I have excerpted the steps on mast splicing from Sail magazine October 2019.
1 First you need two clean ends that butt correctly together and not less that 4 feet of interior extrusion for the splice.
2. The typical process is to remove the sail track sections of the repair extrusion. If the repair extrusion is an oval shape, you may be able to tighten the forward radius to allow it to slip inside. For a rectangular shape possibly split the splice longitudinally into two equal halves.
3. The better the fit - the better the repair. So trace out the extrusions and select the cut that will maximize internal contact.
4. Drill the mast with a pattern of holes avoiding any horizontal lines. Some splicers use a smaller drill and use screws to hold the splice in position and tightly against the mast interior. As the splice is in position, remove a screw if necessary and drill with the rivet size drill. Insert the rivet (largest you can handle)
5. Install the sleeve in one section first . Some add a thin layer of epoxy to perfect the surface to surface contact. Check the fit again. Radius the sail track at the splice location to avoid sail snags
6. Complete the splice in a similar manner.
All per Don Casey.
I would add that keeping the mast perfectly straight fore/aft and athwart is easy to overlook in the heat of the splicing detail battle.
1 First you need two clean ends that butt correctly together and not less that 4 feet of interior extrusion for the splice.
2. The typical process is to remove the sail track sections of the repair extrusion. If the repair extrusion is an oval shape, you may be able to tighten the forward radius to allow it to slip inside. For a rectangular shape possibly split the splice longitudinally into two equal halves.
3. The better the fit - the better the repair. So trace out the extrusions and select the cut that will maximize internal contact.
4. Drill the mast with a pattern of holes avoiding any horizontal lines. Some splicers use a smaller drill and use screws to hold the splice in position and tightly against the mast interior. As the splice is in position, remove a screw if necessary and drill with the rivet size drill. Insert the rivet (largest you can handle)
5. Install the sleeve in one section first . Some add a thin layer of epoxy to perfect the surface to surface contact. Check the fit again. Radius the sail track at the splice location to avoid sail snags
6. Complete the splice in a similar manner.
All per Don Casey.
I would add that keeping the mast perfectly straight fore/aft and athwart is easy to overlook in the heat of the splicing detail battle.