Drilling holes in spars - does it significantly weaken them?

[Davidhoy]

I'm considering drilling a row of holes in my boom to rivet on an awning track along its length. My concern is how much might it weaken the boom? Same thing goes for the mast (no, no awning track on the mast, this part is academic) - how many holes, and what size, can you make without compromising its strength?

Thanks,
David.

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by Davidhoy

I'm considering drilling a row of holes in my boom to rivet on an awning track along its length. My concern is how much might it weaken the boom? Same thing goes for the mast (no, no awning track on the mast, this part is academic) - how many holes, and what size, can you make without compromising its strength?

Thanks,
David.

For a mast, which is in compression, there will be little if any measurable effect as long as the hole has a fastener.

For the boom it’s all a gamble: it is pulled and pushed and smacked from so many sides and ways that booms fail many times more than masts. If a boom fails, I wouldn’t be surprised if a crack originates from a hole or fastener, but that doesn’t mean it wouldn’t have failed without that hole… itmay just have failed elsewhere.

[Russian007]

I have a 24' Alum mast. Diameter around 3". Went with mast mount radar. I'll need to drill about a 7/8" hole in the mast to snake the wires through. Will this weaken the mast?