Re-building mast

[dLj]

If I need a new mast I'll build one, using the Birdmouth technique. I've built 20 of them so far

Load testing a 30 footer for a gaff rigged boat

View attachment 138323

Nice photo! What do you build them out of? Spruce? One of the Pines?
dj

 

[dLj]

DJ, I uses standard fid kit. Low cost and functional. I've seen and heard about the Brian Toss snare tool. A cleaver tool but more mone than I wanted to spend when I bought the fids. Also get a sailors palm, needles and twine to whip the ends. Plenty of YouTube videos to help instruct you in the skills of seamanship.

Know the issue "It a must do task". I began my mast and boom refit Jan 2016. And finally completed the ready to sail tuning First part of July 2017. Very happy now with the outcome.

Good luck to you.

Standard fid kit is all I need. Maybe not even a complete kit. I'm only using it on 5/16 double braid. I may possibly do something with my 3/8" sheets, but more likely just an end whipping... I never liked the sailors palm, always just used wood. I've got needles and lots of twine. I have a really nice fid for working in multi-strand rope, I used to love doing all sorts of rope work in that. But I've never done the double braid stuff that I'm putting on this mast. It is amazing what you find on YouTube...

I won't be a happy camper at all if this mast refit takes the time it took you. I would really like to be sailing this year... I'm also an eternal optimist...

dj

 

[Charlie Jones s/v Tehani]

What kind of glue do you use?

epoxy

 

[jssailem]

You'll do fine. I had more to do than you. The spreaders were originally made out of spruce. After 40 plus years of neglect by PO's they were rotten like a sponge. Wonder the mast was still up. Took nearly 4 months to get the new aluminum spreaders made. All is good now. I also added some additional rigging and shifted the radar down 4 feet so I could set up a cutter rig for future adventures. Just plan out your steps and then work the plan.

 

[dLj]

epoxy

So once you have them all glued up as shown in your small image attached, do you have a lathe to turn it round? Do you just do it with hand tools? What was in the center of that construct? Do you knock it out afterwards? Absolutely beautiful work!

Do you use West System Epoxy? I have always liked their epoxies...

dj

 

[dLj]

Just plan out your steps and then work the plan.

Now that is sage advice!

dj

 

[dLj]

I'm working on my mast this week. Most things look in pretty good shape but I definitely have to replace the wiring to the mast head light and the steaming light. I should probably just replace the coaxial cable to the mast head antenna. I was searching through the archives, but can't find a reference to where a good source of wire would be.

Anybody have suggestions where I can get good quality tinned wire to run up the mast?

dj

 

[jssailem]

DJ. You can find wire here on line at SBO shop. There are likely sites in your local area. Defender is a possibility.

 

[dLj]

I'm looking for a new fixture for my steamer light. I would also like to put in a deck light also. Here's the old one, it's really shot.

Does anyone have suggestions as to what a good replacement for this fixture might be?

dj

 

[justsomeguy]

Forespar makes a decent one.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/49111981...75035&wl11=online&wl12=49111981&wl13=&veh=sem

 

[Charlie Jones s/v Tehani]

So once you have them all glued up as shown in your small image attached, do you have a lathe to turn it round? Do you just do it with hand tools? What was in the center of that construct? Do you knock it out afterwards? Absolutely beautiful work!

Do you use West System Epoxy? I have always liked their epoxies...

dj

I no longer use much WEST too expensive for me. Used to use gallons when building my 35 foot tri. Now I usaully buy from B and B yacht designs. Good stuff and WAY less costly. Rounded done with power plane and a specially made sanding block. I split a length of PVC the diameter I need, glue a sheet of sand paper inside and add handles like a plane fr final smothing. All cuts on staves done on table saw Will post pics here

sanding tool then glue up, and others

So once you have them all glued up as shown in your small image attached, do you have a lathe to turn it round? Do you just do it with hand tools? What was in the center of that construct? Do you knock it out afterwards? Absolutely beautiful work!

Do you use West System Epoxy? I have always liked their epoxies...

dj

 

[Charlie Jones s/v Tehani]

and the tool for sanding

 

[Charlie Jones s/v Tehani]

The center of the construct was octagonal blocking in way of partners, and where the gaff jaws would set. plus the very top of the mast. This particular mast was about 30 feet. I've built some 20 spars using the birdsmouth technique. and will some time this summer advise and assist on masts for a 35 foot scow schooner being built in Port Aransas, Tex

 

[Charlie Jones s/v Tehani]

Another point- the mast does not HAVE to be round. If you lengthen the two opposing staves, it can be wider, front to rear If you widen four opposing staves you can build a square mast with rounded corners. I don't think the possibilities have been fully explored. I built a double paddle for a kayak, tapered each end, that weighed 32 ozs

 

[jssailem]

DJ. I bought an AquaSinal Series 25.

Easy to install. Switched out the bulbs for LED's. Note the deck light is open (no cover) so that water empties out and does not sit on exposed bulb.
Plenty of light on a dark night. I prefer it to spreader lights that can mess up the helm night vision. I also use a head lamp with red bulb and jacklines when moving about the boat.

 

[dLj]

I picked up the AquaSignal Series 25 - found it on Amazon for a decent price. Thanks.

I have another question. One of the guys in the boat yard suggested I clean the mast with aluminum cleaner, just to make the whole thing look a lot better. Gotta agree, it looks pretty dingy right now. But my question, should I apply some kind of epoxy coating, or a clear anodize coating? Something to help protect against corrosion? I'm thinking I may not really need it as I'll be on Lake Champlain for the next few years but I might head out to the Maritime Provinces sometime in that time frame, and that would be ocean salt water...

What do you all think? The mast is down now, I might as well get it right..

dj

 

[jssailem]

DJ. Aluminum forms a natural surface to protect itself. You can spray off the dirt, you can even temporarily use a scotch pad to buff it bright but it is going to form the discolored surface again.

Or you can paint it.

I smoothed the surface with a scratch pad and clean the dirt then let nature take its course.

 

[dLj]

I'll be up at the boat this weekend. I'll take a tiny sample of the mast and see what aluminum alloy it is made from. then I'll decide. I think you are right though, just clean the mast and then let it form it's own natural oxide layer. I will check what base alloy the mast is made from however, and that will allow me to know how corrosion resistant that base alloy is...Likely one of the highly corrosion resistant alloys, if so, it's clean and go... If not, well, then I'll have to decide...

dj

 

[dlochner]

Aluminium masts are typically anodized to prevent future corrosion.

See this description: Anodizing - Wikipedia

Polishing it will remove the anodizing which will promote corrosion.

 

[dLj]

Oh, I just realized, since I started this thread, I should give an update. I spent a week at the boat last week rebuilding the mast. The mast had been down quite some time, no one really knows how long, might be 10 years or so. There was a birds nest, or more likely about 10 years worth of birds nests, residing inside the mast about 20 feet in. What a pain in the butt to get out and then get the mast nice and clean again inside. It took me a good two days to get the mast completely clean. I had to make a hook on a 20 foot long piece of metal and yank out the majority of the birds construction in there (actually, one of the guys at the marina helped me out with that, really awesome folk that work there!). I then washed it out, probably spent close to 2 hours washing it just to get it clean inside.

The mast is a Schaefer Spar - it has a rather interesting internal structure. There is a plastic piece that runs the length of the mast, it has a T shaped side that runs up a groove along the inside of the mast. There could actually be two of these, one on each side of the center line along one side of the mast. I'm got some photos of it somewhere, not sure where, I'll look and see if I can post them. This conduit is more like a clamshell, it is not a closed tube. I first tried to just pull the new wires through it but running the second wire caused them all to fall out into the mast so I ended up having to remove everything. I upgraded all the wiring to decent 3 wire 14 AWG with an excellent insulation that is highly weather resistant. I put in a new mast head antenna wire, talked with a local ham group that maintains all the regional communication towers and they sold me the wire they through was best. The head guy there was an old sailor, really awesome individual! He actually came to my boat and installed the connectors once I had the wire in place. Doesn't get better than that....

I'd love to know if I could get replacement plastic inserts, sent an email to Schaefer, but they haven't responded. I might have to call them.

At this point, the mast is completely re-wired, three wire to both the mast head and the mid-mast steaming light and all the new halyards are in except one, but I have a tracer in for that one, plan on putting it in next year likely so with the tracer I can easily put it in with the mast up.

I'll install the steaming light with deck light this weekend. Hope to have the mast head fully rebuilt tomorrow night. If I do, then the mast will be completely done this weekend and ready to go up. Quite looking forward to that.

Thanks a ton for all the advice and input given here. It has really helped.

dj