How do I choose a mast for my 1968 Sailstar Conquest/Bristol Corinthian 19? Is length the only factor? There's a few used masts out there, and my fixer-upper came without mast, step, and rigging. Some of the used masts I've found aren't excessively priced, but I don't know how to choose the correct one, if this exists. Also, there are a lot of used sails out there, but again I don't know how to choose. Help a novice out...? You guys were great with identifying the boat. I've looked for online resources to determine the length of the mast, but no go yet. Thanks Jack
- Status
Nope...
She's stripped bare in regards to rigging. The boat was basically given to us in rough shape for a fixer-upper, and it appears the PO rigged up some kind of short wooden mast that doesn't look so hot. My job now is to find a mast, boom and the rigging. I've seen some used masts around here in Maine and New England for sale, but I'm not so sure how to choose what I need.
She's stripped bare in regards to rigging. The boat was basically given to us in rough shape for a fixer-upper, and it appears the PO rigged up some kind of short wooden mast that doesn't look so hot. My job now is to find a mast, boom and the rigging. I've seen some used masts around here in Maine and New England for sale, but I'm not so sure how to choose what I need.
You could go 1 of 2 ways
1) take your time and find every original part over internet, or 2) adapt a complete rig off a similar sized but more plentiful boat. You might be able to find a crunched project boat that would give up its mast, boom, rigging and sails for a fair price. For instance an O'Day Mariner or 222 have about the exact sail area as your boat. Either way, it will probably cost more than buying a less interesting but ready-to-sail-now boat. I can't judge you because I have been afflicted many times with the exact same kind of BOAT FEVER you now endure. Good luck on your project!
1) take your time and find every original part over internet, or 2) adapt a complete rig off a similar sized but more plentiful boat. You might be able to find a crunched project boat that would give up its mast, boom, rigging and sails for a fair price. For instance an O'Day Mariner or 222 have about the exact sail area as your boat. Either way, it will probably cost more than buying a less interesting but ready-to-sail-now boat. I can't judge you because I have been afflicted many times with the exact same kind of BOAT FEVER you now endure. Good luck on your project!
Mast
I strongly suggest you invest a little time sailing before you tackle this project. As the other responder suggested...it is unlikely that this free boat will be a wise investment, although she will be a beauty when complete and with her keel will be a good choice for large lakes and protected ocean waters. Were I you, I'd try to stick to her original mast height plus or minus ten percent. Keep in mind that you may be able to cut down a longer mast, but that you don't want a really heavy (larger) extrusion as it will have a big impact on her (too much weight up high). I'd get a quote for a new mast and then take that information to look for a used mast with similar dimensions. Any luck with Corinthian owners from the site I sent you? This is a unique opportunity. I think that if I were to design my own rig for this boat, knowing that I were going to buy new sails, I'd mount the boom up a little high, to keep it out of the way, but consider a full roach main to make up the sail area up high, where you need it most. This should provide good performance, but convenience too. In a boat this size, the boom can really be a hazard. Voila...perhaps a good candidate is attached. It comes with spreaders, shrouds, etc...25 feet...a good length...off a Rhodes 19 (maybe). Plus it is within striking distance (CT). Bob
I strongly suggest you invest a little time sailing before you tackle this project. As the other responder suggested...it is unlikely that this free boat will be a wise investment, although she will be a beauty when complete and with her keel will be a good choice for large lakes and protected ocean waters. Were I you, I'd try to stick to her original mast height plus or minus ten percent. Keep in mind that you may be able to cut down a longer mast, but that you don't want a really heavy (larger) extrusion as it will have a big impact on her (too much weight up high). I'd get a quote for a new mast and then take that information to look for a used mast with similar dimensions. Any luck with Corinthian owners from the site I sent you? This is a unique opportunity. I think that if I were to design my own rig for this boat, knowing that I were going to buy new sails, I'd mount the boom up a little high, to keep it out of the way, but consider a full roach main to make up the sail area up high, where you need it most. This should provide good performance, but convenience too. In a boat this size, the boom can really be a hazard. Voila...perhaps a good candidate is attached. It comes with spreaders, shrouds, etc...25 feet...a good length...off a Rhodes 19 (maybe). Plus it is within striking distance (CT). Bob
Rhodes 19
As a bonus...the Rhodes 19 is a popular one design. That means used sails should be readily available and that new ones should be available off the shelf (not custom). The boom will be a bit low, but not too bad. We used to sail Rhodes 19's and my Wife got clocked in the head...fortunately at low velocity while we were coming in. You have to love ebay at times like this. If the shrouds are too long you can cut them and use sta-lock or norseman swageless fittings. The attached link shows used sails for about $600, but it is an old ad. There are several reliable vendors of used sails on line. Given the relatively small sail areas, I'd think that new wouldn't be much more than $1200. A used outboard, mast step and a few hundred feet of line and you will be sailing before you know it. BobM
As a bonus...the Rhodes 19 is a popular one design. That means used sails should be readily available and that new ones should be available off the shelf (not custom). The boom will be a bit low, but not too bad. We used to sail Rhodes 19's and my Wife got clocked in the head...fortunately at low velocity while we were coming in. You have to love ebay at times like this. If the shrouds are too long you can cut them and use sta-lock or norseman swageless fittings. The attached link shows used sails for about $600, but it is an old ad. There are several reliable vendors of used sails on line. Given the relatively small sail areas, I'd think that new wouldn't be much more than $1200. A used outboard, mast step and a few hundred feet of line and you will be sailing before you know it. BobM
Call Rigrite
From their website...if they know this mast section fits the Corinthian I bet they know how long the mast and boom should be too. They can hook you up with a mast step too. They are VERY helpful. I have purchased from them in the past. Rig-Rite #5 Mast Section Measurements: (OD) 3.75" x 2.25" (95mm x 57mm) 3723 Wall Thickness: .100" Weight/ft.: 1.3 lbs. Moments of inertia: Ixx = 1.5", Iyy = .63" Circumference: 9 5/8" Alloy: 6063-T6 Sail slides: 1/2" round slugs (A018, A118) or 1/2" boltrope Standard Mast Lengths: 22'7", 25'4", 30' Common Mast usage: Bristol Corinthian 19; Cape Dory Typhoon; N&W Fisherman; O'Day 22;
From their website...if they know this mast section fits the Corinthian I bet they know how long the mast and boom should be too. They can hook you up with a mast step too. They are VERY helpful. I have purchased from them in the past. Rig-Rite #5 Mast Section Measurements: (OD) 3.75" x 2.25" (95mm x 57mm) 3723 Wall Thickness: .100" Weight/ft.: 1.3 lbs. Moments of inertia: Ixx = 1.5", Iyy = .63" Circumference: 9 5/8" Alloy: 6063-T6 Sail slides: 1/2" round slugs (A018, A118) or 1/2" boltrope Standard Mast Lengths: 22'7", 25'4", 30' Common Mast usage: Bristol Corinthian 19; Cape Dory Typhoon; N&W Fisherman; O'Day 22;
Spec info
BOAT I J P E SAILSTAR 19 CONQUEST 22.5 6.7 23.5 10.0 RHODES 19 19.5 6.5 24.0 9.9 The specs for the Bristol Corinthian are identical, however there is something wrong with the specs. It is impossible for P (length of the luff on the main)to exceed I (height from the deck to the top of the mast). Incidentally, I found the same issue on a couple of sites. It just goes to show that you are in big trouble if you ever order sails without measuring yourself! It does appear, as screwed up as the numbers may be, that we may assume that the mast off a Rhodes 19 may fit, especially if the overall length is 25 feet, as per the ebay ad. The boom on the ebay ad is 129 inches, so that is a match as well. The mast should be greater than P feet long (P is from the boom to the top of the mast roughly) and the boom is 10.0 feet. I'd operate on the assumption that the mast needs to be roughly 23.5 feet plus enough to clear your head comfortably. Keep in mind that your doghouse height isn't factored into the over all height (i.e. a 25 foot mast, minus 23.5 won't be 1.5 feet above the deck as the doghouse where your mast is mounted is x feet higher than the cockpit). BobM
BOAT I J P E SAILSTAR 19 CONQUEST 22.5 6.7 23.5 10.0 RHODES 19 19.5 6.5 24.0 9.9 The specs for the Bristol Corinthian are identical, however there is something wrong with the specs. It is impossible for P (length of the luff on the main)to exceed I (height from the deck to the top of the mast). Incidentally, I found the same issue on a couple of sites. It just goes to show that you are in big trouble if you ever order sails without measuring yourself! It does appear, as screwed up as the numbers may be, that we may assume that the mast off a Rhodes 19 may fit, especially if the overall length is 25 feet, as per the ebay ad. The boom on the ebay ad is 129 inches, so that is a match as well. The mast should be greater than P feet long (P is from the boom to the top of the mast roughly) and the boom is 10.0 feet. I'd operate on the assumption that the mast needs to be roughly 23.5 feet plus enough to clear your head comfortably. Keep in mind that your doghouse height isn't factored into the over all height (i.e. a 25 foot mast, minus 23.5 won't be 1.5 feet above the deck as the doghouse where your mast is mounted is x feet higher than the cockpit). BobM
jkelly....
...do yourself a favor and find a live, fixed up boat to inspect. Find one for sale and make an enquiry. You'll never get anywhere fishing for this kind of information with your limited knowledge of sailing and sailboats. For instance, if I told you that the "i" dimimension was 22.5 feet for the sailstar conqest 19, would you be able to determine it's optimal mast length? So do some research on your own. Get some books on sailboats, check out the sailmaker websites.... learn to use google. Learn how rig dimensions are expressed. Call a sailmaker and ask them, because they all have a rigging dimension database for most boats. I found the rigging dimensions for your boat with a simple google search which led me to the MAUI PRO SAILING website.
...do yourself a favor and find a live, fixed up boat to inspect. Find one for sale and make an enquiry. You'll never get anywhere fishing for this kind of information with your limited knowledge of sailing and sailboats. For instance, if I told you that the "i" dimimension was 22.5 feet for the sailstar conqest 19, would you be able to determine it's optimal mast length? So do some research on your own. Get some books on sailboats, check out the sailmaker websites.... learn to use google. Learn how rig dimensions are expressed. Call a sailmaker and ask them, because they all have a rigging dimension database for most boats. I found the rigging dimensions for your boat with a simple google search which led me to the MAUI PRO SAILING website.
Thanks...
BobM - That eBay ad is exactly what I was looking at, and inspired the thread. Thank you for the great advice. I have no illusions of this boat being any kind of wise financial investment. However, I feel that the learning experience with trying to put this old girl together will be valuable as I may move into larger rides in the distant future, and will have a further understanding of sailing and repairing (hopefully) at that time due to this experience. I'll study the Rigrite website for now for more information. Joe - I have purchased a few books, but none that addressed this issue. I'm awaiting my copy of "This Old Boat" to arrive via Amazon, as I'm hoping this will address a lot of the questions I have. However, as you said, I am extremely new to sailing, and can use any advice you guys can dish out. It's very helpful to me even to have you folks recommend resources that you know are reliable, such as BobM's advice about Rigrite. I had found the Maui Pro website, but had no idea what those dimenstions mean, or even if they are accurate. As far as finding a live boat to inspect, I've found a few outside my area that I've requested pictures of, with positive results, but none that would be easy to inspect in person. I'm monitoring our local classifieds, however, for a similar boat. Thanks again...!
BobM - That eBay ad is exactly what I was looking at, and inspired the thread. Thank you for the great advice. I have no illusions of this boat being any kind of wise financial investment. However, I feel that the learning experience with trying to put this old girl together will be valuable as I may move into larger rides in the distant future, and will have a further understanding of sailing and repairing (hopefully) at that time due to this experience. I'll study the Rigrite website for now for more information. Joe - I have purchased a few books, but none that addressed this issue. I'm awaiting my copy of "This Old Boat" to arrive via Amazon, as I'm hoping this will address a lot of the questions I have. However, as you said, I am extremely new to sailing, and can use any advice you guys can dish out. It's very helpful to me even to have you folks recommend resources that you know are reliable, such as BobM's advice about Rigrite. I had found the Maui Pro website, but had no idea what those dimenstions mean, or even if they are accurate. As far as finding a live boat to inspect, I've found a few outside my area that I've requested pictures of, with positive results, but none that would be easy to inspect in person. I'm monitoring our local classifieds, however, for a similar boat. Thanks again...!
ebay
Jack, I thought you might be looking at that ad. If you are certain that the hull is worth saving then you should strongly consider that mast at that price. If you are considering it, I really suggest you call Rigrite. They don't bite and should be able to provide a professional opinion on if the Rhodes 19 mast will work for your application. The owner of the mast should be able to provide any additional information you need about condition, dimensions, etc... It looks nice and straight. BobM
Jack, I thought you might be looking at that ad. If you are certain that the hull is worth saving then you should strongly consider that mast at that price. If you are considering it, I really suggest you call Rigrite. They don't bite and should be able to provide a professional opinion on if the Rhodes 19 mast will work for your application. The owner of the mast should be able to provide any additional information you need about condition, dimensions, etc... It looks nice and straight. BobM
- Status