Mistral Garda base attachment question

Question
QUESTION: I picked up a good used Mistral Garda recently.  It has the 8mm female threaded U-joint which attaches to the mast base downhaul part on one end, with a plastic piece (almost like a washer with a tab sticking out) between the U-joint and the downhaul part, and a small pin/tab on the other which inserts into the metal piece in the board and locks with a half turn.  I think these were once very common on Mistrals.

My question is about tightening the U-joint down.  It seems that it should tighten fully but still the  should swivel either at the top or bottom of the U-joint; I'm guessing the top and that is what the plastic "washer" thing is for.  However, when I tighten it all down fully, the whole thing becomes locked and turns as a unit.  This means if you spin the mast, it can either loosen or over-tighten and strip.

I'm wondering how to tighten it down while still having it spin freely.  Any schematic or photo of a properly assembled unit would help.

Thanks


Mistral base   ANSWER: Hey Matt,

You seem to have the system figured out fairly well. The top section of the mast base (downhaul part) should be able to pivot around on the top of the u-joint. What you need to get is a nylock nut (nut with nylon on top to lock the nut into place) and a flat washer. Place the plastic washer part on the stud of the u-joint, add the downhaul part, then the flat washer and the nylock nut. Tighten the nut until most or all of the play is gone between the parts. Allow just enough space for the downhaul part to spin around on the u-joint. A very small amount of friction is okay as the water will provide some lube for the parts.

Here is the key to keeping the nut from tightening. Use a small amount of BLUE locktight on the threads of the stud before you install the parts and the nut. Place a thin coating on the top half of the threads as the nut will pick up and push down enough of the locktight to have a good coating on the threads of the stud and nut to secure the nut. Allow to set at least a day before sailing. This will secure the nut and prevent it from tightening or loosening. Be sure to use BLUE locktight and NOT Red. Blue allows removal of the nut, Red will make it almost permanent. You want to be able to remove the parts if anything gets broken.

I'm going to try to attach a pic. It doesn't show the washer between the downhaul part and the u-joint but it is good to have it in place.

Hope this helps.
Keep on sailing,
Windlover


P.S.  Hey Matt,

I read your comment on your feedback. Thanks for the kudos. If you do decide to convert to a more modern base/downhall/extesion, you will need to keep the bottom of your base from the u-joint down as the bottom twist pin is a Mistral specific design. But from the top of the u-joint up, you can replace it with a modern base unit and add an appropriate extension. Check out www.chinooksailing.com for new parts.

Keep on sailing,
Windlover

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Turns out it is a bit more complicated than that.  Bottom part I loctite to the U-joint, should be fine.  Top part is not held with a nut, but has a spring clip that goes sideways through the plastic and catches a groove in the top part of the piece that threads into the U-joint top.  When tightened right down, the groove is too low for the spring clip.  I smoothed everything down with emery cloth then applied loctite, then screwed the whole thing in and made sure it spins.  Hope it holds.

Thanks again.

Answer
Hey Matt,

I forgot that some of the older systems had the spring clip retainer vs. a nut. Sounds like you are doing all that you can to resolve your problem. I would have done the same to get the stud to stay in place. If that ever fails or you just want to upgrade, swapping out the stud to an all threaded type that would allow a modern base to be attached should be a fairly easy task.

Hope this helps.
Keep on sailing,
Windlover