The 23.5's maiden voyage: some good, some bad

SFKjeld

SFKjeld

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Mar 9, 2015
167
Hunter 23.5 Alameda Ca.
My new mast raising pole arrived yesterday, so we were excited to give it another bash. That's good. Got everything in place and went to set the pole, only to find the guys at Hunter cut it wrong. They drilled the holes east/west rather than north/south. The bad. Incredibly, we found a rigging shop down the street that drilled new holes in the pole and rigged new eyelets for $40. That's good. Got the mast up and furler attached. More good. Noticed though, probably residual damage from the pole bending, a crack in the mast foot or base. Looks bad. Am sure it happened when we bent the pole over. Mast was pulled quite a ways to the side.

So the question is, how bad? You can see the crack in this pic. I noticed when I bought the boat that some rivets at the bottom of the mast were bad, so the area needs work anyway. How dangerous tho is this? Note, I am a timid sailer, especially with a new boat. So am I okay setting sail in under 10kts?
 

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SFKjeld

SFKjeld

.
Mar 9, 2015
167
Hunter 23.5 Alameda Ca.
Yikes... Was just thinking about the foot of the mast. The crack maybe the least of it. Since the mast has no Backstay and lousy rivets, I wonder if I am in real danger of the mast ripping off of the hinge plate and falling forward? Anyone heard of this happening? What a nightmare that would be.....
 
A

ALNims

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Jul 31, 2014
208
Hunter 356 Huis Ten Bosch Marina, Sasebo, Japan
SFKjeld said:
Yikes... Was just thinking about the foot of the mast. The crack maybe the least of it. Since the mast has no Backstay and lousy rivets, I wonder if I am in real danger of the mast ripping off of the hinge plate and falling forward? Anyone heard of this happening? What a nightmare that would be.....
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It is always safer to get it done right. Especially critical equipment like the mast. With that crack you can never predict when it fails and how bad the failure will be.
 
N

Nils T

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Jun 1, 2014
44
Precision 23 Winter Park, FL
If it was my boat, I would replace the damaged piece. It is a critical piece of equipment. From the picture (it is hard to tell), it looks like the piece will not sit flat once it is welded. You have to replace the rivets if they look bad.
 
D

DJN51

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Oct 26, 2009
377
Hunter 23.5 East Chicago In
You can get replacement on this site store.Replace it you dont want to replace the mast!! or worst someone get hurt.
 
Jackdaw

Jackdaw

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Nov 8, 2010
11,386
Beneteau First 36.7 & 260 Minneapolis MN & Bayfield WI
As long as the mast is UP and the rig is tensioned, you are pretty much fine. the shrouds hold it in place and any contribution of the foot is spread over a lot of area. You can see lots of horizontal and vertical surfaces that take the load in all directions.

I would be very worried about lowering it backward. I'd try and find a mast crane to do the job.
 
SFKjeld

SFKjeld

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Mar 9, 2015
167
Hunter 23.5 Alameda Ca.
So if the mast is sitting flush on all sides, it should be fine despite a few loose rivets or despite the crack? And thanks for the warning about taking the mast down. I was worried about it, but without knowing why. It is a frightening process I think, given the forces at play and the delicate rigging that does the work. Is the problem that the plate on the bottom of the mast might fail causing the mast shoot forward and down? Can rivets be replaced without taking down the mast?
 
E

entmejia

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Apr 6, 2014
51
Hunter 240 Navarre
New foot costs $44, a new mast is closer to $1500, plus the injury risk involved, I think I would opt for the new foot.
 
SFKjeld

SFKjeld

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Mar 9, 2015
167
Hunter 23.5 Alameda Ca.
Yeah, I am sure you are right. Can rivets be replaced with the mast up?
 
R

rimaadams

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Jan 25, 2015
9
Hunter H 26 San Diego
I did a dumb thing and forgot to put on the baby stays while raising the mast. Fortunately, the only damage was to the mast foot, which I had to replace. I got a new one from the Sailboat Owners store. They got It to me in three days. I replaced the rivets with 1/4 X 1/2 inch screws. I wouldn't even think of using your old mast foot when a new one isn't expensive ( for my Hunter 26) was only $56.00. It only took around an hour to drill out the rivets, remove the old foot, insert the new foot, drill and tap the new holes, put lock tight on the screws, and screw them in. Done deal and I know it's safe. Just my opinion.
 
SFKjeld

SFKjeld

.
Mar 9, 2015
167
Hunter 23.5 Alameda Ca.
Mast foot on the way

Hunter was nice enough to send me the new mast foot gratis to compensate for the pole problem. I am really excited but also really worried about lowering the mast now. Have images of the plate blowing apart while bringing the mast down. All sorts of expensive and painful chaos would ensue. I think I am going to take it to the rigging shop to repair.
 
A

ALNims

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Jul 31, 2014
208
Hunter 356 Huis Ten Bosch Marina, Sasebo, Japan
SFKjeld said:
Hunter was nice enough to send me the new mast foot gratis to compensate for the pole problem. I am really excited but also really worried about lowering the mast now. Have images of the plate blowing apart while bringing the mast down. All sorts of expensive and painful chaos would ensue. I think I am going to take it to the rigging shop to repair.
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Smart move. Let the professionals do it and guarantee it. That way if there is problem later down the road you may have some recourse. Best of Luck.
 
C

Crazy Dave Condon

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Jun 8, 2004
10,397
-na -NA Anywhere USA
The mast foot is basically what I call pot metal and cannot be welded so a new one which you got was the way to go. When putting up any mast always point the boat into the wind and the same going down. I believe that is an old Z Spar mast foot and now U. S. Spars which is basically selling Z Spar but under a different name. Once it is cracked, the best thing to do is replace the mast foot. Not as much stress coming down vs. going up.
 
SFKjeld

SFKjeld

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Mar 9, 2015
167
Hunter 23.5 Alameda Ca.
Thanks Dave. Maybe I should bring it down myself. Seems an easy fix once down. Sure the rigging shop will charge hundreds.
 
C

Chief RA

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Nov 26, 2012
2,315
Catalina 250 Bodega Bay CA
Tie off mast base to 3 lines about 120 degrees apart to cleats/stanchions to safely hold it in place and drop that thing! I raised and lowered my Clipper Marine 26's mast on my shoulder. Chief
 
Jackdaw

Jackdaw

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Nov 8, 2010
11,386
Beneteau First 36.7 & 260 Minneapolis MN & Bayfield WI
SFKjeld said:
Thanks Dave. Maybe I should bring it down myself. Seems an easy fix once down. Sure the rigging shop will charge hundreds.
Click to expand
Be careful. The WORK applied to raise it is for sure less, but I can assure you that at any moment and/or at any angle of mast tilt, the axial force on the base is exactly the same - no matter if it is going up or going down.

These things break as often lowering as they do raising.
 
C

Crazy Dave Condon

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Jun 8, 2004
10,397
-na -NA Anywhere USA
Jackdaw;

Going up, you have to be more careful because there are times folks forget about lines, shrouds getting caught creating a lot of issues exerting forces on the mast and mast step. Coming down that is not the case. Pointed into the wind is another key as well and yes I have done it with a much worse crack than posted but extreme caution is urged. However, the decision will be left up to the owner.

Chief;

There are bridle or guide lines included with that mast to keep it from swaying. However, when lowering the mast on any 23.5 I always steadied the mast against my body to help keep it from swaying. I hope this answers both of your concerns.
 
C

Chief RA

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Nov 26, 2012
2,315
Catalina 250 Bodega Bay CA
Dave: I was referring to holding bottom of mast in place in case the step lets loose. This was generated by his concern for it coming loose at the base. Chief
 
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