Busted Mast
- Thread starter sbrogden
- Start date
I'm not sure why you could'nt add two inch pad under the pivot plat in the hull
I was thinking the same thing. I'll remove the pivot plate and see if I can determine how long a wooden base I can secure for the pivot plate to set on.
If I had to take a guess I would say a plastic block would be the fastest/easiest. With wood you'd have to seal it. Rectangular aluminum might work if you knew what kind of load the mast is exerted on the mast step (pivot plate)
I have some penetrating epoxy sealer left over. I will coat the wood with that, then sand it and varnish it. No cost for that.
i'm up here in the rust belt. i can get that fixed easily. metal fabricating shop owner buddy of mine can fix anything. anything. his name is reggie butts. thats right. can you imagine growing up with that name. tuff guy, and my friend. he's the best. me and my buds all go to reggie to fix our toys. he can make or fix anything. i don't know how he'd fix it, don't care. he's the master, learned from his father and uncles.
sleeve? weld? strap?
hunt down a good/great metal fabricating shop. most towns have one or more such shops. well , here in the rust belt anyway
plan B: make a new mast out of wood. now for that i would do it myself. couple of hours a night, be done in a week. i have plenty of sitka in my stash so a small mast like that is easy. i've been hoarding boat wood for 60 years.
back when my dad was a teen he built his first boat. for the mast, he cut a white cedar tree down from his woods and shaped it with his pull knife. boats long gone but the mast is still there.
sleeve? weld? strap?
hunt down a good/great metal fabricating shop. most towns have one or more such shops. well , here in the rust belt anyway
plan B: make a new mast out of wood. now for that i would do it myself. couple of hours a night, be done in a week. i have plenty of sitka in my stash so a small mast like that is easy. i've been hoarding boat wood for 60 years.
back when my dad was a teen he built his first boat. for the mast, he cut a white cedar tree down from his woods and shaped it with his pull knife. boats long gone but the mast is still there.
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You indicated the break was above the tang of the shrouds and where the forestay attaches to the mast? If this is the case then you don’t want to put a block under the step as it would leave the shrouds and the stays short of their attachment points.
If the goose beck is movable and the mast was only shortened by 2-3/8” you could lower the gooseneck and likely continue using the existing sail. Other options would be finding a matching mast section and attaching it to the top of the mast or having the sail recut to fit the shorter mast.
If the shroud/stays attachment points are above the repair then you would need a block to take up the slack. You would also still likely need to either move the gooseneck or have the sail recut.
(Assuming the sail P dimension was from the gooseneck to the top of the original mast)
If the goose beck is movable and the mast was only shortened by 2-3/8” you could lower the gooseneck and likely continue using the existing sail. Other options would be finding a matching mast section and attaching it to the top of the mast or having the sail recut to fit the shorter mast.
If the shroud/stays attachment points are above the repair then you would need a block to take up the slack. You would also still likely need to either move the gooseneck or have the sail recut.
(Assuming the sail P dimension was from the gooseneck to the top of the original mast)
The brackets that the stays attach to have enough movement available to put a block - maybe not the full 2-3/8 inches - under the mast. The gooseneck can be lowered some - I think if I raise the mast an 1-1/2 inches, it will work out.
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I've settled on putting in a 1-1/2 inch platform under the mast bracket. There is enough adjustment available in the attachments for the stays. Board is cut, being sealed, will then varnish. Pix when it's ready to install.
I've rec'd mixed counsel on that. I think the boom can be lowered 2-3/8 inches, to make the sail fit fine. But I've not had the boat rigged and am not sure.
To be honest, on my 25' boat I can't tell any difference when I raise the boom up or down four inches. I think the biggest difference you'll notice if your boom is a couple inches lower is that you have to duck a little lower. Before playing with the height of the mast I'd say take it for a sail, then add the block in, sail again and see what YOU like best. You bought this boat for enjoyment. I assume you are not racing it
If the tape is in the track I would remove it. It's likely to come off as the sail goes up and down and the sun will make the adhesive very gooey after a while. The track edges also need to be filed and lined up with one another. If they aren't your sail will get caught and/or damaged as it slides
I filed down the edges before putting tape on it. It's all weather tape. The track edges are aligned.
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