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

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FWBpilot

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Feb 22, 2025
10
Hunter 23.5 Navarre
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:

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-Adrian
 

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Rick Webb

Rick Webb

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Jun 2, 2004
3,507
Hunter 23.5 Fort Walton Yacht Club, Florida
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.
 
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jssailem

jssailem

SBO Weather and Forecasting Forum Jim & John
Oct 22, 2014
22,784
CAL 35 Cruiser #21 moored EVERETT WA
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

BigEasy

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Jun 21, 2004
2,780
Beneteau 343 Slidell, LA
FWBpilot said:
I'm in North-west Florida so I don't know where is the nearest shop to me.
Click to expand
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.
 
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Project_Mayhem

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Sep 24, 2018
3,281
Catalina 30 MKIII Chicago
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
 
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C

Crazy Dave Condon

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Jun 8, 2004
10,376
-na -NA Anywhere USA
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
 
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smokey73

smokey73

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Oct 26, 2010
2,106
Hunter 40.5 Beaufort, SC
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.
 
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F

FWBpilot

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Feb 22, 2025
10
Hunter 23.5 Navarre
3 welders in Pensacola Florida looked at the mast at Zern's rigging and say they can't fix the mast.
Does anybody know where I can get a used mast for the Hunter 23.5?
 
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Rick Webb

Rick Webb

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Jun 2, 2004
3,507
Hunter 23.5 Fort Walton Yacht Club, Florida
FWBpilot said:
3 welders in Pensacola Florida looked at the mast at Zern's rigging and say they can't fix the mast.
Does anybody know where I can get a used mast for the Hunter 23.5?
Click to expand
Thats going to be a lucky find.
If you do some research and find what other boats use the same mast that could improve your chances. You'd still have to swap your standing rigging over to the new one but if you are handy with a drill and a rivet gun it is not an onerous task. Even moving up to the next larger size for instance a Hunter 26 mast probably could be cut to the same length and made to work a little more involved but doable.

If you've been living right, I bet one will pop up.

I'll keep an eye and ear out and report back any candidates.
 
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Will Gilmore

Will Gilmore

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Oct 19, 2017
7,941
O'Day Mariner 19 Littleton, NH
Call these people and ask what they do with their salvaged sailboats.
Boat Salvage Services in Panama City, Florida - Call (850) 789-0047
I know Pensacola is a big Navy town, but Panama City has a very active commercial and private boating community. They and the surrounding coast, right down along Big Bend, are also victims of recent hurricanes. If you can't find information about used boat parts in that area, sailingtexas.com may be the next best bet.

-Will
 
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marcham

marcham

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Jun 17, 2022
210
Hunter 380 Comox BC
FWBpilot said:
3 welders in Pensacola Florida looked at the mast at Zern's rigging and say they can't fix the mast.
Does anybody know where I can get a used mast for the Hunter 23.5?
Click to expand
Welders or riggers?? I'd be shocked if a rigger couldn't fix or splice a crack in a mast.... Find another rigger? Worst case, your rigger should be able to order a blank and build a new mast.
 
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shemandr

shemandr

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Jan 1, 2006
7,471
Slickcraft 26 Sailfish
This is the real world. Why would a rigger, welder or anyone else assume the risk of repairing this mast. There is no upside for them. It would likely be done at below regular labor rates and for more hours of labor than reasonable. And then it could fail and they would have liability for injuries or loss of life. For what?!
The OP needs to find a new to him mast like numerous posters on this thread have said. Maybe it can be repaired or maybe it can't - I don't know. But it isn't likely anyone in their right mind would take the job. For the first time in close to twenty years on this site I am blocking this thread. Enough is enough.
 
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marcham

marcham

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Jun 17, 2022
210
Hunter 380 Comox BC
Many, many many masts have been spliced, repaired, welded, etc.... I just had 2 masts worked on for our club in the past year (one welded, the other had the bottom 6 foot grafted from a donor mast). A good, experienced rigger can splice-in a section to repair a damaged portion. That new section will be stronger than original.... your mileage may vary, that's been my experience over the last 30 years.
 
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F

FWBpilot

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Feb 22, 2025
10
Hunter 23.5 Navarre
Thanks for the tips and advice. It's sad that due to "Liability" reasons, welders don't want to repair the mast. Even if there is a 0.0001% chance the repair will fail and cause an injury, they don't want the liability of a lawsuit. Looks like I will have to buy a new mast. It seems like avoiding lawsuits is the deciding factor in SO many industries today. I blame greedy lawyers.
 
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Will Gilmore

Will Gilmore

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Oct 19, 2017
7,941
O'Day Mariner 19 Littleton, NH
FWBpilot said:
I blame greedy lawyers
Click to expand
Gready clients, and judges that allow customers to sue ladder companies because the customer couldn't figure out that soft sand and thoughtless angles made ladder use dangerous. Just look at all the safety stickers and limitation posted on a commercial ladder.

-Will
 
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C

Crazy Dave Condon

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Jun 8, 2004
10,376
-na -NA Anywhere USA
@FWBpilot

it isn’t liability at stake here, the mast is too far damaged. Even if you find a welder to repair it, the weld would fail. It’s a matter of when. If anyone is hurt, not only would the welder be sued but as owner and skipper of that boat, you would be included in a lawsuit if anyone. Before becoming a sailboat dealer, as an investigator for insurance company handling litigation as well.
As a sailboat dealer, the original design of the 23.5 came from me who sold nearly 25 percent of the production line and advised Hunter how to make repairs.

REPLACE THE MAST!
 
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