Mast wanted

[Atraxia]

Hi forum friends,

We would like to replace our wooden mast with an Aluminium one.
If anyone knows of a mast suitable for a Mikelson 50 (like the Hudson Force) please give us a heads up.
The mast is 68' keel stepped.

Thanks a lot!
Ron

[UNCIVILIZED]

Hi, just a tip. The more detail which you post about what you need, specifically, in a tube, the better the responses you'll get.
Especially things like what you need as far as moments of inertia (Iyy, & Ixx), aka it's stiffness. In addition to what attachment points would be nice to have, & also what would rule out a possible tube (and why).

[ssanzone]

You might have good luck visiting your local boat yards as many yards get stuck with boats over the years and end up with a handful of masts laying around.

Another option is to speak with the marine salvage guys in your area. Generally, they are after the parts they can carry off the boat and whatever lead they can collect from the keel and the mast is more trouble than it is worth.

gl.

-steve

[UNCIVILIZED]

If you could come up with a make, & model, or the spar maker & which of their tubes it is, that'd go a long way towards letting folks know what you need also. Plus, with the aforementioned information, it'd be easy to look up the Iyy & Ixx numbers for the extrusion.
Armed with the latter, you're not limited to any particular manufacturer.

[Atraxia]

Thanks for your replies!

The mast we have now is the original wooden mast.
I know that modern Alu masts for the same size (length) boat are not sufficient as they are too weak.
The boat weighs 28 tons.
As for the rest of the parameters, I'll get back.

Thanks again!!

[Blue Stocking]

I doubt if the reduction in weight will have much effect on the sailing trim of 28 tons, but it does on 11tons and 41 ft. just sayin'.

[Atraxia]

Originally Posted by Blue Stocking

I doubt if the reduction in weight will have much effect on the sailing trim of 28 tons, but it does on 11tons and 41 ft. just sayin'.

The problem is the strength of the mast. It has to take the inertial forces that a 28 ton boat creates.
Though the current mast weighs almost 2 tons, a lighter mast won't effect her that much (as you said).

[Fiveslide]

Originally Posted by Atraxia

Thanks for your replies!

The mast we have now is the original wooden mast.
I know that modern Alu masts for the same size (length) boat are not sufficient as they are too weak.
The boat weighs 28 tons.
As for the rest of the parameters, I'll get back.

Thanks again!!

You keep mentioning length when that is probably not the most important dimension. You will need to get a 68' length of mast with suitable cross section dimensions and wall thickness to get the needed strength. Perhaps someone here can help figure out exactly what those should be with the numbers they've asked for.

I shopped a lot for masts for some smaller boats, one 36' ketch and one much smaller. It was my experience that all of the dimensions were reasonably relative to the others. If I found a mast suitable in length, then the cross section dimensions and wall thickness were adequate for that length of mast. You're right that this cross sections for aluminum masts will be larger than a wood one of comparable length, but I've found that generally the math has already been done for you. If you find a 68' stick, it will probably work.

Good luck finding one, I didn't see anything that long on the used market while I was shopping.