Are keel-stepped masts a thing of the past?

[Scott T-Bird]

Yesterday I had a chat with a new member at our marina who recently purchased an Allied Princess ketch. The boat is 45 years old and I was greatly impressed by its condition. It has certainly been cared for over the years. Sitting in the cockpit, I marveled at the condition of the cockpit and masts. There wasn't a scratch or any surface blemish anywhere to be found and all the surfaces were gleaming as if it just came out of the showroom! Brightwork was similarly in polished condition. The owner briefly told me that he was concerned and questioned the surveyor about the deck-stepped masts and was assured that there is no compromise.

It got me to thinking about modern yacht design and if keel-stepped masts are even designed for modern boats. It seems to me that deck-stepped is the norm, even for the upper-echelon of modern blue water designs. True or not?

 

[jssailem]

Not true.
Keel-stepped masts are easier to design (in my opinion). The deck structure can be a lot lighter without the need to engineer the supports to manage the downward pressure of the mast on the deck and upper sides of the hull.

 

[kloudie1]

As an Injun-ear, there are prs and cons. Both work well when properly executed.The primary load is downward from the stay/shroud tension. A compression post is generally lighter and less expensive than the extra mast extrusion.. I dunno

 

[shemandr]

All of my keelboats were deck stepped. A 1984 25', A 1972 29', and a 2002 35'. That spans 30 years of production boat building. That says something but I don't know what. Maybe just it's cheaper to build deck stepped masts. Or that 3 well known designers were designing for coastal cruising and never intended for their boats to go offshore. Or they were sensitive to water leaking in around the mast partners.
Only the 25' had deck compression and it didn't have a compression post.