I bought myself a rocket an 1230 last year. It's taken me this long, with family commitments etc to get started in her.

On rigging her up I discovered that the mast rake is miles wrong with the top of the mast way to far forward. There is no adjustment left in the mast foot. Any ideas? 

There is also something very odd going on with the forestay and the spinnaker/ jib halyards. Essentially they appear to be back to front. The spinnaker halyard exiting the mast below the forestay. 

I know you are all going to think I am terminally thick for asking this but does the jib replace the forestay when it is up?

I really really don't know what to do, and am starting to doubt that this is even the correct mast for the boat. Short of buying another one I really am at a loss.

Any help you kind folkes could give me would be greatly appreciated.

Sounds like a very origional boat.

The vintage crowd will be along shortly

It is very original. It's still fitted with a drum kicker. It also has no spreaders which is very odd.

Not odd not to have spreaders.  The Proctor D section masts were used without spreaders for a time. I had one on 2310.

The spinnaker for this original rig was flown inside the forestay and was used on a run only.  1066 is sailed very successfully rigged in this way. Have a look at the photos in the vintage section of the website and you will see a pic of a boat so rigged.

More will follow on this subject no doubt.

Ah brilliant. At least I'm not going totally mad then. Ill have a look in the pictures. Hopefully it will give me a better grasp of what I'm dealing with.

Ah brilliant. At least I'm not going totally mad then. Ill have a look in the pictures. Hopefully it will give me a better grasp of what I'm dealing with.

Ah brilliant. At least I'm not going totally mad then. Ill have a look in the pictures. Hopefully it will give me a better grasp of what I'm dealing with.

Ah brilliant. At least I'm not going totally mad then. Ill have a look in the pictures. Hopefully it will give me a better grasp of what I'm dealing with.

Ah brilliant. At least I'm not going totally mad then. Ill have a look in the pictures. Hopefully it will give me a better grasp of what I'm dealing with.

Ah brilliant. At least I'm not going totally mad then. Ill have a look in the pictures. Hopefully it will give me a better grasp of what I'm dealing with.

Ah brilliant. At least I'm not going totally mad then. Ill have a look in the pictures. Hopefully it will give me a better grasp of what I'm dealing with.

You can say that again

Virtually all Merlins do not have a forestay, your mast will be hog-stepped, remember to put the mast gate across before you drop the jib!  Though your mast is original drum kicker and all, the chances of having all the correct bits of wire and rope to put the whole lot together are not great.  Sounds as though your jib and/or jib halyard are not the right length and you will need a wire strop shackled to the head of the jib.  OR and just as likely, the Highfield lever that the jib halyard comes to on the aft face of the mast is not bolted into the slot at the right place and needs to be moved a lot further down - assuming your boat still has shrouds on a pin rack and the jib on a tensioning lever?  See other forum posts & the library articles on getting your mast set up in approximately the right place.  It's not hard to fit a new spinny block above the hounds to use a modern spinny.