Homemade mast? Anyone attempt this?

[woodster]

you should be able to haul a mast that size on top of a pick up that has a full ladder rack mounted to it ...that mast shouldn't be that heavy it will be some What long but i am guessing here it will not be more than thirty feet plus or minus...if you use a full size pick up with a ladder rack that will be 20 ft of rack...then you only have 5 feet sticking out front and rear.....just put some red flags on it and you should be OK to haul it....jmtc...

regards

woody

 

[Ron20324]

What about a tractor/trailer going your way?

 

[rgranger]

You can find a used mast. I got a mast from a MacGregor 21 sitting in my yard. Probably too short for you but.... I see trashed boats on eBay and CraigsList all of the time. Pick one up for a few hundred ... strip off what you want, take a chain saw to the rest and haul it to the dump.

 

[dscribner]

I transported 2 21' lengths of steel angle 70 miles on the top of a Nissan Frontier. If you have a truck with an 8 foot bed and another 8 feet-ish of cab and hood, and you centered the mast, that gives about a 7 foot overhang front and rear. Build a saw horse for the bed that matches the height of your truck roof and is in-line with the mast (legs into the lower corners of the bed). Then build a crutch that you can clamp/lash to your front bumper to match. Once you lay the mast over the two and strap all things together, you can drive a thousand miles with no problems. Been there, done that, ripped the t-shirt.

 

[jibes138]

I made a mast for an 11 footer. It was easy. You could scale up the technique no problem at all. Let me know if you want more info.

 

[Sailvayu]

This is how I moved a 55 foot mast a few years back


Worked good only had to go about 120 miles and much to my surprise never got pulled by the cops lol

That mast later took me to Bermuda and back

 

[BAHAMARCG]

Thanks all for the good advice, I may end up trying to build one first then if that doesn't work I will find a used one. I'm kind of worried about buying a used one, hauling it,paying for it, then if its the wrong one then trying to sell it again and it being in my way in the meantime...I have all the needed equipment to build one so I think I will try that first, then if not, I will have a nice bonfire and then search for a used one. I will post pics when I start building. I think it was "ted" that made a good point about keeping the weight close to what the original mast weighed. I'm going to try to stay within 10-20% of the original weight. Thanks again all, I read all of your posts, got busy at work yesterday and didn't have a chance to reply.

 

[okawbow]

I've modified a couple used masts to fit a different boat; and I've built 2 wooden masts. It's far easier to modify a similar aluminum mast than to build a new wooden mast, and fit all the required hardware needed to rig the stick and the sails. It almost certainly will cost more for the wooden mast.

First off, you need to get an accurate measurement of mast height, and spreader height. If you still have the old mast, except for the piece that was cut off; your job is a lot easier.

( Give me a call, and I'll give a better idea of what you need to do.)

Chuck

 

[rgranger]

This is a bit off topic but still on the topic of building your own.

About a year ago, I got it in my mind that I wanted to make a carbon fiber mast. They are just too expensive to buy considering that I was putting it on a 40 year old boat. I priced the carbon fiber clothe (pricey but reasonable) and resin and went looking for a template to wrap the cloth around. That is where I got stuck. I was trying to find a 30 foot continuous piece of 3" PVC pipe. And was a unable to do that. I run across a 30' piece of pipe... I will make a carbon mast some day. If you google "making a carbon fiber mast" you will find a few useful sites on how to do it. You can make a few saw horses, put the template on the horses and wrap the template with resin soaked cloth in a single afternoon. You would have a strong mast that actually weighed less than the original by 50% or more.:stirthepot:

 

[BAHAMARCG]

rgranger, funny you mention that...I had been playing around with basalt fabric and have had alot of success with west system epoxies and thin hardwood plywood. The basalt fabric is heavier but very strong, and is fixed to the inside of the wood...Im contemplating using it for the mast...When i have more time in a couple years when my daughter starts school I want to build a boat so I want to start with some smaller projects. I have a 40x40 shed, all power tools necessary, clamps etc. So thats the reason im not wanting to buy a used mast just yet. To get myself on the water quicker it would be easier to just buy a used one. But that's not really my objective.

 

[rgranger]

... I have a 40x40 shed, all power tools necessary, clamps etc. So thats the reason im not wanting to buy a used mast just yet. To get myself on the water quicker it would be easier to just buy a used one. But that's not really my objective.

Its a sickness.... I built this two winters back with the intention of building a 29' sharpie. But work and life got in the way... but I still have plans....

I've since sold the boat seen in that shed and now have a Balboa 26'. It is trailerable but raising the mast is a chore. So that is what got me thinking about a lighter mast.

 

[BAHAMARCG]

wow nice work, I know what you mean about it being a sickness, I am obsessive about it, reading online/books, this is one of 3 boat forums im on, I just don't have the time right now working 50 hours a week, I have an18 month old, she obviously comes first,recent move. Im starting to think I would rather spend my time building then being on the water. being on the water is just a bonus.

 

[LANCE ON CLOUD NINE]

Mast

The extra mast I have is 26'5". mast head style. The spreaders are 163" off the deck. Spreaders 72" tip to tip. external halyards. halyard winch, anchor light, spinnaker bale, and 2 pin hinge style mast base plate (plate on mast, but no receiving plate that screws to deck). gold anodized. I could help load. 275$?
Good luck with this project. Come on Spring!

 

[BAHAMARCG]

Thanks for checking on that Lance...I will let you know if I end up going that route.

 

[Sunbird22358]

Here is the basic dimensions of an American 24 (no 25 listed, they also built a 26, although it is listed as a 27 in sailboatdata.com).
http://sailboatdata.com/viewrecord.asp?class_id=3121

Also check out: http://americanmarinerboats.home.comcast.net/~americanmarinerboats/

 

[Ken13559]

I've seen a boat using 2 street lamp post for mast. Does that counts?

 

[BAHAMARCG]

Thanks sunbird, mine is a '78. I should be able to go off the old mast pieces. Thanks for the links.