Wood Mast

[kennyarmes]

Can anyone tell me the difference pros and cons are wooden mast versus a alluminum mast I am thinking a bout buying a nother sailboat but it has a wooden mast keel step bebo will be used primarily for off shore cruising not racing and eventually circumnavigating thank you in advance any advice would help

[david7]

I would suggest that you do a good survey on the mast. Is it painted or varnished? I just spent all of last winter rebuilding my 53 year-old wood mast around the spreaders but from the outside it looked fine. You could only tell because of how it sounded when you hit it with a hammer.

I think wood masts are fine as long as they're taken care of...mine lasted this long and was sailed from Holland but you just have to take it on a case by case basis. If I had a choice I would go with aluminum but I don't think there is anything inherently wrong with wood.

[Wotname]

An Al mast is easier to maintain and requires less specialist knowledge; a wooden mast is a joy if owned by a lover of timber and the fine art of wooden maintenance.

f you can maintain / repair a wooden mast yourself great but if you have to pay then perhaps Al is a better option.

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, kennyarmes.

[Tellus]

Beside its beauty a wooden mast has more weight and the boat can work harder in rough sea.
But it´s difficult changing from wood to Alu because of different lateral ratios. So probably you need more weight in the Keel etc.

[zeehag]

i prefer my wood masts. both made 1976, still fine.

[witchcraft]

You don't mention it, but is the top of the mast capped? Paint is easier to maintain than varnish and provides more UV protection. We have a keel stepped wooden main mast and a deck stepped mizzen mast. All booms etc are also wood. we have never had any difficulties. Wooden masts would rather be stored upright than laid down, so that is something to keep in mind when storing for a long period of time off the boat. Ours are from 1982, and heavy.

[zeehag]

mine are hollow box masts with solid box reinforcement in essential locations fro fittings. there is a fitting on masthead that on mine is broken and requires repair, but is semi-functional for a while. it aint gonna sink me.
the reinforcing box is just under it, and water does not come down inside of mast. my boots keep water out of boat interior, easier to seal than are aluminum masts.....something to think about.
my main mast is keel stepped and mizzen is stepped on a crossmember beam 2 1/2 ft below deck, with a compression post we added below that. it aint coming down due to rotty beams ..and beam is on project list.
i like wood masts for reasons already mentioned--they seal better than an aluminum mast with permanent channel for sliders..those channels are difficult at best to fill.
wood masts are easier to repair than are aluminum as ye dont have to search fro a welder in exotic locales..just wood and feather it into the remainder of mast. takes glue,clamps, wood, and a saw.

[kennyarmes]

Thanks to all all I don't know if it's capped have not I have not looked at the boat yet just seen on line

[witchcraft]

zeehag
great description..we don't have leaks either due to our mast boot.

[zeehag]

i made my mast boot out of a kind of rubberized stuff sunbrella makes and sells for boat covers. waterproof stuff. i dont buy already made ones for 5 times the prie..is not necessary.
mast boots can be made from anything waterproof even inner tubes, which are cheap and easy to find. so are hose clamps in huge sizes.

[ewsponberg]

Engineering-wise, an aluminum mast can have the same strength, more stiffness, and lighter weight than a wood mast. It is the lighter weight and reduced maintenance that drove the acceptance of aluminum masts in recreational and competitive sailing. It is for the lighter weight that also drove carbon fiber construction to replace aluminum masts.

There is nothing wrong with a well-designed and built wood mast. If it is varnished, it will require more frequent maintenance of the finish than if it is painted. Yes, a wood mast is easier to repair if damaged. If you replace a wood mast with an aluminum mast (assuming proper engineering for the same rigging layout) you will likely be able to keep the same size rigging although the upper ends fittings will likely have to change to match the attachments on the new mast. If fact, my advice would be that if you are changing the mast, you should replace all the rigging new as well. The attachments on the deck will remain the same. No, you will not have to add more weight to the keel. The aluminum mast will be lighter, so the boat will be more stable with the keel that it has.

I hope that helps.

Eric

[kennyarmes]

Thank you for all the help

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