Snapped mast

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May 26, 2010
5
Oday osprey home
I broke the mast of my early 1960's 16 ft. Osprey. I either need a used replacement (can't find) or can I cut down a newer longer mast (that fits into the mast seat) to a height that allows me to use rigging that I already have? I'm still kicking myself from bonehead move that resulted in this. Help!
 
Jan 24, 2005
4,881
Oday 222 Dighton, Ma.
I broke the mast of my early 1960's 16 ft. Osprey. I either need a used replacement (can't find) or can I cut down a newer longer mast (that fits into the mast seat) to a height that allows me to use rigging that I already have? I'm still kicking myself from bonehead move that resulted in this. Help!
Steve,
You need to find out what make your mast is. Dwyer built masts for some of the O'Day boats and I'm sure that they can make you up a new one. A rigger in your area probably has all the specs on the mast for your Osprey and he could probably build you up a mast just like your old one and use all the mast extrusions from your old mast. Also, there is an Osprey Association that you can check to find info on the mast. http://www.ospreysailing.org.uk/ind...ownload&view=category&id=2:measurement&Itemid=
Check out the I love O'Days web site for more info on this boat. If you can't find anything, give Rudy a call at D&R Marine in Assonet Ma.
http://www.drmarine.com/ The Osprey may be an old sailboat from the 1960s but a new mast of the same specs can still be made up for this boat. It's just a matter of finding a rigger like I did back in the early 1990s when my mast bent in half and went over the side. As I look back now, that unfortunate incident was the best thing that ever happened. It allowed me to talk the rigger into making some pretty neat modifications to my mast that I have grown very fond of to this day. Good luck!
Joe
 
Aug 8, 2010
3
Oday Ospray Merrimack
I think the UK Osprey is another type of boat; doesn't look anything like the O'Day version, alas.

We are also in need of a new mast. The previous owners snapped it about 1/3 from the top and put it back together with two metal braces, but that's not gonna work for us. Thanks for the pointer to Dwyer!
 
Jan 24, 2005
4,881
Oday 222 Dighton, Ma.
I think the UK Osprey is another type of boat; doesn't look anything like the O'Day version, alas.

We are also in need of a new mast. The previous owners snapped it about 1/3 from the top and put it back together with two metal braces, but that's not gonna work for us. Thanks for the pointer to Dwyer!
I believe that a mast is a mast is a mast. O'Day used Dwyer Damco, Z-Spar,(out of business) and Isomat Spars for their spar suppliers. You should be able to find a new mast for your boat pretty easy. I was pretty lucky that Rig-Rite in Warwick RI was able to locate a Z-Spar Mast w/ internal halyards for my boat back in the 1990s though.
 
Jun 2, 2004
1,952
Oday Day Sailer Wareham, MA
I think most early O'DAYs used ZEPHYR spars, Zephyr is still around, and located in Wareham, MA you could order a new mast from them, or just the extrusion. Given the age of the mast, I'd lean towards replacing the whole thing, aluminum fittings age and weaken, they also fuse to the extrusion after a while. Any local rigger/sparmaker can repair/replace most masts, I suspect most actually use the same extrusions (and maybe fittings). Zephyr does own the dies used to extrude their spars..... but really, Dwyer spars will be darn close! (Zephyr actually buys a few of their fittings from Dwyer instead of getting them made custom).
Zephyr is part of Cape Cod Shipbuilding, www.capecodshipbuilding.com
I'd be pretty sure that the Osprey used a Zephyr #1 extrusion, That should be similar to a Dwyer #275 section. My Dad used to have an old Beetle FALCON (the Osprey was a clone of the Falcon, and actually both were built by Marscot Plastics when Osprey was introduced) and the original mast was a Zephyr size #1, which is exactly the same as a Dwyer #275.
 

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Aug 8, 2010
3
Oday Ospray Merrimack
I think most early O'DAYs used ZEPHYR spars, Zephyr is still around, and located in Wareham, MA you could order a new mast from them, or just the extrusion. Given the age of the mast, I'd lean towards replacing the whole thing, aluminum fittings age and weaken, they also fuse to the extrusion after a while. Any local rigger/sparmaker can repair/replace most masts, I suspect most actually use the same extrusions (and maybe fittings). Zephyr does own the dies used to extrude their spars..... but really, Dwyer spars will be darn close! (Zephyr actually buys a few of their fittings from Dwyer instead of getting them made custom).
Zephyr is part of Cape Cod Shipbuilding, www.capecodshipbuilding.com
I'd be pretty sure that the Osprey used a Zephyr #1 extrusion, That should be similar to a Dwyer #275 section. My Dad used to have an old Beetle FALCON (the Osprey was a clone of the Falcon, and actually both were built by Marscot Plastics when Osprey was introduced) and the original mast was a Zephyr size #1, which is exactly the same as a Dwyer #275.
Thanks! I did check out the Zephyr page at Cape Cod Shipbuilding, and that extrusion is significantly less expensive per foot than Dwyer (though the guy at Dwyer was so damn pleasant, it's hard not to want to give him my business!) I'm going to give them a ring during business hours for a quote.

Wareham is closer to pick up as well.
 
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