Mast replacement

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Tim22

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Jun 16, 2014
255
Hunter 310 Ottawa
We had a little storm here yesterday evening that dropped a large tree branch onto my mast (it was off the boat sitting on saw horses) denting it and causing who knows what other damage. I spoke to USSpars this morning and they won't be able to help me for a couple of weeks as they are buried in claims from the recent hurricanes. I am hoping someone might be able to tell me roughly what a new mast would cost. The boat is a 1997 Hunter 310 (31 ft) and the mast is conventional (no inmast furling) single spreader. The original was manufactured by Z-Spar but Hunter switched to Selden for the later models so I would guess that either will work. Also, if anyone has experience with replacing a mast I would be interested in any things I should watch for in the process.

Thanks
Tim
 
Terry Cox

Terry Cox

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Dec 25, 2000
5,905
Hunter Passage 42 Shelter Bay, WA
Tim22 said:
I am hoping someone might be able to tell me roughly what a new mast would cost.
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Not much help here relative to cost...probably a few thousand depending on whether any of the other gear (stays, sheaves, blocks, etc.) can be salvaged. Assuming you have insurance, like we do, leave it to their claims department, working with a marine surveyor report, to sort this all out for you. If no insurance, well good luck.
 
C

Crazy Dave Condon

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Jun 8, 2004
10,376
-na -NA Anywhere USA
When switching to a different mast manufacturer, generally the mast step along with standing rigging will also be an issue.
 
DougM

DougM

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Jul 24, 2005
2,242
Beneteau 323 Manistee, MI
Just replaced a broken mast this past spring due to storm damage on the hard to my 323.
I had to replace the mast, all standing and running rigging, and the roller furler.
Including freight, my parts cost was over $10,000. In addition, I had the cost of crane rental to step the mast. That did not include yard labor to attach the standing rigging, assemble and install the new roller furler, as I did that myself.
Fortunately, I had good insurance and an adjuster who was aware of the necessities to replace a mast
 
jviss

jviss

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Feb 5, 2004
7,089
Tartan 3800 20 Westport, MA
DougM said:
Just replaced a broken mast this past spring due to storm damage on the hard to my 323.
I had to replace the mast, all standing and running rigging, and the roller furler.
Including freight, my parts cost was over $10,000. In addition, I had the cost of crane rental to step the mast. That did not include yard labor to attach the standing rigging, assemble and install the new roller furler, as I did that myself.
Fortunately, I had good insurance and an adjuster who was aware of the necessities to replace a mast
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That sounds about right. But then, why the running rigging? Was any hardware from the old mast re-used, or was it a completely new rig?
 
DougM

DougM

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Jul 24, 2005
2,242
Beneteau 323 Manistee, MI
jviss said:
That sounds about right. But then, why the running rigging? Was any hardware from the old mast re-used, or was it a completely new rig?
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Running rigging had to be replaced because when the mast broke at the spreaders all of the internally led halyards and all of the wiring in the mast were either broken or badly frayed. The spreaders and their attachment point were bent.
All hardware was included with the mast. The mast step was not damaged and was not replaced.
 
T

Tim22

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Jun 16, 2014
255
Hunter 310 Ottawa
Great information.
I have a marine engineer coming to evaluate the mast on Sunday. My current impression is that it is a borderline call as to whether it needs to be replaced. The branch impact and resulting dent are above the attachment point of the cap stays so I am guessing don't experience much load. The more important question is what if any damage was caused when the saw horses broke and the mast with the swept back spreaders was driven into the ground.

One of the reasons I would consider changing mast manufacturers is that the existing mast requires 2 rigid struts at the base. These are a bit of a nuisance and I would happily get rid of them.

Tim
 
AXEL

AXEL

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Mar 12, 2008
359
Catalina C30 MKIII WEST ISLIP, NY
I was dismasted last season. I had a '77 C30. Catalina had a new mast for me in Florida for just under $2000. The cost to ship it was slightly more than the cost of the mast.
 
jviss

jviss

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Feb 5, 2004
7,089
Tartan 3800 20 Westport, MA
AXEL said:
I was dismasted last season. I had a '77 C30. Catalina had a new mast for me in Florida for just under $2000. The cost to ship it was slightly more than the cost of the mast.
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When I bought my mast extrusion form them 17 years ago, for a C36 tall rig, so, 52'2", it cost me about $1800, and the shipping was quoted at about $900. I said, 'hey, can't you just throw this on a truck that's delivering a boat to the Northeast, and I'll pay the driver the extra to drop it at my boatyard?' They said yes. The wait was about 2 weeks. The difference was $50!
 
Jackdaw

Jackdaw

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Nov 8, 2010
11,386
Beneteau First 36.7 & 260 Minneapolis MN & Bayfield WI
A couple of week backlog it’s not that bad for a new mast. Normally takes them a month to generate one even if there isn’t backlog

They’re not sitting there on their hands waiting for your order. ;-)
 
C

Crazy Dave Condon

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Jun 8, 2004
10,376
-na -NA Anywhere USA
Thank you Jackdaw as many do not realize when a mast is ordered, it has to be made as they do not have spares in stock plus the commitments to manufacturers as well.
 
jviss

jviss

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Feb 5, 2004
7,089
Tartan 3800 20 Westport, MA
Don't get me wrong, I wasn't complaining about a two week wait, I was happy with that. Note that this wasn't a mast assembly, it was just the machined extrusion. Plus, I had to complete some machining that wasn't completed. But, no complaints.
 
AXEL

AXEL

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Mar 12, 2008
359
Catalina C30 MKIII WEST ISLIP, NY
jviss said:
When I bought my mast extrusion form them 17 years ago, for a C36 tall rig, so, 52'2", it cost me about $1800, and the shipping was quoted at about $900. I said, 'hey, can't you just throw this on a truck that's delivering a boat to the Northeast, and I'll pay the driver the extra to drop it at my boatyard?' They said yes. The wait was about 2 weeks. The difference was $50!
Click to expand
I tried that, they didn't bite. 17 years ago we're they in Ca or Fla? Twenty five years ago I was shopping for new upholstery. The best deal was to buy from the factory direct. They had it right there off the shelf. I had bought through a local NY Catalina dealer who arranged to have all the cushions placed in a boat that was being shipped cross country (Ca - NY). I saved big on that deal.
 
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