I have an 25' American sloop, got it for a very good price,but it has a broken mast. Has anyone attempted a homemade wooden mast. Any ideas would be great. This is a fair weather boat/capt. The max wind it would probably see is 20knts.
Homemade mast? Anyone attempt this?
- Thread starter BAHAMARCG
- Start date
Lin and Larry Pardey Have built wooden mast and have the plans in one of their books. There are probably quite a few plans on the internet under boat building.
http://www.landlpardey.com/
http://www.landlpardey.com/
I did this once for a 25 Holland Contest I owned. Biggest issue was finding the right wood, not easy these days. I would think you would be better off finding a used mast from another boat. Check EBay and local yards there are plenty of used aluminum masts for this size boat you just have to take a bit of time looking.
Thanks gary for the link..sailvayu,I may have to end up doing that, was going to exhaust all building ideas first, living in the midwest means driving 1000+ miles to get one ,hopefully it doesn't come to that and something relatively local will come up. Thanks.
Where are you located in the Midwest? I have a complete mast from an O'Day 23. Located in Columbus Indiana - 45 miles south of Indy, on I-65.
I'm near St.Louis, I have pieces of the old mast and the previous owner said someone at his marina cut a piece off..so im not sure on specific length but I will be going down to where its stored sunday and get try to get as close of measurements as I can.
A mast off a MacGregor 25 would be close. Do you have the boom and sails? If not, you may want to call around to all the marinas looking for an abandoned boat with a rig and sails that would work. You could probably buy a junk boat for a few hundred dollars, or even for free.
I have made the wooden masts for my little schooner on Carlyle Lake, just east of you. I also made the rigging wires, booms, and drew up the sails and running rigging. It's a lot of time and work. An existing rig could be made to fit easier than making a rig from scratch.
I have made the wooden masts for my little schooner on Carlyle Lake, just east of you. I also made the rigging wires, booms, and drew up the sails and running rigging. It's a lot of time and work. An existing rig could be made to fit easier than making a rig from scratch.
thanks everyone, Okkawbow...Im probably going to head out to carlyle this spring hopefully have a mast by then, if not ,just to splash it and do some trailer work. Im actually from highland just moved to mo. I still have original sails and boom, so I should be able to get a pretty close measurement.
If you have most of the old mast, and the sails, boom, and rigging; it should be relatively easy to find a mast that will work. If you can drive around to the Boulder Marina, I might be able to help you get rigged up.
Go to my business website for my contact info, and email or call me. www.bows.net
Chuck
Go to my business website for my contact info, and email or call me. www.bows.net
Chuck
Lance I am near St.Louis...How long is it and is it aluminum or wood? I have a couple of prospects, now I just need to find a close match. PM me the details.
This is great advice. I know at the marina where I launch my boat.... they have about a dozen abandoned boats. They have an auction every few years or so but what they really want is to be able to rent the slip. So, make an offer.... for a fraction of the price of a new mast, you could also pick up some spare parts, (blocks, winches cleats etc.)
Oh, that was slick! Dang, I was about to type in my business website but realized my reason for adding it here wasn't as slick as yours. ;-)
Marc,
I'm not sure where you are headed with this but if the difference is driving 1000 miles for wood or have a stick of 4" aluminum tube (not pipe) delivered. That didn't come out right but I may have made my point. If you're considering a smooth wooden spar, consider a smooth aluminum one instead . Not as classy but more durable and less maintainence. There are a number of spar companies and extruders out there that sell new ones but I think you're like me, thrifty, cheap, and capable.
Don
I'm not sure where you are headed with this but if the difference is driving 1000 miles for wood or have a stick of 4" aluminum tube (not pipe) delivered. That didn't come out right but I may have made my point. If you're considering a smooth wooden spar, consider a smooth aluminum one instead . Not as classy but more durable and less maintainence. There are a number of spar companies and extruders out there that sell new ones but I think you're like me, thrifty, cheap, and capable.
Don
dscribner, yes you hit the nail on the head, ha,boating is just one of my hobbies, so I dont have a huge budget to spend on the boat. However I did find a couple people on here that have masts for sale relatively close (within a couple hundred miles). Hard part is trying to get it to my place, 30ft mast will be kinda difficult to get home. Dont wanna haul my boat all the way, and dont wanna splash it somewhere just to use trailer, might be able to borrow an 18ft trailer and put the remaining on the cab,I was hoping someone had some easy plans to follow or something but it sounds like getting a used one might be the best route. So not quite sure which route I should go yet.
^^^thats an idea I thought about, I wonder if I would have to have a special permit for that, I wouldnt think so. There is a couple huge construction rental places around me that have just about everything for rent, may need to look further into that.
Homemade mast
A wood mast will weigh more than an equally sized aluminum one therefore changing the righting moment of your boat. On a small boat, it will make a noticeable difference in the sailing characteristics. If at all possible, go with aluminum. If your boat is on a trailer, bring the boat with you to pick up a mast.
A wood mast will weigh more than an equally sized aluminum one therefore changing the righting moment of your boat. On a small boat, it will make a noticeable difference in the sailing characteristics. If at all possible, go with aluminum. If your boat is on a trailer, bring the boat with you to pick up a mast.