masting

[jmark]

Hi,
I have a boat with no sail rigging at all. Found a very good deal on a mast that is the same length as the original. The boom is longer, by about 3' or so. Probably because the boat it was designed for was 4' longer than mine.
Is it reasonable to think I could cut the boom down and make it fit? I think I have the original boom so maybe it could be used? Not sure how much of this stuff is generic. Is it at least reasonable to assume I could adapt this mast to my boat? Totally new to sailing and starting with a fix it up boat. $$ always important.
added info:
I have the orginal specs on the boat. I 28.6' , J 7.8, P 26.3, and E is 10.3
The boat was recovered from flood damage and was rolled over on its mast. I have the sails which are well used and will have to be replaced as well. I have "a" boom but not sure it is the original so I might be wrong about the comparison made above. Seems a lot of stuff got mixed up in the yard during clean up. The mast I found says it is almost new. Mast, spreaders, boom, haylards and stays.
Mast is 28' tall, 5" by 3 and 3/4 with a 12' 6 boom. Not sure again how well this stuff swaps around. I would like to keep the boat as close to original as possible but a new rig with all the gear was over $5000 from US Spar. This one is $1700 and same brand. I have only been looking for a few days and this is probably not the only deal that will come along but does look like a good match for a reasonable price. I appreciate the feedback. I have already learned a lot and realize I have a ways to go as well.

 

[Gary_H]

I really can't think of a reason why you couldn't shorten the boom. remove the endcap cut the spar then put the cap back on. Assuming that there is no taper to the boom.

 

[Ray Bowles]

Gary is right about the boom but before you start on this road here are other items of importance. You mentioned that cost is a factor which brings about these items. What do you have for standing rigging? What do you have for sails? etc. The foot of the sail is important for boom length. Mast heigth and whether it is a fractional or masthead rig has bearing on your choice. Standing rigging with the required wire and end fittings and deck hardware can be very expensive so if you have good rigging you might want to be able to use this.
If you have sails then your rig plans must be around the type of rig they require. Additionally, if the boat is a popular model or carries a good resale value then you might think about restoring it to the original rig to be able to recover the money invested.
Now my thought is......if you have very little tied up so far, and the new mast is a sweet deal and will make her a hot-rod, then make her a true HOT-ROD. In my old life there was no substitute for cubic inches. Now the holy grail is measured in square feet of canvas.
Good luck, Ray

 

[Ross]

The boom just has the clear the back stay when the sail is set. there is no law stating the length of the boom.

 

[Joe]

Hi,
I have a boat with no sail rigging at all. Found a very good deal on a mast that is the same length as the original. The boom is longer, by about 3' or so. Probably because the boat it was designed for was 4' longer than mine.
Is it reasonable to think I could cut the boom down and make it fit? I think I have the original boom so maybe it could be used? Not sure how much of this stuff is generic. Is it at least reasonable to assume I could adapt this mast to my boat? Totally new to sailing and starting with a fix it up boat. $$ always important.

Do not bastardize this boat! Restore to manufacturer specs. This boat is a popular racing boat...yours might have been used as a donor.... thus the lack of spars and rigging. Get a copy, or picture, of the sailplan with spar and rig dimensions. Follow it. Since you know nothing about sailing and sailboats.... start studying.... explore sailmaker websites...peruse anything you can find. try googling "beneteau 235". Here's a start: http://www.beneteau235.com

 

[Gary_H]

You said you have the original boom, why don't you use that? I assume you either have the original sails or are going to find sails that are to the original specs.

 

[woodster]

if you are close to Houston tx call merical auto parts up by the airport on the north side they may have one you could use...ask for gary and tell him woody refered you .....

regards

woody

 

[jmark]

if you are close to Houston tx call merical auto parts up by the airport on the north side they may have one you could use...ask for gary and tell him woody refered you .....

regards

woody

thanks but it seems he is no longer there.

 

[jmark]

Do not bastardize this boat! Restore to manufacturer specs. This boat is a popular racing boat...yours might have been used as a donor.... thus the lack of spars and rigging. Get a copy, or picture, of the sailplan with spar and rig dimensions. Follow it. Since you know nothing about sailing and sailboats.... start studying.... explore sailmaker websites...peruse anything you can find. try googling "beneteau 235". Here's a start: http://www.beneteau235.com

Point well taken. I am trying not too. Have not had much luck at the site you mentioned. I registered and have been waiting for a follow up that would allow me access. Never got it. Contacted admin. by email with no response to it either.

 

[OldCat]

Now my thought is......if you have very little tied up so far, and the new mast is a sweet deal and will make her a hot-rod, then make her a true HOT-ROD. In my old life there was no substitute for cubic inches. Now the holy grail is measured in square feet of canvas.
Good luck, Ray

Changing the sail plan is ultra-tricky because it will change the balance of the boat. Generally speaking since there are many other factors involved: A taller mast will add weather helm when heeled over. A longer main sail foot will probably add weather helm all the time. The OP's possible changes could open a big can of worms, not just boat trim but rig stress and safety.

Could anyone less than a Naval Architect do this safely - rig stress - and maintain rig balance?

Changing the boom seems safe if of adequate section, length and wall thickness. The other stuff requires a lot of engineering study.

OC

 

[dscribner]

Jmark,

Will restoring the boat to factory specs prevent you from sailing due to cost? If so, bastardize to your hearts content. Come as close to the standard lengths and heights as you can. If you change overall dimensions you may adversely affect the handling characteristics. Not a good thing. But if you're shallow in the pockets as some of us are, and a slightly longer boom is all that stands in your way, SawzAll do your stuff! Just take your time and do it right. Make it pretty. And sail your ascot off!

Don

Biddeford, ME

 

[Joe]

Point well taken. I am trying not too. Have not had much luck at the site you mentioned. I registered and have been waiting for a follow up that would allow me access. Never got it. Contacted admin. by email with no response to it either.

Say what???? You don't need to join anything to access what is there... and there's a lot. You could also call Beneteau... they still make this boat. Here's a very small sample of the info I found on this very, very excellent site. www.beneteau234.com from the "info index" drop down menu.

http://www.beneteau235.com/tech/Beneteau_First_235_Owners_Manual.pdf

http://beneteau235.com/beneteau_f235_standing_rigging.htm

http://beneteau235.com/f235_running_rigging.htm

http://www.beneteau235.com/line_drawings.htm

http://www.beneteau235.com/f235_deck_fittings.htm

http://www.beneteau235.com/f235_sail_plan.htm

http://www.beneteau235.com/f235_factory_parts.htm

Here's the mast......parts available from Beneteau factory.

 

[jmark]

Say what???? You don't need to join anything to access what is there... and there's a lot. You could also call Beneteau... they still make this boat. Here's a very small sample of the info I found on this very, very excellent site. www.beneteau234.com from the "info index" drop down menu.

http://www.beneteau235.com/tech/Beneteau_First_235_Owners_Manual.pdf

http://beneteau235.com/beneteau_f235_standing_rigging.htm

http://beneteau235.com/f235_running_rigging.htm

http://www.beneteau235.com/line_drawings.htm

http://www.beneteau235.com/f235_deck_fittings.htm

http://www.beneteau235.com/f235_sail_plan.htm

http://www.beneteau235.com/f235_factory_parts.htm

Here's the mast......parts available from Beneteau factory.

Yes thanks, I did get that same info and followed up with a call to US Spar. I may ultimately shell out for the new stuff just a little pricey. Also
I mispoke on the web site access. I was referring to the forum part. For some reason I have yet permission to post. No big deal except for it being much more specific in subject. Quit a lot of other usefull info though...you are quite right.

 

[Steve Dion]

Do not bastardize this boat! Restore to manufacturer specs. This boat is a popular racing boat...yours might have been used as a donor.... thus the lack of spars and rigging. Get a copy, or picture, of the sailplan with spar and rig dimensions. Follow it. Since you know nothing about sailing and sailboats.... start studying.... explore sailmaker websites...peruse anything you can find. try googling "beneteau 235". Here's a start: http://www.beneteau235.com

Joe: Think about this! How much is a 1987 235 worth? It is difficult to justify spending $5k on a boat that is worth $5k!!

 

[Joe]

Joe: Think about this! How much is a 1987 235 worth? It is difficult to justify spending $5k on a boat that is worth $5k!!

Steve, he did mention a $1700 number, but nevertheless... the boat is worth nothing as a sailboat as it stands. So the $5k doesn't look so bad. Would you purchase a sailboat with absolutely no rigging without researching the cost of restoration?...... neither would I. But we see these stories all the time in this forum. Jmark is fortunate in that the 235 has a huge support base.... something lacking in most project boats that come through here.

Some misunderstanding here....... I am not advocating rebuilding the boat exclusively with OEM parts. JMarks is a neophyte and will probably never race this boat... he just wants to go sailing.

Looking at used boat values however.. a properly rigged 235 in good condition could, in fact, justify a $5000 investment in OEM rigging depending on what he spent for the hull.... I think he could duplicate it for far less than that if does it himself, rather than buy the package from US spars. However, that would mean that he has to know what he is doing... thus I advocate a steep investment in the learning side of this project before he starts spending his hard earned money on inappropriate improvements.

So, what I am advocating is that he stay true to the original design specs, study the resources availiable and use the same dimensions if he builds his own spars and rigging. He doesn't have to have factory reefing and topping lift functions in the boom, they could be external. But the wire rigging should be spec.... Seco South offers a package for a very reasonable price, for instance. And the spreaders should be considered spec too. He can always add spinnaker gear later....

The beautiful thing about this project is that jmark has purchased a very poplar class boat that is widely supported by factory and owners alike. He should have no problem networking with these folks to increase his learning curve and get specific advice. This is in stark contrast to so many newbies that come here with unidentifiable wrecks they want to "restore".

My observation is that jmark has already done a lot of research.... and I am confident he won't spend his money unwisely once he has an educated set of priorities.

 

[jmark]

wow thanks so much for the continued input....so far i have nothing in the hull. LOL! other than $100 in paperwork, $175 in mooring fees ( a month till i get it home), $1300 for an aluminum cradle that has yet to be delivered. $ 100 in gas back and forth to the marina over the last few weeks to get things in order. i have looked at the asking price of other 235's and there is a rather large resource out there for this boat. all reasons i decided to give this "free" boat a home. I have found a reasonable lift fee and a borrowed 20' trailer to get it here. the cradle advice i got "here" and think it was a good decision. AGAIN, thanks for all the input. if it changes anything here is the post for the mast. nothing like pumping up the competition for items on auction :_)
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/e...19&item=320331861098&viewitem=&category=31281

 

[Joe]

wow thanks so much for the continued input....so far i have nothing in the hull. LOL! other than $100 in paperwork, $175 in mooring fees ( a month till i get it home), $1300 for an aluminum cradle that has yet to be delivered. $ 100 in gas back and forth to the marina over the last few weeks to get things in order. i have looked at the asking price of other 235's and there is a rather large resource out there for this boat. all reasons i decided to give this "free" boat a home. I have found a reasonable lift fee and a borrowed 20' trailer to get it here. the cradle advice i got "here" and think it was a good decision. AGAIN, thanks for all the input. if it changes anything here is the post for the mast. nothing like pumping up the competition for items on auction :_)
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/e...19&item=320331861098&viewitem=&category=31281

Jmark....... I hope you get your very cool boat up and running in due time. I just scanned through the owner's manual and I am very impressed with it, especially the sections on rig tuning and sail trim... it is very thorough. There's enough info in it to make you an expert on this forum if you study it and practice what it preaches. No wonder these boats are so popular. Never thought I'd say this but I like the 235 better than the Capri 22. It's very fast also.