Can a mast be repaired? If no, where can I buy a mast for my Hunter 23.5?

[FWBpilot]

Thank you (all) for the valuable input. Here is a better picture of the crack. I will spend this week finding a shop that can repair it, and also getting quotes for a new mast, and also looking for a used mast. I plan to put the boat in the water in April or May, so I have 2-3 months to repair or replace the mast. All advice, tips, and recommendations are highly appreciated!

Has anyone used a "Spreader rebuild kit:? A guy on the facebook "Hunter 23.5" page sent me a link to this part:

-Adrian

 

[jssailem]

Hunter 23.5 spreader bracket, wraparound

Hunter 23.5 spreader bracket, wraparound

shop.hunterowners.com

Your link did not work. Did you mean this one?

Or this one.

Hunter 23.5 spreaders

Hunter 23.5 spreaders

shop.hunterowners.com

 

[Rick Webb]

Rick and his crew will get you straightened out.

That is a whole lot of broke and not in a place that broke is good.

The good news is that Gainsville is a reasonable trip from where you are.
Assuming your trailer is in better shape than the mast.

Keep us up on how you get it resolved.

 

[FWBpilot]

Hunter 23.5 spreader bracket, wraparound

Hunter 23.5 spreader bracket, wraparound

shop.hunterowners.com

Your link did not work. Did you mean this one?

Or this one.

Hunter 23.5 spreaders

Hunter 23.5 spreaders

shop.hunterowners.com

Yes, that is the right link. Is this product still available? Would it be recommended for my mast?

 

[jssailem]

You would need to check the store. I believe there is one Wrap-around spreader unit in stock.
You would need to verify that it fits your mast.
It appears you will also need to inspect the mast to be sure it is not damaged.

 

[BigEasy]

I'm in North-west Florida so I don't know where is the nearest shop to me.

Rick Zern’s Shop is 30 minutes from your location. Take the boat to him for inspection of the mast & recommendations. He is one of the the best riggers on the Gulf Coast. Seems that the only manner in which that much damage occurred is that previous owner dropped the mast. If you had a prepurchase survey, the surveyor should have noted the damage.

 

[Project_Mayhem]

I'd look for a used mast. The spreader kit alone wont fix it. I'd be worried about if the integrity of your could ever be restored. This is coming from someone who had a similar, but much less severe repair done to their mast. In my case, the fabricator was able to cut out a circular area around the spreader and weld in two layers of aluminum to double the thickness. He stated that if the cracks were welded, then they would come back again. The cost was around $350 at the beginning of the pandemic

 

[Crazy Dave Condon]

Everyone is correct that there is alot of tension at the speader base and some have suggested welding. First there are no sleeves made for the inside or the outside of that mast which would fit

Second, no mention of the base of the spreader base is inside of the mast. No mention that you can see the main e halyard can be seen inside the mast indicating that part of the mast is missing.
when I look at the crack, it is pulled forward and upward to which the mast is definitely fatigued. As a former dealer, this mast is a disaster waiting to happen and needs to be replaced!
I was Hunter’s largest water ballast and saw other masts not as worse as this one that failed at the spreaders.

Z Spar and US Spars are one of the same.

This forum store can order your mast as they have the build list parts for the 23.5. Ask for Mike Thomas as he ordered all masts for Hunter Marine

 

[smokey73]

I think I said those things in Post #9 but many seemed to think welding would fix this. Pointing out in that post that you could see the internal halyard and metal was missing was a NO-GO for repair. No reputable welder would accept that job, at least none I am familiar with.