Broken Mast

[elrond11]

Hi All,

Last week while sailing the port side chain plate let go on my O'Day 22. The bottom of the mast ended up getting bent about 2 -3 inches up from the base. I am not sure what to do. My first inclination is to cut it past the bad section (about 4 - 5 inches from the base) and make new stays and shrouds to fit the new length. Does anyone see a problem with doing this? (I have attached some pics of the mast)

Also, the chain plate was a deck mounted one. I need to put a new one in. I plan on replacing the starboard one too. I am thinking I will replace them with another deck mounted set. Would it be better to use a regular chain plate that bolts to the side of the hull?

Thanks in advance for your help and advice,
Jim

 

[kdnichols]

Dude that sucks. About 6 weeks ago I had my Oday 23 mast forestay give way and the mast went over the stern. (While moored) Minor damage, though. Had to get a new forestay and sidestay.

It looks like you could cut it off and get new "custom" sidestays, etc. Beats the heck out of getting another mast...which could take a while to find a used one and the pain of getting it transported to you.

You know what somebody else is going to say on this forum....."You need to call Rudy at D&R Marine. He will tell you." His number: [FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]508 644-3001

Just don't email him. He won't answer.

I actually spoke to him a month ago and is very helpful.

Kevin
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[Joe11688]

Jim,
You may be able to have it cut the bad part out of your mast and have new piece welded to your mast. I wouldn't shorten the mast. As far as the chain plates go, there is supposed to be "L" brackets on the bulkhead in the cabin that connect to the chain plates. If these are broken, the deck will never hold the strain of the stays and it's sure to break. The only other alternative would be to use O'Day 25 chain plates which are flat 10 or 12" bars that are bolted to the bulkhead and protrude through the deck. The only problem with these is sealing out moisture. I installed O'Day 25 chain plate and had to have deck plates welded to them to keep out water. It's doable, but it involves careful planning.
Joe

 

[Elepant_man]

Jim
I have a similar problem with my mast on my O'day 20. My mast isnt as badly bent more of a dent at the tabernacle. I'm having a friend of mine who is a professional welder come and cut out the dented sides and weld in some heavy gauge aluminum and drill a new tabernacle pin hole. I will post some before and after pics after the work is done.

 

[Joe11688]

Jim
I have a similar problem with my mast on my O'day 20. My mast isnt as badly bent more of a dent at the tabernacle. I'm having a friend of mine who is a professional welder come and cut out the dented sides and weld in some heavy gauge aluminum and drill a new tabernacle pin hole. I will post some before and after pics after the work is done.

This is something that I would definitely look into. In fact, I had a guy do some Aluminum welding on my mast a couple of months ago. A good welder can do almost anything. It's a good idea to try and isolate any stainless steel from the Aluminum to prevent corrosion. Good luck with that!
Joe