Hunter 23.5 Mast Damage

Bill Jones · May 14, 2011

Don't know your area, but I would imagine a new mast will run around $2,000. I'm curious, were you using the mast raising system that came with the boat? That includes cables with J hooks to prevent the mast from swaying from side to side. Without them, I think it would be sheer luck not to do what happened to you.

Merlin Clark · May 14, 2011

davidb,
That is the best possible location for a mast repair! Check with your local rigging shop and find out where the closest shop is that can do this. I think what they would do is install a sleeve inside the mast and then weld up the rips. These sleeve repairs are supposed to be VERY strong.
Good luck and good sailing.

Sublime · May 14, 2011

This is a good sail loft in the DFW area. Call them and see if they know someone:
Mariner Sails
800-536-9463

They're closed Sundays.

John23883 · May 14, 2011

Mast repair

Yes, you can fix it! Because almost all of the force while sailing is straight down, there is very little side force on the mast. I called the local sailboat shop and they gave me the name of a local welder skilled in aluminum. He fabricated and welded two plates that surrounded the mast base. I have had no problems with it at all in five years. And yes, I did try to raise the mast without the side stays/mast raising bridle wires that came with the boat. I now keep them attached with velcro to the u-bolt inside the anchor locker so I can't start raising the mast without them.

teacher63 · May 15, 2011

From a person that just went through this on a 23. However, my mast broke in 2 at the spreaders. May have been my fault but will never know. The answer to the question mine was $5,500, that included new mast and new rigging from deck up. Mine was done by a marina. If you have insurance try it, mine paid. It took 6 months from the time it happened till I got it back. Not the marina's fault but z-spar took from August to Christmas to build and ship the mast. I do not know how hard it is to find a used one but good luck. After my entire mess I could have but never have have done it myself. Even though the mast came from the original builder everything was built to different specks consequently new from deck up. Good luck. I am not sure about fixing yours. I was advised not to try to fix them, they get dangerous.

davidb said:
I was trying to step the mast on my 1995 Hunter 23.5 today, when it twisted of to one side. This tore the step plate out of the mast, and left a 6" - 8" tear in the base of the mast.:cry:

I have attached a picture of the base of the mast.

I assume this can't be repaired, and that I will have to buy a new mast. How much should I expect this to cost? If anyone knows of someplace in the Fort Worth/Dallas area that can help me with this, I would appreciate the lead.

teacher63 · May 15, 2011

I forgot the mast by itself was $2,200.

davidb said:
I was trying to step the mast on my 1995 Hunter 23.5 today, when it twisted of to one side. This tore the step plate out of the mast, and left a 6" - 8" tear in the base of the mast.:cry:

I have attached a picture of the base of the mast.

I assume this can't be repaired, and that I will have to buy a new mast. How much should I expect this to cost? If anyone knows of someplace in the Fort Worth/Dallas area that can help me with this, I would appreciate the lead.

Rick Webb · May 15, 2011

I'd defer to a Spar Expert

I wonder though if the best way would be to cut the damaged portion off and sleeve a replacement back. The guy I would ask was Julian Crisp at US Spars

http://www.usspars.com/model.asp

But I just saw a flyer looks like he has his own busines now in Jacksonville I think. The name was sparman or somthing similar.

I just looked here it is:

http://sparmanusa.com/History.html

Rick Webb · May 15, 2011

Forgot to Add

I almost did somthing similar. I only bent to mast foot though. I now clip the mast raising stays to the gin pole so I will be less likely to do it again.

Lynnie · May 19, 2011

I messed up my mast on my 23.5 at the spreaders season before last and decided to get a new mast. Talked to Julian at US Spars and bought from them. I found a couple of used masts in my part of the country but both were nearly as expensive as new, so decided not to go the used route. If Julian has moved as one person posted then I would talk to both places.

I damaged my old mast by getting it caught in some pine trees that hang over the drive at the marina where I keep the boat for the season. Stupid mistake on my part. I might have been able to fix the old mast with a large enough mass of something to bolster it up there at the spreaders, but I never would have felt safe on that boat in a big wind again.

My new mast was damaged either before shipping or enroute and I had to bend one of the spreader brackets apart to be able to use the mast. Those brackets are cast aluminum so I was nervous about that. Anyway, I read a lot online and then went out there one saturday afternoon with a 1x piece of pine and slipped in into the bracket and slowly bent it out in several moves until I could slide the spreader in there. (Then I came inside and had a drink to celebrate and calm myself down.)

Shipping the mast was expensive and a pain. It had to be a commercial carrier and could only be delivered to a commercial business, not my home. Well, it could have come to my home for several hundred dollars more. My neighbor owns a painting business so I had it delivered there and pulled the boat over there the morning it was coming in order to load it up and get it home.

I used my old rigging last season but the new mast was just a little bit different someplace and my old rigging was maxed out to practically the last thread on the turnbuckles at all points. I had purchased new rigging from US Spars but it wasn't cut to length and didn't have the turnbuckles slaved on or whatever that is called, so I paid the only sailboat shop within a hundred miles to put those together and on there for me last fall. It was worth the money and time hauling the boat there and back.

When I got my new mast Julian had some leftover mast stuff around and cut me a bit of a deal. It took US Spars much longer than they expected to get the mast made, and I think they finally got to it as soon as they did because they were tired of me calling them up to check on it. Everyone was nice all around, but, well, phone calls take up everyone's time.

So, good luck on whatever you decide to do.

Lynnie

BrianW · May 21, 2011

Another option would be to keep the damaged section on, and sleeve over it with a section of the exact mast extrusion from the mast manufacturer. You can do this if you cut the sleeve along its back length. Then, open it like a clam shell and slip it over the damaged section of the mast. It can then be carefully tapped and shaped to fit the old mast. You'll have to do some careful measuring to get the mast-raising hole aligned. Then you make liberal use of pop rivets. I did this when I "buggered" up my mast raising hole. BrianW

Sparman USA · May 24, 2011

Hi Guys
I ran US Spars for 10 years, and before that Z-Spars UK for 15 years now I own my own company..Sparman USA, I know the Z190 section we used on the 23.5 very well. From the photo it looks like you have lost the bottom 8" of the section, it’s not repairable, the splits run up a part of the extrusion that is thinner than the rest so trying weld or fit a plate over it to regain the integrity will not work. The only real option is cut and sleeve on a piece, or replace the section. The mast has a very small doubler plate on the front for the raising pole this must be much larger and wrap around the sides of the mast to increase the side inertia.
If I can help or you have any question please give me a shout 353-222-4019 or info@sparmanusa.com
Cheers

Julian Crisp

soling42 · May 24, 2011

Good Gawd yer in Texas. The home of pipe fitters and metal fabricators. I'd bet a brisket that you could get this fixed and it'll be stronger than ever(but use the baby stays next time). Don't buy a new one unless it's trashed elsewhere from the fall or insurance will cover it. Almost any fabricator worth a hill of beans and a side of beef can fix something like that as simply as a tired sailor dropping a mast.....

Seriously, if money's tight I'd bet it's repairable, and for a WHOLE lot less time and money than the stories above. Don't worry. I'd call a metal fabricator.

On the other hand it won't be shiny new, or maybe it's old enough for a rebuild anyway. If I was buying new the Sparman would be the choice.

Mike

Hunter 23.5 Mast Damage

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