What would you do for a mast?

[svrodeorm]

Originally Posted by Cherod

Many larger section " proper " masts are manufactured with sleeve within and can be very stylish !! , just cut the damaged bit off with a grinder , ( presuming you have access to power ) sleeving is very easy and bulldog your rigging to suit , you can do it all yourself , ( you might need some help lifting the mast back in !!

That's it!

As far as my knowledge goes, extruded alu profiles can only be a certain length. This means all very tall spars are sleeved and riveted from the builder. It sure as h@@l won't ever break at the sleeve where you got double thickness of the "alu pipe".

Get your tools out and confidence up and do it, or else hire a ' helper/foreman' to work with of your confidence level isn't up to the task at hand.

Good luck!

[rpjn59]

I love the lattice mast, built in mast steps!

[Sailorbob8599]

Originally Posted by Mika1

It's a fairly clean break but there's some deformation where it folded. It *could* be sleeved but that's not the kind of repair I'm ultimately looking to make. I'm sure there are people here who have sailed with a sleeved mast for years without issue (or know or have heard of people who have) but that's not my style. I prefer to fix things properly when I can. Besides, with the way things are on the island it probably wouldn't be done any sooner to just sleeve it and step it again with new rigging. Thanks for throwing that thought out though. All input is appreciated.

So ... if you have both top and bottom sections, what's the problem? Do a temporary sleeve job just to get you where you want to be for a complete new rig.
Who knows, maybe there's some salvage value in the old stick but there again, maybe not ... only you know its condition. This is a DIY job depending on your capabilities. If you don't trust your own abilities, surely there are fellow sailors in the area whose assistance you might enlist for advice and physical help?
I think the very "thought" of doing this temporary repair is more daunting than it really is. Once you get into it, you'll probably wonder why you ever had any concern; furthermore, it will build your confidence in doing other repair work. Give it a go. What have you got to lose? ... Good luck.

[captlloyd]

Originally Posted by Cherod

Where is he gonna find 100' of straight plumbing pipe ? And a welder ?oh and btw welding ( or grinding ) galvy is a pretty unpleasant experience

Home Depot & Harbor Freight. Welding galvanize outside is not a big deal.

[Sailorbob8599]

Originally Posted by rpjn59

I love the lattice mast, built in mast steps!

Yes! I thought that also. Doesn't have to be galvanized, only if it is intended as a permanent mast. Maybe the galvanizing could be done after it is welded up??? ... I'm not familiar with how that process is accomplished.
Would a lattice mast create a lot of wind noise?

[hellosailor]

Masts are often spliced/sleeved because of SHIPPING. Within the US, if they are over 53' long they must either be cut, or shipping as an oversize load, assuming they're still short enough to meet rules for that. And as soon as you ship offshore, you hit the same problem. Over 40 feet long, they can't fit in cargo cubes, they must be as deck cargo. So if you want a mast in one piece, you have to specify the shipping (if possible) or get to the mainland.
Certainly, IF you could find a welder to put a robust splice in the mast and use that to sail back to the US east coast (maybe Annapolis or points south?) then you'd be able to have the stick replaced in a proper fashion. How those costs would add up, I can't say.
If you can literally walk the yards to see if there's a similar boat & mast available for salvage, that's going to need the most effort but might be well worth it. There are plenty of Hunters...maybe you can find one where the hull was punctured and flooded, but the mast is still 100%.

[Cherod]

Originally Posted by hellosailor

Masts are often spliced/sleeved because of SHIPPING. Within the US, if they are over 53' long they must either be cut, or shipping as an oversize load, assuming they're still short enough to meet rules for that. And as soon as you ship offshore, you hit the same problem. Over 40 feet long, they can't fit in cargo cubes, they must be as deck cargo. So if you want a mast in one piece, you have to specify the shipping (if possible) or get to the mainland.
Certainly, IF you could find a welder to put a robust splice in the mast and use that to sail back to the US east coast (maybe Annapolis or points south?) then you'd be able to have the stick replaced in a proper fashion. How those costs would add up, I can't say.
If you can literally walk the yards to see if there's a similar boat & mast available for salvage, that's going to need the most effort but might be well worth it. There are plenty of Hunters...maybe you can find one where the hull was punctured and flooded, but the mast is still 100%.

no matey,, you do not need a welder to do a sleeve ,, a drill and a rivet gun,, and of course the rivets, preferably monel , is all that you need,, and some stands.. go for it, it is piss easy , you might even enjoy it.

[Cherod]

Originally Posted by Sailorbob8599

Yes! I thought that also. Doesn't have to be galvanized, only if it is intended as a permanent mast. Maybe the galvanizing could be done after it is welded up??? ... I'm not familiar with how that process is accomplished.
Would a lattice mast create a lot of wind noise?

obviously,,,, yuo are going to find some difficulty getting a ( presumably ) 50 \ 60 ft section galvanised in Pittsburgh let alone the VI,, but that don't matter as it only temp job anyway.

[Cherod]

Originally Posted by Cadence

I'm sure the people suggesting some of these Jury rigs are well intentioned. Sounds as though you have better sense. I'd rather motor than having something that might come down around you, so to speak.

obviously you are having a laugh

[Cherod]

it dosnt even have to be temporary ,,, you are probabaly in the biggest yacht breakers yard ever created , take advantage of all the stuff available and build yourself the best one off / " custom " mast that you can ever dream off.... enjoy... the only limiter is your imagination.

[Cherod]

Originally Posted by captlloyd

Home Depot & Harbor Freight. Welding galvanize outside is not a big deal.

oh yes it is !!! ( I don't know what experience you have ) either the welding is a right ( pc correct / CF acceptable ) PITH and unpleasant and unhealthy ( very !! ) or the grinding is just the same, ok if there is a decent breeze which to can keep behind you and you are using mma , but even then ,,,, well let me say,, rather you than me..

[Cadence]

Originally Posted by Cherod

obviously you are having a laugh

Yep, rebar, 2/4s and 1" water pipe. There are enough tales of proper masts failing. I don't know if it's a laugh or concern that someone might buy into it.

[Cherod]

Originally Posted by Cadence

Yep, rebar, 2/4s and 1" water pipe. There are enough tales of proper masts failing. I don't know if it's a laugh or concern that someone might buy into it.

yes ,, ok ,, you got my attention,,,, now how many stories ( reported ? ) do you have of home built lattice masts failing , ( in a 2k passage ?..) oh and also,, 2/4s ? what do you imagine that masts were built from before Alu was invented.. over. ( no ,, all in )

[Mika1]

Thanks everyone for your thoughts and input. Like many of you, I dislike when someone comes on here and asks a question but then argues with the advice given. I hope I don't give that impression...

I just deleted a big ol' long response about how unlikely it is to find a used mast on the island, the costs involved, and general pissery about how I'm looking to replace my mast, not repair it. Then, I realized I titled the thread "What would you do...". Obviously, many people would scrounge or sleeve and that's a-ok. I'm sure there are thousands of people who have thousands of miles on a sleeved mast and that's great. Personally, I wouldn't want to spend even a moment sitting in the cockpit wondering about the welding job done by workmen who I have an admitted lack of faith in for even the simplest of tasks - let alone about the metallurgy of the welded aluminum extrusion I'm depending on.

It's not for me, but I appreciate every thought and response offered up so far. Hopefully they'll be as much help to others who are in this position or are searching for options in the future as they are to me, but I'll be replacing my mast, not bodging it together beyond whatever jury rigging might be necessary *if* I take it off the island to have the work done somewhere else.

[IslandHopper]

Well then just order a brand new one and have it slotted in the back of an Antonov and you will have it in a few days, easy