I don't see why not. If your helm has the hole for the crutch post, you could use a length of stainless, or even aluminium (use thicker wall, and/or higher strength alloy), and just make a wye piece for the top of it to hold the roller.2ndWind wrote:Ditto great job. I didn't get a mast crutch with my x can I make this out of stock material..
I made a crutch out of oak once, for an Aquarius 7.0 (an A23 with a transom mounted rudder - not very common model). It was heavy, but quite effective, and I spent the time to make it pretty with dowelled joints, smooth curves, stuff like that. If I were to do it over, I'd use tube and just make a wooden or plastic head for the roller.
I can weld carbon steel, but I don't have the equipment for Al or SS, unfortunately, so I'm always looking for ways to incorporate bolted connections. With a plastic or wooden head, you could simply through-bolt using a single bolt to a SS or Al tube. Tube is sized by the OD (unlike pipe), and a length of 1" stock would be readily available.
For non-ferrous tube, I like http://www.onlinemetals.com. You can get 304 and 316 SS (316 has much higher yield strength, and much better corrosion resistance - very important in a salt environment) tube from stock there, as well as aluminium tube. For the yoke on top, you could cut the profile out of 1/2" Starboard, and laminate together with SS through fasteners (recessed at both ends for a really clean look). Sand the profile smooth on a belt or disc sander once laminated, then through-drill for the 3/8" axle.
If making a roller from the same 1/2" Starboard, you don't really need to make it the full 3" wide, as the outer ones don't do anything but act as spacers since the existing SS OEM yoke takes a 3" wide roller. Just make it 2" wide, and shape the yoke into a wye to catch the mast in case you miss. Do watch out for the spreader sockets, though, as the wye would have to clear them if you want to be able to roll the mast without having to manually jump the spreader sockets past the crutch.
You should be able to make the whole thing out of a $30 piece of Starboard from WM (or other source, which has GOT to be cheaper
), plus a $100 or so SS tube, a 3/8" SS pin or bolt, and some small SS screws and nylon locknuts.