The Friggin' Riggin'!
When we stepped the mast the first time, it was evident that this old tabernacle was in rough shape. It had a crack that had been there for some time.

I figure its most likely original equipment, made of cast aluminmum.  It was severely pitted, and had aparently been cracked before and welded.  Someone must have thought that if they put enough screws into it (8), it would hold.

Metal fatigue has taken its toll and the crack opened up again. I contacted the manufacturer, and got a quote of close to $300 for a new one.
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This is the new and improved tabernacle from the good folks at Dwyer Masts in Connecticut.

It is made of Stainless Steel and it steps either
foreward or aft, and cost about 1/3 of the replacement from 'the other company'. I couldn't have been happier with the customer support team up there. I e-mailed my questions to them, and got replies in minutes. 

Unlike a lot of places I've dealt with, they completed my order and shipped it even before I paid for it.
A missing forestay was the next issue we had to deal with. There was no sign of it when we first got the boat. In fact, one of the stays from the spreaders had been jury-rigged to the pulpit in order to hold the mast upright.

I put up a post on the
C.D.S.O.A. bulletin board, hoping one of my fellow CD25ers could supply me with the dimensions for replacing it.  Did we ever luck out! Mike Johnson just happened to have replaced his forestay with rollerfurling (envy!) so he didn't need his old one anymore.  I made him a decent offer, and 4 days later, I've got what I need! (Pictures coming soon!)
Several of the turnbuckles were in need of replacement, as they were broken or otherwise mangled to the point of being inoperational.  I had the measurements for the end-to-end dimensions, and priced them online at around $25 apiece.  I would go for that if needed, but decided instead to investigate the possibility of picking up used ones.  So, I headed off to visit my good buddies at Sailorman in Ft. Lauderdale. 

We've been good customers of Dave, Skip and the rest of the gang down there for years, having restored several boats over the last decade. I brought the broken pieces with me, and was directed to go behind the counter to the cabinets where they keep their previously owned rigging. 
The drawers were not labelled, nor in any kind of order, but in 5 minutes I had found 2 turnbuckle barrels that were the exact size I needed.  I asked "How much" and was able to get the pair of them for $10, saving us another $40 for the beer fund! (Pictures to follow)
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