What would you do for a mast?

[davil]

Originally Posted by Mozzie

I thought I would reply to the topic using a little poem I have composed:

And I would do anything for a mast
I'd run right into hell and back
I would do anything for mast
I'd never lie to you and that's a fact
But I'll never forget the way you feel right now
Oh no, no way
And I would do anything for a mast
Oh I would do anything for a mast
I would do anything for a mast, but I won't do that
No, I won't do that

I hope this clarifies things.

did for me
thanks

[Mika1]

That's a great effort Mozzie. I enjoyed the laugh this morning.

The thing is though, that I don't believe I've ever expressed desperation to get something/*anything* that'll get me back in the water. I'm fortunate to not be in that position, and am imminently grateful for that. :-) I'll be buying a new mast - the question is whether I should travel to get it installed, if it would be prudent to do so, and if so, how far.

I feel like the guy who said he's looking for an outboard in the 30-40hp range with all the people saying he should get a 20hp motor. Haha - that's not what he asked about, just like I didn't ask how do I repair a mast. Thanks for the humor!

[Sailorbob8599]

Originally Posted by Mika 1

I wish it were a hypothetical question but it's not. It's my reality. While I'm waiting for quotes to come in from different places, I wonder how feasable it would be to motor my Irma-dismasted sailboat from BVI to somewhere else for a new mast and rigging. The rigging companies on the islands are overwhelmed with the amount of work and not likely to get it done in time to salvage the 2017 season (for a non-charter boat like mine). I also question the quality of work under the best of circumstances, let alone under the current conditions and certainly don't want carelessness or shortcuts to be taken. And that's not to mention the extra expense of having a mast shipped.

So, I wonder what would you do? Would you forfeit the hopes of a full season of sailing this year and pay whatever premium to have it done where the boat sits? (It is, btw, stored on the hard and thankfully stayed on the stands through the blow) Would you consider motoring the ~1000 miles to Florida to have the work done? Am I crazy for even thinking of it? What about taking her someplace like Martinique where the scheduling might be better but the cost would likely still be high due to shipping the stick?

I'm still waiting on estimates to start coming in and once they do it might make the decision obvious because cost is (needless to say) a major factor. In the mean time, I'd like to evaluate other options from a safety/cost/time standpoint and so I'd greatly appreciate the input and opinion of the collective. -TIA

Yes Mika 1, we certainly should have re-read your post before responding.

How silly it was for the majority of us to forget there are varying degrees of affordability; after all, you did say "because cost is (needless to say) a major factor." also, your basic query was:- "I wonder how feasable (b.t.w. it's 'feasible') it would be to motor my Irma-dismasted sailboat from BVI to somewhere else" and yes, you did state "for a new mast and rigging." - so your mind was already made up, and we blew it ... I must say Old Boy, that was awfully damned foolish of us ... what? (snotty exBrit comment).

I guess the confusion arose because many of us assumed you were counting pennies like many sailing folk and we foolishly attempted to help you save some BIG bucks.

Once again, it comes down to knowing more about circumstances than are given ... a picture would have been nice ... Had we known up front that "your pen is mightier than our tools" and there was no great hardship on your part to write the cheque why, we could not only have saved ourselves a lot of computer time, but we could have recommended all kinds of wild ideas to help you spend more of your moolah.

As it was, you had a great many of us foolishly feeling sorry for your predicament and wanting to help conserve your cruising dollars in any way we could. That's the reason many of us tried to convince you to perform a "standard sleeve repair" and keep your money in your wallet. But again, we could not 'see' your mast or its condition etc. etc.; oh well, easy come, easy go.

My apologies sir, if this sounds somewhat sarcastic ... because it is! ... I don't normally stoop this low and I now feel terribly ashamed of myself

[raybobsky]

How bad is the existing mast? Cut the break and fit the inside of the mast with a sleeve. If you can find someone to weld aluminum then have that done also.

[Sailorbob8599]

Originally Posted by raybobsky

How bad is the existing mast? Cut the break and fit the inside of the mast with a sleeve. If you can find someone to weld aluminum then have that done also.

Raybobsky, you're late to the party. Take a minute to read the previous posts and you'll soon realise you're wasting your time. This guy doesn't need help, he's got MONEY.

[JPA Cate]

Can't resist a limerick, and yeah, the rhyme's a stretch.

Says he, "I'll motor to Florida."
Says she, "'Twill cause you to chunder."
"Money's important!"
"The plan's ill portent."
"I'll buy new, and sorry to blunder."

[Cherod]

Originally Posted by raybobsky

How bad is the existing mast? Cut the break and fit the inside of the mast with a sleeve. If you can find someone to weld aluminum then have that done also.

Why would you bother to weld the damned thing , it is so much more hassle , you would still have to drill all the puddle holes to weld up , what a bloody hassle , just rivet it like everybody else , job done , strongermast fir fraction of the price , but oh that doesn't matter

[Jim Cate]

While many posts rightfully suggest sleeving and riveting as viable repairs, I wonder about the availability of suitable extrusions to make the sleeve. Some folks make their spar sections so that they nest from one size to the next and that at least makes sleeving feasible. How likely it is to find a few feet of the right section at his location, well I dunno, but I doubt if it is a slam dunk!

If the materials are available, it really is a simple, low tech, low skill requirement job to make a permanent repair. If one needs to fabricate the sleeve, it becomes a difficult job with high skill levels required for success... somewhat dependent upon the section shape for some are simple and some are complex.

It appears that the OP isn't interested in a repair, and that's his biz. Others in similar positions might benefit from the advice that he blows off... who knows?

Jim

[Cherod]

But Jim , sleeving and riviting a mast is not just a recognised proper way " to repair " a mast it is also a recognised and accepted way of building some larger masts , to suggest that it is in some way inferior or " a bodge " is , well we don't have to expand on that ..

[seahag]

There are two Hunters on my dock here in Florida. I can walk out to verify, but I could swear I had seen joints in the masts recently, and assumed they were sleeved to begin with. If that's the case, the whole conversation is about moot, though it seems like it sort of is, anyway.

Any thoughts on the DR as a good location for the repair? Potentially a lot more realistic than Florida I would think.

[Scout 30]

Anyone who acts like sleeving this would be simple has never worked on a boat. No repair ends up being simple on a boat. The damaged part of the mast will have to be cut out & so the mast will end up being shorter which will mean that the standing rigging will have to be shortened & maybe even the sails. Then you have to find the right extrusion to sleeve the mast which the OP may have to order anyway. The flip side is you order a new mast & when it shows up it turns out it's sleeved anyway or it's too long or too short. So either way I'd expect this to be a pain in the ass.

Regarding the original question, of course you can motor where ever you want to go as long as you have enough fuel & your motor is reliable. Expect the boat to roll more than you're used to but so what... welcome to trawler world!

[Cherod]

I don't think anyone is saying that it can be done on your lap-top .

[Mika1]

I'm surprised there's not a poetry thread for those who have a limerick or rhyme stuck in their head. If you've got the time to write, please be polite and we'll talk in prose instead.


I'm thinking of putting a boat in the water,
With no mast or sails, should I bother?
Wondering what distance would be too great,
Being met with ridicule and hate,
And y'all are starting to sound just like my father.

The idea was to start a conversation
With the people in the cruisersforum nation.
Asking others for their thoughts
Brought out a bunch of old sots
And all their attendant speculation.

Facing higher prices and questionable work,
The nation was asked to clear the murk.
You gotta sleeve it they said.
Get replacement out of your head!
And another sot got the perk of being a jerk.

I had something nice before and I'll have it again
The question is not "if", but a matter of when.
I'll not sail under an old church steeple
Nor overly rely on internet people
To float my boat or make my coming decision.

[Jim Cate]

Originally Posted by Cherod

But Jim , sleeving and riviting a mast is not just a recognised proper way " to repair " a mast it is also a recognised and accepted way of building some larger masts , to suggest that it is in some way inferior or " a bodge " is , well we don't have to expand on that ..

Read it again, mate. Nowhere did I say it was a bodge, and yes, I know that many larger masts are sleeved from the factory. His, in fact, may well have been so constructed.

Go pick on someone else.

Jim

[hellosailor]

When I see a mast that has been sleeved, I see a job where someone, of unknown skills, with unknown concerns, has performed several dozen rivet installations. The quality and correctness of each being suspect, since it is manual work done by an unknown stranger. And we ALL have met with work done by alleged professionals. Plumbers, diesel mechanics, engine shops, electricians, you name it. Heck, even doctors and dentists have screwed up.

So there's a splice in a critical piece of structure, which might have been done properly, and probably was done properly if it was done by the sparmaker at a proper facility with their usual credentialed staff. Probably.

Or, there's a one-piece extrusion, without the dozens of rivets to question.

Yeah, not that splicing can't be done and done well, but really? Would anyone choose to be the guinea pig who tests out a newly spliced mast, or even an aging spliced mast, when they could choose a single extrusion that just didn't have a potential of two dozen more failure points in it? I know, it should be vastly overbuilt and no one rivet should be able to really make a difference. And I've had "chewing gum and bailing wire" repairs last for decades.

Still...I can't blame someone for just not wanting rivets. (Hey, they don't rivet the wings onto combat aircraft any more, they use crazy glue.(G)