Messing with the mast step

So I got around to making my step adjustable last night.  Started by trenching the opening as far back towards the bulkhead as i could.  I won't be able to come full vertical due to the Added block I've glued in (Not on Jim's plans, I just thought it was a good spot for more beef.)

Then I whipped up a second block that will be bolted down to bring the step back to the original proportions.  Now that I have a confirmed rake, I beveled the mast bearing face to 5 degrees to match.

I can use this same block with at the front of the opening for the more vertical mast position.  I'm not so concerned with the bearing face here as the heavy loading from the sail will almost always be towards the bulkhead.

Sorry about the inverted view, I thought I fixed that before I imported it.

So here's the results at the deck

New position @ 2 degrees.  Close enough to vertical that I don't think i'll have a castering problem with the Junk sail.

And the original 5 degree design position.

The opening in my deck is a little long, but that's ok.  Makes it easy to stab the mast, and having to drive a wedge really firms everything up nicely so there's no "mast rattle" in choppy water.  I could also glue a shim to the back of the mast permanently to take up most of this slop.

I can't think of anything else I need to do outside of drilling the bolt holes and a little sanding.  It's time to prime and paint the interior and underside of the fore and aft decks.  After those are nailed down, it will be time to finish out the cabin faces and top.