Can anyone tell me if

[Mark]

the plate(s) mounted onto the foot of a Z-Spar mast is one solid piece or two separate pieces bolted together? On my Hunter 19, one piece is inserted into and riveted to the mast bottom and the piece that sets into the mast base (on the cabin top) is bolted to that riveted piece. Furthermore, it appears these two pieces were partially welded (front and back) and major cracks are now visible in the welds. I can't tell if this is a manufacturing defect or a previous owner's attempt at correcting some perceived problem. Despite all this, everything seems structurally sound. Should I be concerned? Am I missing something? Thanks!

 

[Chip Tobey]

On my H23 ...

the mast foot is one solid piece, but an excellent source for definitive info is on the US Spar's (the US distributor for Z-Spar) web site. They actually have schematics of the masts, booms and other component parts. Their URL is http://www.usspars.com. I dealt with them last fall when I mangled my mast foot and they were most helpful. Rigrite is another good resource. They feature photos of most Z-Spar fittings. Their URL is www.rigrite.comIf you're noticing cracks, I would look into it.

 

[Greg S2]

It's 2

You have a mast foot casting which sleeves into the base of the mast and a second casting thru-bolted to the deck. There is a tab on the deck casting that fits into a slot in the bottom of the mast foot. The castings are joined on the stern side by a pin thru a hinge assembly. Remove the pin to seperate.GregEx H23