And so it begins
- Thread starter 25yearslater
- Start date
I would probably do the same thing if needed jibes. Run down and through then up the compression post with new wires. Your solution sounds interesting Bria. Access to the wires at the mast plug is a hand crusher with it hanging from a crane and the plug and stuff as the mast is lowered. RAD another one along on this journey from the start. Been great having you along as crew. I have to figure out how to get this to the rOnDAYvous. Might not happen this year but a real possibility in the next few. BUT WAIT, there's more to come. The mast reanodize and powder coat. I was waiting for a load going south but that hasn't materialized so next week I'll bite the bullet and ship it via regular truck freight. Ouch. The discount haulers turned out to be more expensive than the trucking companies and were ill equiped to do the job. Can't wait to see the results.
So here is where it stands. The mast, boom and spreaders are now at Charlston Spar under the watchful eye of Tommy Mercer. A great guy with extensive knowledge of sailing and metal finishing. Charleston Spar is part of Sparcraft Spars and they have the longest anodizing tanks in the world. This is a benefit to those of us with saily boats. The have capacity up to 70 feet. That is huge. Now the important stuff. This capability allows for refinishing the mast to new standards at a fraction of the price of painting. The shipping costs are hard to take but I feel well worth the price. I used freightcenter.com for a broker to get a price much lower than uship or citizenship. They only deal with licensed motor carriers so insurance or delivery are never questionable. They also had the best price at 525.00 one way. OUCH just the same. There are two options for shipment. Build your own box or they will provide a 'ready crate' for the return as they will not ship an unprotected spar. Mine would have cost over 300.00. The mast will be cleaned, anodized and powder coated, a process that is superior to paint, as it doesn't chip for less than the cost of a do it yourself paint job. As it stands the cost will be somewhere around 650.00 for a better than new mast that should outlast me. With the shipping the total cost will be about half the price of a new spar without the necessary hardware. I consider this a viable alternative to using short lived methods of mast restoration.
Joe, guess the only thing left for you to do now is to make a mold and layout a new hull.
Think that will about do it?
Merry Christmas to you and your's!
Think that will about do it?
Merry Christmas to you and your's!
Thanks Scott. Merry Christmas to you and yours. I thought if I won the megajillion lottery the Oday line of boats would be a viable plan for a second career. Maybe next time.Joe, guess the only thing left for you to do now is to make a mold and layout a new hull.
Think that will about do it?
Merry Christmas to you and your's!
So without further delay here is where the mast stands. My new bestest friend in the whole wide world Matt Dyer at Charleston Spar/Sparcraft Spars has sent me the pictures of the mast following cleaning of the old gold anodizing and reanodize. Notice the discoloration of dissimilar metals. These are the mast aluminum and the filler rod aluminum. Looks like crap, right? Not to worry. The next step will be the powdercoating which provides a super durable finish that will be uniform in color. So as of now
The mast had to be stripped of all other metals prior to the anodizing process. So stay tuned to this thread for the final results.
The mast had to be stripped of all other metals prior to the anodizing process. So stay tuned to this thread for the final results.
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Not so much the different metals, the filler rod was probably the same or a very close alloy to the base metal. The Mast is wrought. This means is it stretched and worked until the grains are all very elongated and uniform in direction. The welded area is just like a casting, the metal is melted and resolidified. Grains will be randomly oriented and the metal will have a different microstructure than the rest of the mast. Checking the alloy content it will be the same percent of various elements but will have completely different properties. The mast is likely solution heat treated and tempered, the weld may or may not have gone along for that ride. Anyway all this adds up to the anodize having a different appearance on the welds. If you look at an anodized aluminum casting it will look vastly different than an anodized wrought aluminum.
Huh! That's interesting to know how the differences in the structure affect the way that it responds to anodizing. I'm sure some folks would assume something is wrong but in fact it is cosmetic rather than structural. Thanks again for contributing.
If you look at an aluminum part that is a casting but with machined surfaces the machined surfaces will have a vastly different color and appearance than the as cast surfaces.
This is from a paper written about seam welded tubes related to anodize appearance:
"Be aware of anodizing's effect on welds. The weld on a tubular component has a different color than the unjoined areas of the component. The heat generated during the welding process can disturb the metallurgy on nearby metal, or heat-affected zone (HAZ), and cause a localized discoloration after anodizing. Use the proper 5356 alloy welding wire and the lowest heat possible"
Note they talk about the microstructure in the recast or heat effected zone from the weld as causing the appearance change.
This is from a paper written about seam welded tubes related to anodize appearance:
"Be aware of anodizing's effect on welds. The weld on a tubular component has a different color than the unjoined areas of the component. The heat generated during the welding process can disturb the metallurgy on nearby metal, or heat-affected zone (HAZ), and cause a localized discoloration after anodizing. Use the proper 5356 alloy welding wire and the lowest heat possible"
Note they talk about the microstructure in the recast or heat effected zone from the weld as causing the appearance change.
Check it out homes. Those fellows at Charlestone Spar really busted a move on the mast. This is powdercoating's finest hour. The anodizing arrests any corrosion unlike paint and the powdercoating is superior to paint in it's chip resistance and longevity since it is bonded to the aluminum anodizing. Bwaa Haa Haa. Dat sucker will outlast me.
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Thank you RubyJean. Good thing I married a saint who can deal with my obsessive nature. Now the next trick comes in a few months when I find out if it all works. The best part is I have had the priveledge of meeting so many great people here at SBO and the many tech experts that have contributed a wealth of knowledge that made this possible.
This is my project, It's about zero deg. at the moment. I'm currently in Klamath Falls, Or. this winter, elevation=4200' and snowing.
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It seems the gods of warm weather have favored me. Availing myself this good fortune I was able to paint the bottom. Pettit Vivid in white. Batteries, register it, move it, launch it and rig it. Then the bestest part. SAIL IT. :dance:
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Wow!! what a difference in temp. We are freezing our butts off in Wisconsin iceboating. It's my first year, what a blast. 40 to 60 mph sitting 12 inches off the ice. Makes snowmobiling feel like driving a truck.
Joe, sorry for being out of touch. Busy with work. I hope to be over your way soon.
Joe, sorry for being out of touch. Busy with work. I hope to be over your way soon.
You are always welcome here Todd. You are also killing me with the iceboating. I was looking at trying this many years ago. A little DN would be just about right for some wintertime thrills right about now.
Well now. With everything complete, the moment everyone has been waiting for, final cost as promised. I start by saying I hate to be right all the time but, but, wait for it, ddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddd 23,000 US Dollars. So what does this mean? With new sails and everything else contained herein YOT is a complete recycling job. 3 times the acquisition cost as projected in the beginning. In comparison a 5 year old Hunter 27 will set you back about 45,000 and a new one just over 60,000. Now insurance. Declared value is the buzz word here. It is of no use to go through this and have it totaled for a few thousand in damage. Check with your agent. Don't accept the value assigned by insurance companies. Very often they are grossly low as some have found out with minor damage resulting in the boat being totaled for minor damage. The value is highly negotiable. A new old boat that you plan on keeping has value in it's utility to you regardless of the market.
If it's anything like the math my wife does with home improvements that I do, sweat equity is valued at about $.005/hr