Need to change our mast

[mlmordue]

Before we bought our ODay sailer, the mast was modified. I need to find someone who can put the mast back in its original form--the way it was modified is VERY difficult to set up/take down. I see other ODay sailers, and the mast is hinged. We are getting older, and we need a hinged mast.
Where can I find someone near Muncie IN who can change our mast back to the original hinged version?
Mary in Muncie

 

[Wntcrazy]

Have you tried drmarine.com ? they have most of the available replacement parts, very knowledgeable staff to help out with questions. In part it would help to know exactly what was modified and how.

 

[Joe11688]

Before we bought our ODay sailer, the mast was modified. I need to find someone who can put the mast back in its original form--the way it was modified is VERY difficult to set up/take down. I see other ODay sailers, and the mast is hinged. We are getting older, and we need a hinged mast.
Where can I find someone near Muncie IN who can change our mast back to the original hinged version?
Mary in Muncie

Mary,
You're better off finding a guy who does sailboat rigging in your area and bring the boat down to him. There may be a boatyard down there that specializes in sailboat rigging. A good rigger can cut that mast and install the hinged Tabernacle to the mast and have the stays fit just right. The lower half of the mast would be made permanent, and would have lower half of the hinge attached to it. Check out the yellow pages under Marine and sailboat rigging, or call a few boatyards and inquire. Good luck.
Joe

 

[Sunbird22358]

If this DS was built prior to about 1982 +/- the mast was originally one piece, no hinge. The mast stepped through the top of the cuddy and rested on a maststep located on the floor of the cuddy if a DS II or on a molded "box-beam" that extended forward of the CB trunk on a DS I.

Rudy Nickerson at D&R sells a mast-hinge kit to splice in a hinge just above the top of the cuddy. However, any good sparmaker will have the parts and can make this modification. DWYER Aluminum Masts sells the same parts kit as Rudy.