt through the forward bulkhead. There is some access via an inspection hatch. What lenght bolt works?
2) Jib cleats. Will ahve to use self tappers here - anyone reccommend a size?



Edited by Mark Aged 42 - 18 Jun 21 at 11:47am
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Rupert View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Quote Rupert Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 18 Jun 21 at 12:42pm
I thought all the fittings went into threaded inserts? I can't see self tappers holding in the plastic.
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Mark Aged 42 View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Quote Mark Aged 42 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 18 Jun 21 at 12:46pm
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JimC View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Quote JimC Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 18 Jun 21 at 1:21pm
Ah, so your hull doesn't have the right inserts then?
The key thing is that screws don't really work well in tension. The fitting needs to pull across the screw, not up.
Toe straps are so important I think you have no choice but to bolt them, and I would put some kind of big backing plate behind them to spread the load. In the old days everyone used plywood, but bearing in mind a plastic boat I'd consider using a piece of cheap HDPE kitchen chopping board. Put a nice large washer behind that. Bolts probably won't need to be very long.

Jib cleats... well, the right size screw is the largest that will fit through the hole in the fitting. I have pretty low confidence that screws into unreinforced basic rotomould structure will hold for very long, but you can give it a go. If that fails, hmm, I suppose I might try another piece of chopping board, glued and screwed to the surface. If the cleat is bolted to a bit of chopping board, and the chopping board glued and held down with half a dozen screws or so, then you may get lucky.
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423zero View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Quote 423zero Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 18 Jun 21 at 2:16pm
You using it solo?
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Post Options Post Options   Quote Grumpycat Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 18 Jun 21 at 11:14pm
Sorry to be negative, but stop messing with it and just sell it.
It’s one of the worse boats ever made . There are just so many better boats out there, it’s just not worth the effort . 
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iGRF View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Quote iGRF Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 19 Jun 21 at 6:57pm
Originally posted by Grumpycat

Sorry to be negative, but stop messing with it and just sell it.
It’s one of the worse boats ever made . There are just so many better boats out there, it’s just not worth the effort . 


Wot he said ^
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Mark Aged 42 View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Quote Mark Aged 42 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 21 Jun 21 at 7:33am
One more question - when I finally get the genniker parts installed (!), do I rig the boat with the side stays? Or is the mast still unstayed even when flying the kite?
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JimC View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Quote JimC Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 21 Jun 21 at 10:39am
I would want stays.
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Post Options Post Options   Quote iGRF Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 21 Jun 21 at 12:15pm
Just wondering, you've been here ten years now shouldn't you be Mark Aged 52 now?
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