Mast Options ?

[otherthan]

How do I get mast specifications for my sailboat?
would any mast from a similar boat work?
can I build a wooden mast to replace my broken aluminium?
can a wooden mast be deck stepped or should it be keel stepped?

Continental folkboat (Whitby)

ps. considering junk rig!!

Thank for your help

[holmek]

jobi, - A mast is a stick that you can hoist sails up on. Any mast works on any boat, - some better than others.- a 10ft mast on a 50ft boat may be a bit slow, while a 50 ft mast on a 10ft boat may be a bit of a high aspect ratio ! Deck stepped requires a strut between deck and keel to hold the deck up, while keel stepped is stiffer due the support it gains at deck level. Generally mast height of around 15% greater than boat length-on-deck would be a good length. Wood/Aluminium, inside halyards/outside halyards is all a matter of personal taste. The pros and cons will drive you crazy!

[otherthan]

Originally Posted by holmek

jobi, - A mast is a stick that you can hoist sails up on. Any mast works on any boat, - some better than others.- a 10ft mast on a 50ft boat may be a bit slow, while a 50 ft mast on a 10ft boat may be a bit of a high aspect ratio ! Deck stepped requires a strut between deck and keel to hold the deck up, while keel stepped is stiffer due the support it gains at deck level. Generally mast height of around 15% greater than boat length-on-deck would be a good length. Wood/Aluminium, inside halyards/outside halyards is all a matter of personal taste. The pros and cons will drive you crazy!

the boat is 26ft so any 30ft mast will do...dont mater if its solid wood, hollow or aluminium???
easy enough!!
Thanks

[roverhi]

If you are short of money and a decent wood worker, you can make a wooden mast if you can find the straight grain fir or spruce to build it with. Be aware with a wooden mast, you'll have to make the hardware unless you get lucky on Ebay or your local marine consigment store. If you are going wood, I'd reccomend finding the hardware first and making the mast to fit. If you can do metal work and welding, making the hardware yourself is an option. If you have to pay someone to make the stuff, wood will probably be way more costly than buying an aluminum stick.

Masts in the height you need seem to turn up quite regularly in the major boating areas. May take a while looking on Craig's List but you should be able to come up with something over a year's waiting time. If there is anyone doing boat recycling in your area, you can probably find a stick right now. Boats with masts your size, seem to be the ones that are most often scrapped.

Junk rigs worked fine for the Chineese in the 14th century. There have been a few improvements in sail rigs since then. The rig does have some good points but sailing efficiency is not on of them. Just look at Blondie Haslers ssssslllllloooooowwww single handed passages to get an idea.

[jerrymc]

My Folkboat's mast was keel-stepped..wood..about 35 ft., I think

[Matt sachs]

Originally Posted by jobi

the boat is 26ft so any 30ft mast will do...dont mater if its solid wood, hollow or aluminium???
easy enough!!
Thanks

32' Clear fir old growth Tapered mast and boom spars | eBay

I just ran across this, it might be worth a looksy

[nwdiver]

Go talk to some riggers in your area, and let them know what you are looking for, a good piece of a taller mast may be or may become available at a cheap price, it helps if you give them the contract to rig it but they may have what you need sitting about gathering dust.
Getting good stable dry wood to build a wooden mast from is getting harder and harder to find and I have been told will cost about the price of an aluminum extrusion. You can't just use stud quality 2x4s

[otherthan]

Originally Posted by roverhi

If you are short of money and a decent wood worker, you can make a wooden mast if you can find the straight grain fir or spruce to build it with. Be aware with a wooden mast, you'll have to make the hardware unless you get lucky on Ebay or your local marine consigment store. If you are going wood, I'd reccomend finding the hardware first and making the mast to fit. If you can do metal work and welding, making the hardware yourself is an option. If you have to pay someone to make the stuff, wood will probably be way more costly than buying an aluminum stick.

Masts in the height you need seem to turn up quite regularly in the major boating areas. May take a while looking on Craig's List but you should be able to come up with something over a year's waiting time. If there is anyone doing boat recycling in your area, you can probably find a stick right now. Boats with masts your size, seem to be the ones that are most often scrapped.

Junk rigs worked fine for the Chineese in the 14th century. There have been a few improvements in sail rigs since then. The rig does have some good points but sailing efficiency is not on of them. Just look at Blondie Haslers ssssslllllloooooowwww single handed passages to get an idea.

Thanks for all the good advise....one question tho, aint that the (junk rigged) folkboat who finished 2nd in the trans atlantic?? this boat raced and crossed the pond 15+ times...would it qualify as sssssllllllloooooowwww llllllooooollll

[otherthan]

Originally Posted by nwdiver

Go talk to some riggers in your area, and let them know what you are looking for, a good piece of a taller mast may be or may become available at a cheap price, it helps if you give them the contract to rig it but they may have what you need sitting about gathering dust.
Getting good stable dry wood to build a wooden mast from is getting harder and harder to find and I have been told will cost about the price of an aluminum extrusion. You can't just use stud quality 2x4s

thats what I did and fund a dozen mast and rigings from recks at my local ship yard

still interested on a junk rig tho!!

[MichaelC]

Google junk rig and you'll find a lot of relevant info. There are a number of styles. You are right about the rig not being necessarily slow. Wood masts are easy to make, lumber yard wood will work if you choose carefully. I have done so on four boats. That information, too is available on line. There are sites out there with enough info to keep you reading for weeks.

[barnakiel]

Forget the junk rig. Buy a mast off a similar boat and adjust the fittings/rigging. A wooden mast can be built but may end up more expensive than an alloy one.

b.

[otherthan]

Originally Posted by MichaelC

Google junk rig and you'll find a lot of relevant info. There are a number of styles. You are right about the rig not being necessarily slow. Wood masts are easy to make, lumber yard wood will work if you choose carefully. I have done so on four boats. That information, too is available on line. There are sites out there with enough info to keep you reading for weeks.

yellow pin? a cheep and easy to work test

[Cheechako]

Check a rigging company, you can likely get your mast fixed/sleeved. stick with aluminum!

[psk125]

Yellow pine is likely to have knots, which are not good for a mast's longevity. It is also subject to big swings in expansion and contraction as it absorbs moisture and/or dries out. This makes for cracks in your mast, which are not good for a mast's longevity. This same feature also makes it difficult for varnish or paint to maintain a seal over it to keep water out. This enables water to get in, which is not good for a mast's longevity. Talking with a rigger about a used mast that might fit is probably the cheapest solution.


il faut cultiver notre jardin

[daddle]

Clever mast sizing trick: Make one that can use the same sails that a popular (maybe local) racing fleet uses. Great source of cheap sails.