Shorter mast for ICW ???

[TBA]

OK.

Maybe a stupid or naive question.

I am looking at boats in the 47-49' range. I eventually need the boat to have ICW air draft, but not for a few years - as I am going to take it to the Med immediately. Yes, I know I can buy a boat there, but for various good reasons can't/don't want to.

Many of the boats I am looking at have masts up to 70', which won't work.

However, many of these boats also have original or aging equipment and would need standing rigging and sails replaced in less than 5 years. All of the boats I am looking at had a shorter ICW compliant mast as an option when new.

So, when replacing standing rigging and sails, is replacing the mast also a viable option? How much more would that cost? Would I need to replace the boom also (to get comparable sail area) to balance the boat? Would I need to replace the furling hardware on the jibs or can those be 'cut down'. If I opt to do the mast/rigging first can the existing sales be resized?

Thanks in advance.

[Ericson38]

Originally Posted by TBA

OK.

Maybe a stupid or naive question.

I am looking at boats in the 47-49' range. I eventually need the boat to have ICW air draft, but not for a few years - as I am going to take it to the Med immediately. Yes, I know I can buy a boat there, but for various good reasons can't/don't want to.

Many of the boats I am looking at have masts up to 70', which won't work.

However, many of these boats also have original or aging equipment and would need standing rigging and sails replaced in less than 5 years. All of the boats I am looking at had a shorter ICW compliant mast as an option when new.

So, when replacing standing rigging and sails, is replacing the mast also a viable option? How much more would that cost? Would I need to replace the boom also (to get comparable sail area) to balance the boat? Would I need to replace the furling hardware on the jibs or can those be 'cut down'. If I opt to do the mast/rigging first can the existing sales be resized?

Thanks in advance.

Which boats in particular ?

[valhalla360]

Yes, you could cut the mast down...but I'll give you 10-1 odds it's a lot cheaper and easier to get a boat that already meets your needs.