Mast Damage, how serious?

[Lynnie]

Hello, I have a Hunter 23.5 with a rip in the mast at the spreaders. It is a vertical rip in the metal parallel to the sail groove. I don't know how it happened but just noticed it while I was getting it ready for the sailing season.

I am going to attach pictures.

Has anyone seen anything like this? Can it be repaired? Should I get a new mast? Can anyone direct me to an expert in this sort of thing?

Thank you for your time. Lynnie

 

[jibes138]

Extremely serious

It looks like somehow a very large force was applied to the spreader to cause this kind of failure in the mast material. Not sure if it can be welded as a repair, but I'll bet your slot for the mast slugs is distorted as well. If it is welded you will need to conversion coat it to prevent corrosion as the anodize will have to be removed in order to weld. Hate to say it but I would probably go for a new mast if it was my boat, but get a real expert to take a look and give you some options.

 

[Rick Webb]

Call These Guys

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

 

[woodster]

Re: Mast Damage on Hunter 23.5, how serious?

how old is that mast .....it may be under warrenty

 

[LANCE ON CLOUD NINE]

Re: Mast Damage on Hunter 23.5, how serious?

I would also look at mast base plate.Would not be surprised to see minor damage there. Looks like mast was dropped on side- possibly while being lowered? Did you have hired help for this? If your mast is rigged tripod style (no back stay) I would guess someone was trying to lay it back and control it with the head stay- and it got away from them. Does the outer tip of starboard spreader look roughed up? Good luck.

 

[Lynnie]

Re: Mast Damage on Hunter 23.5, how serious?

thanks everyone for your replies.

it is a 93 boat so no warrenty on this mast.

I always take it down and put it up myself with my son's help, and the mast was not dropped. I was wondering if the damage might have happened during a storm last season. I keep it on a slip on Lake Monroe here in south central Indiana and we have some pretty big storms at times. I didn't notice this problem when we took the mast down last fall, but it would have been easy to miss too. I didn't notice it when sailing last season either, but I don't always look that closely at the mast and the spreaders are a ways up there.

this mast does not have a back stay. I'm going to look at the base plate in the morning.

I'm going to call US Spars in the morning.

I think I would just like to find another mast, preferably used as I can't afford much else. How hard is it to find a used mast here in the midwest? What should I know about replacing this mast?

Appreciate your help folks!

I must not have been living right or something for this to happen. sheeeeesh.

Thanks again, Lynnie

 

[Sailm8]

Re: Mast Damage on Hunter 23.5, how serious?

I had a split at the spreaders after hurricane Charley and JSI repaired it good as new with a collar welded around the mast. I don't really know how much it cost since insurance covered it and I had the mast painted and rewired, rerigged at the same time. Might be repairable by a competent shop.

 

[Ross]

Re: Mast Damage on Hunter 23.5, how serious?

looks like freeze damage to me. If the mast was supported at the ends and filled with water and froze it could split like that and the water would drain out when it thawed.

 

[LANCE ON CLOUD NINE]

Re: Mast Damage on Hunter 23.5, how serious?

Ross-Man,excellent deduction! Probably froze and cracked through an area that gets alot of stress cycles.

 

[Ross]

Re: Mast Damage on Hunter 23.5, how serious?

It is worth the price of taking it to a welding shop and asking if they can close the split and weld it. There ain't much to lose.

 

[Ray Bowles]

Try a aircraft repair shop.

If you have a aircraft airframe shop in your area they work with aluminum items all the time. They car weld or patch and could also probably advise on the strength of such repair. I would take your pictures to them first. The might want to come see it before any work is proposed.
Just another direction to look. Good luck.
Ray

 

[Steve Dion]

This is what insurance is for. I would try to turn it into your insurance company and see what they say.

 

[Don12364]

Sleeve It?

Like Ross, my immediate first thought was ice damage just like a burst pipe at home in the winter when houses were plumbed with lead piping.
In times past, when smaller mast makers were unable to obtain extrusions long enough to make a mast in one piece, it was normal to fit an internal sleeve to join the two halves. This usually involved having a 3' length of a smaller section which fitted inside the mast to act as a sleeve. Failing this a length of the original extrusion would be cut lengthwise to fit neatly inside the existing section, the whole being held in place by a considerable number of countersunk rivets.
It does make a hard spot in the mast so it doesn't bend so smoothly as before; but this is usually only of concern to a racing fanatic.
I extended a boom this way using a scrap length of extrusion obtained free of charge from the mast maker's dumpster (with his permission).

I have seen many new and repaired masts done like this.
The original mast maker should be able to offer advice, though any mast maker should be able to carry out the work.

As Steve D says:- Insurance?

 

[tommays]

Do you tarp the boat and use the mast for support ?

 

[seadaddler]

Good Welder

It can't hurt to get a few prices to weld it for you as mentioned they the mast get repaired all the time.
Nick

 

[DannyS]

Looks to me like something hit the spreader to push the spreader arm casting into the mast. Look closely at where the spreader casting is attached to the mast, the aluminum looks to be ripped there as well and the casting is pushed in. Perhaps something fell on the spreader over the winter to drive that casting into the mast? Was the boat covered using the mast as the frame? Perhaps a heavy snow load?

 

[Mario G]

At first it looks like freeze damage and I've seen enough of that, but looking at the base area at the starboard spreader it looks more like alot of down pull did the damage, not that it matters at this point.

I'm sure it can be welded and painted to make it functional and look good. If you have a mast maker in your area that would be the people to talk to or any machine shop, I have Aluminum rimes repaired alot and a good welder should easily fix that. The white on the mast should be easy to blend where you would never see the repair.

good luck

 

[catsailor]

I think "tommays" got it. Snow load.

Do you tarp the boat and use the mast for support ?

At first I guessed ice, but then I looked at the pictures. The spreader is punched in. I'm not saying ice did not do some of the damage as well. Can't say. But I think snow may be the main culprit.

Repairable? Not as simple as welding the crack; the dent has to come out too. If you can argue that the damage was snow load (which I think is the truth) then insurance should help. I used coverage for snow load damage before. I would push hard for a new mast, and I am a cheapskate that repairs things. I am also an engineer and licensed inspector (tanks, pressure vessles, industrial rigging); I think this looks to expensive to repair correctly.

 

[Ross]

Re: I think "tommays" got it. Snow load.

I am going to hold with freeze damage the second picture indicates that the mast is still straight but the other pictures show a narrowing of the luff channel at the greatest distortion. You couldn't spread the break as it is and compress the luff slot at the same time by means of external loading. If tarping and snow load was at fault then the mast column would show some bowing.

 

[chet1777]

I have looked closely at your pictures. I feel that the boat was not properly tuned. During the sailing season, the wind forces worked & twisted the mast and did the damage. I feel that the mast should be replaced. It is important for the rigging to be balanced and tuned correctly so that this doesn't happen again. Loose rigging is dangerous.