Just shorten it by a couple of inches I've done it a couple of times in the past . remember the load is downwards not sidewards .I would not worry about that at all.
Lots of boatyards have old masts for sale if you ask. For me I'd take it to Fleetwood as is, then try to find or manufacture a tabernacle. That way you can cut a little off the base but keep the height. The big bonus about fitting a tabernacle is you can drop your mast anytime you like, which makes rig inspection & stuff easy
now that's a very good idea Terry might be able to do it himself with some help from the subscribers I bet there are some local ones near to him who would help if he asked.
We had one with highfield levers on the shrouds, but the rigger said he would not lower the mast because he was scared of it. The previous owner was catapulted into the air, then the water when dropping it.
Hi bumbling sailor, To get yourself to where your going, what youve suggest is the best fix - drilling the tip of the crack, say a 4mm bit will remove the stress concentration by producing a nice radius in the mast material. Putting some jubilee clips around the mast where the cast foot is located will help restrain the mast from expanding from the corrosion product between the masts cast foot and the extruded aluminum mast material. - trust me im a metallurgist !! When you get to where your going you can either cut the mast down a bit, clean it up and refit it or leave it the same lenght and get a mobile TIG welder to repair the crack. Happy sailing mate - Simon
Instep the mast. This can be done by hand with the help of a few people. In simple terms run a rope ( halyard) from the bow to replace the forestay. Slacken off the side stays and tip the mast backwards restrained by someone holding the forestay rope through the bow roller. ( I’m assuming the mast can rotate on the foot in some way). Once down shorten the mast. Rebuild the deck with a block of timber fibreglassed in to the thickness of the removed mast and then refit in the opposite manner to how you dropped it. Simples!
Hi Terry Sooner or later the mast has to come down whatever you do and the cheapest way is as you have already been advised is cut off and remove the damaged area of the mast base and get a cup made to make up the difference in height and re-step the mast Job Done! As As surveyor I visit many marinas/boatyards and my first plan would be spend some time on the phone and ask locally as there are dozens of masts and booms around boatyards and a few phone calls may well prove worth while. Short term yes strap it up horizontal as it probably been there longer than you think BUT agree pick your weather windows carefully
You may be a bumbling sailor mate, but your engineering brain never ceases to amaze me! Carry on son please... I really enjoy watching how you approach problems and get them sorted.
Hi bud, like you said drill it, then just get some 6 inch wide carbon fibre tape, give it 5 or 6 wraps around the mast, it’ll be stronger than new and you can do it in place in less than a day. So easy, quick, cheap and will last longer than rigging.
Are you sure the bottom of the mast is the only portion affected? If there is corrosion further up you'll have to scrap the repair option. So a thorough check of the whole mast is the first thing I would do.
Hi mr B I’ve just been watching some of your videos. As far as I can see from the interior of your boat it looks like a Contesa 32 Designed by David Sadla. I’ve been thinking about a simple fix for your mast. Make a cardboard Temblett to have a SS strap fabricated to clamp 4 to 5”around the mast. I’ve taken the inner passage a few times by keeping close to the bill, normally if you have wind with tide, keeping close to the bill the race is fast but flat.
The junk rig is probably a junk idea. Shorten the mast by a few inches provided there is good metal there. You will have to probably shorten the stays to suit and put up with a few whacks on the head until you get used to it
Strengthening your fordeck for the junk rig wil be a costly build . Also making a foot for the mast. I would forget junk rig , strengthen the mast foot with a strong strap and get sailing. That’s what you are there for!
I think you can stabilise this mast whilst you source another second hand one. Yes drill the end of the crack- careful not to damage cables inside etc a bandit or substantial jubilee style clamp round the lower edge. You nearly showed a hole..? At the aft side , would need to see more. Is there a drainage hole at the bottom which is blocked? Changing to a junk is a far bigger prospect, but there is much knowledge and enthusiasm about this subculture , and I am sure you can find much help here if you choose to follow this way, but it seems a much bigger job than finding another section. I saw a suggestion to shorten the section which is also a solution, along with shortening all wires of course. Don’t despair you are not the first to encounter such problems, it’s all a journey and frankly makes the channel more interesting, much as you want to head off soon, you will get there👍
A chap i know in the marina had a crack like your's and drilled two holes in the mast, one at the base and one 5 inches above it and poured epoxy in to form a plug , Four years later, its still in place and has worked a treat.
Drill the hole as you said then get a piece of aluminum sheet 50mm wide or so then shape to the mast curve and pop rivet it in place maybe with some 5200 between the patch and the mast. I saw a friend to this on his 30' boat a couple of years ago and he has had no issues. He races the boat hard.
Drill a hole across the mast. Slide a rod in. Place spacers under the ends of the rod to take the mast load on the rod, cut the mast foot, install a spacer.
Shorten the mast and make an alloy foot to make up the height difference fairly cheap and straightforward. Unstepping and restepping the mast without a crane will require some braces, ropes and pulleys but is still completely doable by yourself with a little planning.
Bad news, but I agree with others , You could just thickness check the base (ultrasound) of your mast to get to the best thickness and remove the defective section. Another suggestion is to give us all your existing mast spec/ boat etc and we can all look for the a scrap boat or mast. The issue here could be transport costs but hey its an idea to work on.
To get you to Fleetwood, drill a 3/4" hole at top of crack, buy a 18" / 24" aluminum pipe clamp the diameter of your mast for the bottom of the mast to above the crack and torque the hell out of it. I have a friend on rhe west coast of Scotland that did this 16 years ago and he's still sailing with the pipe clamp in place.
Drill it, weld it, and shape a two foot long wooden plug and insert it inside the mast to shore it up from the inside. Often a repair will be stronger than the original. Your thinking about investing more in to changing things, than it would take to just repair it. If you can't remove the mast, maybe fabricate a two part collar to put around the outside and bolt it together at the ends? I reinforced the ends of my swim ladder tubes by filling the ends with thickened epoxy, and redrilled the holes. Maybe you could inject about six inches of thickened epoxy in the the mast base?
You've got light winds and high pressure for at least a week. I'd get on with moving. It will be a lot easier than battling the prevailing south westerlies.
Also watched someone try to weld a similar crack on a mast, the welder was having no luck due to the thickness of the material and the impurities that affected the welding process, he said it would just make the problem worse. Aluminium can be a right bugger.
I'm a fan of junk rigs and cat rigs too. Cat rig is like a windsurfer with a wishbone. I have no experience with either of them but I do appreciate the simplicity of something with many less parts. Big downside though is if your main goes to shit on a sloop rig you can limp along with the headsail, with a junk or cat rig there's no backup.
Just shorten the mast with 4 inches and have your stanchions shorted, if you can live with the boom hanging a bit lower. It's by far the cheapest option I think. Regarding completely redesigning the rig. It might turn on to be far more expensive than anticipated, and the question for you is if the boat is worth it.
I'm with you on drilling at the end of the crack to stop it. I would be looking at then welding it and putting a patch over it and riveting it. I reckon keeping a look out for a second hand mast would be a thing. Junk rigging is going to cost you. There is also the option of cutting a bit off the bottom, buying a small section and sleeving it. Loads of masts are sleeved. About getting the mast off and on. Some clubs have a crane and it is way cheaper than that to get the mast off. It probably only weighs about 110 kilos. Even our club has a crane at about $45 a go. However getting to Australia would take you a while.
I am not sure if i would panic too much about that. There’s corrosion bursting the mast extrusion for sure. Ideally you need to unstep it and dismantle it to clear the corrosion and probably shorten it by a few centimetres to eliminate the crack. In the meantime I would simply strap it with stainless jubilee clips or even heavy duty tie wraps. The bursting force is not yet compromising the ability to bear the compression load. How about a hinged mast step fabrication? I do possibly have a spare mast that may be long enough with sails and a furling head going free. I shall get the length measurements for you ASAP.
Shorten it by 4 inches add a hardwood tabernacle to add height back brace the weak part of the part with giant jubilee clips insulated from stainless/alloy corrosion
Can you not stabilise the corrosion and tig weld some strengthening plates on of marine grade aluminium. In my home town of Alnwick, Northumberland for many years we had a company called Aln Marine who specialised in aluminium boats for the offshore industry, wind farms , salmon farms etc, some of there vessels were huge. Best wishes . I am sure it can be repaired without shortening or taking down the mast, just a qualified Tig welder.
Either chop a few inches off it or get in touch with boat scrapyard and see if they have a mast, no matter what option you choose the mast has to be removed even if you go junk rig
Unless the rest of the mast and the boom are riddled with corrosion don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater. The value of your sails, existing spars, winches and all of your standing and running rigging etc is pretty substantial and you’d be trashing all of that for an inferior rig if you pursue the junk rig. You will have to lift your mast and you may have to replace the mast step/boot that locates the foot of the mast in place but, as others have said you can repair the mast. But don’t shorten it as it’ll cause more work than necessary in readjusting your standing rigging and it will lower your boom (getting closer to sconning you as you go about). Get an ally’ fabricator to cut the foot back to clean metal, replace the missing piece and add a sleeve over the outside covering the newly welded area to reinforce the whole repair.
If you prepare a wooden block to place under the foot to retain the height and avoid messing with the standing rigging, then you might even be able to just lift the mast a few inches, cut and lower it back down. I’ve seen masts get stepped/unstopped by fendering up between two other sail boats and using a halyard from each to lift/lower the mast on the middle boat. If you can do it without removing the mast completely, maybe you could get creative with some bottle jacks or acroprops just to lift it enough to cut, would need to secure the bottom with some lines to keep it from kicking out, sketchy but ghetto option.
Possibly, change all the bolts etc in the mast for ally ones, get the crack welded by a good aluminium welder person and make sure your anode protection is good enough
Pop rivet an aluminium plate U shape 4 inches wide on the base. I assume there is a casting that the mast fits to on the deck. Releaving the crack tip works if you can restrain the propagating energy, keep those band clamps tight and in place.
Cheapest is to cut off and carry on. Bur rigging might be too short. So get/ make a temp or permanent step/tabernacle as others suggested suggestion suggestion. Junk on this boat would cost time and money and bert fees, and make the boat a disappointing performer. You can jack the mast use lines on rigging ends if necessary. Scissor car jacks work. Very best of luck.... dont jump into it too quickly. Geoff New Zealand.
Sailing Wave Rover is building a boat with junk rig, and he looks like a kind person. Try to ask him about junk conversion! Till that, you can wrap around the first 30-40 cm with stainless steel sheet and lock it with clamps. Drill a hole at the end of the crack is very good idea to stop the crack. Keep up, I have faith in you!
I would do as others have suggested, drill the crack, support the base as well as you can, then look for a second hand mast or shorten your current one. Either a better solution than a junk rig.
Sir first off i am no sailor, that being said iv worked in the marine industry for years. i would say that you're cheapest option would be to drill the whole to stop the crack, through some epoxy to help proof it ( temoprary ) and clamp the crack. then when you get where you are going trim the mast for the perm fix.
Make a new step from an ofcut piece of hardwood to compensate for the piece you cut from the mast so you don't have to adjust the rigging. Its no big deal. It will last another ten years. Find a free replacement mast from a hurricane wreck in the tropics if you want to.
Junk rig would be a major refit. New running rigging, epoxy and fiberglass re-enforcement of the deck and bilge, sail fittings that you'd have to buy. If it's just a crack at the bottom, how much would it cost to have a welder come out and weld an aluminium "callar" around the base. Kind of like a sleeve, but you don't have to de-mast it.
Could you possibly add a tabernacle type base to your mast!? Would be cheaper than buying a new one. It's basically a big hinge that bolts through the boat and through holes in your mast. A good fabricator could probably build you one cheaper!? My boats got one... allows me to drop and raise the mast to go under bridges. Not that I do lol. Might be worth pricing it up and speaking to someone more knowledgeable than me before scrapping the mast itself
What stops you drilling hole (to stop spread), welding crack and then add a collar? Changing mast position and structure will change the weight balance and whole performance of the boat, and the extra work will make it cost more
If you enjoy sailing to windward, FORGET the junk rig. I know they have there aficionado’s & simplify sail control but they really don’t go to wind. Before you get too disheartened and give consideration to replacement, get a proper rigger to look at it - I’ve seen infinitely worse that have been very cheaply repaired. A diy permanent fix (which still involves unstepping) is aluminium brazing which would need the anodising removed in the repair area (as would TIG welding). To get you back to Fleetwood, drill the top of the crack, smooth any rough edges, wrap it with a few thickish layers of dpm type material & clamp with 4 - 6 jubilee clamps. Almost as good as new. Then the hard bit. Avoid beer & eating for a few weeks & get the mast down!! Definitely repairable & definitely relatively cheap (by marine standards!!). Mate had a similar sized boat, base of mast far, far worse than yours; bodge job with jubilee clamps lasted 7 years! One last piece of advice. If you’re wanting to set sail for warmer climes, ie, carribean etc, that mast is coming down anyway before ANY extended cruising. Best of luck & if you’ve any further questions don’t hesitate to ask.
A 10 minute conversation with an old rigger present on your boat would change your world right now. I suggest buying a quality box of beer and a couple cuban cigars to entice him or her aboard and see what they say. At the very least you get to drink half the beer and blow some smoke rings. It appears to be perfectly repairable.
Another one for shorten it . I have just done that exact same thing no probs . Mine was all split at base... Rigging still was ok length so perfect. If you do the junk rig you still have to take the mast down anyway so just cut and put back up and get sailing.
As has been suggested temporary fix then shorten the mast. Such cracks are usually caused by expansion corrosion in the mast base. Clamped it will be fine for a long time. Use t hose clamps not cheap threaded band style. Extra rivets also. Insulate with Duralac or similar. Have seen similar age wear and tear over 50 years and while a repair is needed l have never seen such damage lead to catastrophic failure.
Can you get a piece of pipe the mast will sit into ? Mabe if you dont want lift the mast you could cut the pipe and get some colars welded on . Then bolt to deck .
I’ve manually unstepped and stepped a mast. Just used a few people on the halyards and shrouds. I’ve also seen it done using a high harbour wall. I’ve also seen it done unintentionally on a ship before….. Keep the same rig, repair what you got. I’ve seen shortened, plugged, welded, plated and tied repairs before. Good luck, don’t over think it.
I like the Fred Dibnah T shirt ! 👍 No need to over think it, patch it up to get you home then take the mast down etc. I think the idea to cut away the damaged part is fine but making a tall foot to make up the gap could be problematic, you would be introducing a hinge with that method. Just shorten it 👍
Probably a silly idea, but how about drilling a hole above the plug and then tipping in epoxy. Cheap and nasty but as strong as the alloy. The heat while curing might be an issue?
Love the bumbling channel! We sail on the northern coast of the Gulf of Mexico and Lake Pontchartrain in Louisiana, USA.. Make sure that water that can get into the top of the mast can drain freely to mitigate further corrosion.. under the jubilee clamps, install a cuff of fiberglass and epoxy , maybe 8-10 inches tall .. then put the clamps back on. Good job drilling the crack end. Good Luck to ya!
As someone else mentioned, just shorten the mast, with any luck your bottlescrews might even have the travel in them to take up the slack in the shrouds/stays. Make sure you cut off the bottom though, not the top lmao.
To lower mast for free: Both you and PamC or other big boat side on to a pontoon, but bow to bow. Facing each other. Use her halyard and long line to lower your mast down. Before you start lowering, Wooden blocks strapped for and aft of mast foot ao it wont kick. Big long wood across the push pit. As mast will hang over back of boat. Sails and boom off before you start And make sure the halyards ar in ok condition and the rope bwtween the 2 spini halyards is long enough. You dont want to run out of line before you have lowered it on the deck. Your 9m mast wont be heavy. 2 people can easily lift it. You should be able to step it this way too. Yes i have done it this way twice before. For keel stepped mast i have done it side too a much bigger boat and used their mast to step it. That was a bit harder to line up. But also doable 😂
Like others in this thread, you should consider shortening the mast just above the crack and tightening the standing rigging. Probably the cheapest option. In the short term, drill stop the cracks temporarily.
Have you looked into some kind of mast foot or even a tabernacle style mast step that allows you to chop the bottom off without changing the height of everything?
A collar clamp for temporary fix. Basically heavy gage aluminum wrapped around the base of the mast with 4 large worm gear clamps. It's not a perfect solution but it could give you the time you need to get to the next steps. I haven't read the other comments so others are likely to have better suggestions. In any case, keep at it. We'll be watching!
Although there are chaper options (like cuting 4 inches off the mast) a junk rig would make you stand out from other youtubes! Because lets be honest, everyone on youtube sails a Bermuda rig!
Didn't wildlings unstep with a simple wooden A frame? Then chop a bit off the bottom and either build a step or adjust the rigging for the shorter mast.
Shortening the mast by a couple inches will work. You’d also move the forestay and shrouds up the mast by an amount equal to the amount removed at the step (this saves your current rigging). The backstay will have to be shortened as well, and hopefully there’s enough adjustment available that refabrication isn’t needed. If not, shorten it using a Norse fitting. As a more temporary solution- a mobile welder who can weld aluminum could be used. A capable welder could drill the stop hole and grind a v into the crack with the mast in place, adding a fillet weld. There are fireproof blankets which can be placed on the decks. As a former construction manager, I’ve hired many mobile welders who had leads as long as 300’, and some with more portable rigs. To move the boat to another anchorage without any repairs, just reef the main, fly your working jib, and wait for a lighter weather window. Another temporary measure could be to have an aluminum collar fabricated, that wraps around the base of the mast, with a couple of bolts to close it (like a stovepipe collar). I’m sure you’ve thought of all this, so I’m really just offering more opinion to help you weigh your options. Cheers, mate!
Additional thought: your boat should be kept to fair weather coastal cruising, unless fitted with a complete new rig- even if the mast is shortened or welded. There could be more cracks and fatigue that can’t be seen yet.
I think you should push on, dont push it in big winds, if your gentle you'll be able ro sail it home no bother ,its got you this far, no gale force winds though but its not the end, keep going lad!
Did the Crack just appear or had it always been there and you didn't notice it? Realistic options have already been discussed repair the base of the mast by taking mast down and shortening 2 or 3 inches you may be able to just tighten the rigging screws only to readjust, but possibly you can also just weld up the cracks. Personally I doubt its that dire so I would sail on and sort it out when you can later as you will need to unstep mast anyway to check all fittings at some point and those bolts or screws go into a fairly solid block of aluminium already that runs up the inside of the mast a few inches. More likely a good welder could disassemble then weld grind and restore to original for a few quid didn't you say you had a mate who did that sort of thing. I wouldn't set off on an Atlantic crossing like that but for coastal cruising .......meh. Years ago I had a mate with a similar (maybe larger) boat to yours who couldn't afford to unstep I was among a group of mates who cme help and we hand lowered the mast like you would a trailersailer it turned out pretty easy really to take down and put back up. Long story short Mountain...............Molehill its fixable and not likely to be particularly dire. Junk rig is awesome but its not in your current short term future. Skill and cash will come so it could be in the future. For sail design look at the Mingming 2 video series on RUclips Roger Taylor. But its a simple easy rig but still costs and a huge boat rebuild.
"Woolding" - wrapping rope around the mast to bind it and stop it splitting (more). If nothing else, it'll hide the damage. Usually no need to worry about oxidised (rusted) aluminium, it's not like iron that falls apart. Don't mix metals - aluminium + steel - if you can help it, remember there's a reason for sacrificial anodes under the boat. Changing the rig is almost certainly a lot of work for no benefit.
.Sorry to hear about your troubles Terry, seems like a lot of people have made some good suggestions here. Look at making up an A frame to bring the mast down with a few mates help. Cut the damaged part off and get a new step made up to get the vertical dimensions back to what it was for the rigging. Best wishes
While I agree that shortening the mast and adding a tabernacle is probably the cheapest option, I've seen others tact a sail track to a pole (wood or aluminum) and use it as you already are. You could, also, convert your main sail to a gunter rig. I hope I spelled that right.
If you are working with your mast and wondering if its the end, just stand at the bow or stern looking at the mast. Tip your head slowly backwards until you see only sky, then bring your head slightly down until you just see the mast, and there, is the end of it...
As many others have said, shorten the mast. If you want to keep the rig the same height you can always raise the mast step. You should be able to drop the mast on the boat with a couple of helpers. No need to pay to have it lifted out.
It looks like the comments are very positive, if I had your problem as you say there are some good people out there, and remember we are all beside you as you make yor way north 👍👍👍
Lots of great suggestions. I would NOT sacrifice cabin space for a keel step. Your space is already limited. Also, your hatch is very important for fresh air in the cabin. They spend a lot of time open.
So drill your hole and try to get a welder on it. If they wont bite, drill it, wrap it in dyneema lashing nice and tight then go for a little bit. You gotta unstep the mast, cut it off flush and subtract the same amount from the rigging with Stalock studs. Or make a taller step. Just take off the foot take it to a welder and tell him to raise that ring however much you cut off with a 1/4 plate aluminium box. Much cheaper than trying to reconfigure a whole rig. Raising the step will likely be less than 8 sta lock studs, so look at it both ways. Likely you need new rigging so stalocks are a good start until you can afford new wire. Good luck. Did that job for a client recently. We cut the wire down when we re rigged the thing. Not a hard process you can do it!
Just shorten it by a couple of inches I've done it a couple of times in the past . remember the load is downwards not sidewards .I would not worry about that at all.
I was just about to suggest that 👍
Was just about to say same just shorten it by six inches
Could it not be knocked off by 4 inches and placed on a block so the rigging stays the same. I have no idea if it is feasible?
That was my first idea as well
Or an extra layer alluminium on the outside and let somebody weld them together
Lots of boatyards have old masts for sale if you ask. For me I'd take it to Fleetwood as is, then try to find or manufacture a tabernacle. That way you can cut a little off the base but keep the height. The big bonus about fitting a tabernacle is you can drop your mast anytime you like, which makes rig inspection & stuff easy
now that's a very good idea Terry might be able to do it himself with some help from the subscribers I bet there are some local ones near to him who would help if he asked.
This seems an excellent idea/solution
We had one with highfield levers on the shrouds, but the rigger said he would not lower the mast because he was scared of it. The previous owner was catapulted into the air, then the water when dropping it.
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Hi bumbling sailor,
To get yourself to where your going, what youve suggest is the best fix - drilling the tip of the crack, say a 4mm bit will remove the stress concentration by producing a nice radius in the mast material. Putting some jubilee clips around the mast where the cast foot is located will help restrain the mast from expanding from the corrosion product between the masts cast foot and the extruded aluminum mast material. - trust me im a metallurgist !! When you get to where your going you can either cut the mast down a bit, clean it up and refit it or leave it the same lenght and get a mobile TIG welder to repair the crack. Happy sailing mate - Simon
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Weld a sleave around the cracks
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Instep the mast. This can be done by hand with the help of a few people. In simple terms run a rope ( halyard) from the bow to replace the forestay. Slacken off the side stays and tip the mast backwards restrained by someone holding the forestay rope through the bow roller. ( I’m assuming the mast can rotate on the foot in some way). Once down shorten the mast. Rebuild the deck with a block of timber fibreglassed in to the thickness of the removed mast and then refit in the opposite manner to how you dropped it. Simples!
Needs a tabernacle to do this, he has to lift it first to get it off the step, unfortunately.
@@ItreboR63I agreed, I thought the mast here had to be lifted up but wasn’t sure. I could do this on my previous two boats but not the one I own now.
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Hi Terry Sooner or later the mast has to come down whatever you do and the cheapest way is as you have already been advised is cut off and remove the damaged area of the mast base and get a cup made to make up the difference in height and re-step the mast Job Done! As As surveyor I visit many marinas/boatyards and my first plan would be spend some time on the phone and ask locally as there are dozens of masts and booms around boatyards and a few phone calls may well prove worth while. Short term yes strap it up horizontal as it probably been there longer than you think BUT agree pick your weather windows carefully
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I've no suggestions but as a fellow newbie I admire your courage and just do it attitude. Hopefully this will help a little.
Thank you!
I emailed Seldon on your behalf :)
😂😂😂 My mate that works there said it landed in his inbox 😂😂 Cheers!
The first few seconds on their own makes this already perfect
I’m sure with all the good advice you will figure something out!
You may be a bumbling sailor mate, but your engineering brain never ceases to amaze me! Carry on son please... I really enjoy watching how you approach problems and get them sorted.
Hi bud, like you said drill it, then just get some 6 inch wide carbon fibre tape, give it 5 or 6 wraps around the mast, it’ll be stronger than new and you can do it in place in less than a day. So easy, quick, cheap and will last longer than rigging.
Carbon is no good here. It has zero sheer strength.
Are you sure the bottom of the mast is the only portion affected? If there is corrosion further up you'll have to scrap the repair option. So a thorough check of the whole mast is the first thing I would do.
Hi mr B
I’ve just
been watching some of your videos. As far as I can see from the interior of your boat it looks like a Contesa 32 Designed by David Sadla. I’ve been thinking about a simple fix for your mast. Make a cardboard Temblett to have a SS strap fabricated to clamp 4 to 5”around the mast.
I’ve taken the inner passage a few times by keeping close to the bill, normally if you have wind with tide, keeping close to the bill the race is fast but flat.
The junk rig is probably a junk idea. Shorten the mast by a few inches provided there is good metal there. You will have to probably shorten the stays to suit and put up with a few whacks on the head until you get used to it
Strengthening your fordeck for the junk rig wil be a costly build . Also making a foot for the mast. I would forget junk rig , strengthen the mast foot with a strong strap and get sailing. That’s what you are there for!
I think you can stabilise this mast whilst you source another second hand one. Yes drill the end of the crack- careful not to damage cables inside etc a bandit or substantial jubilee style clamp round the lower edge. You nearly showed a hole..? At the aft side , would need to see more. Is there a drainage hole at the bottom which is blocked? Changing to a junk is a far bigger prospect, but there is much knowledge and enthusiasm about this subculture , and I am sure you can find much help here if you choose to follow this way, but it seems a much bigger job than finding another section. I saw a suggestion to shorten the section which is also a solution, along with shortening all wires of course. Don’t despair you are not the first to encounter such problems, it’s all a journey and frankly makes the channel more interesting, much as you want to head off soon, you will get there👍
A chap i know in the marina had a crack like your's and drilled two holes in the mast, one at the base and one 5 inches above it and poured epoxy in to form a plug , Four years later, its still in place and has worked a treat.
Drill the hole as you said then get a piece of aluminum sheet 50mm wide or so then shape to the mast curve and pop rivet it in place maybe with some 5200 between the patch and the mast. I saw a friend to this on his 30' boat a couple of years ago and he has had no issues. He races the boat hard.
Drill a hole across the mast. Slide a rod in. Place spacers under the ends of the rod to take the mast load on the rod, cut the mast foot, install a spacer.
Shorten the mast and make an alloy foot to make up the height difference fairly cheap and straightforward.
Unstepping and restepping the mast without a crane will require some braces, ropes and pulleys but is still completely doable by yourself with a little planning.
A junk rig is an incredibly comfortable and safe way to sail in the trade winds. Perhaps we’ll be ready to cross the Atlantic at the same time!!?? 😂
Bad news, but I agree with others , You could just thickness check the base (ultrasound) of your mast to get to the best thickness and remove the defective section.
Another suggestion is to give us all your existing mast spec/ boat etc and we can all look for the a scrap boat or mast.
The issue here could be transport costs but hey its an idea to work on.
To get you to Fleetwood, drill a 3/4" hole at top of crack, buy a 18" / 24" aluminum pipe clamp the diameter of your mast for the bottom of the mast to above the crack and torque the hell out of it. I have a friend on rhe west coast of Scotland that did this 16 years ago and he's still sailing with the pipe clamp in place.
Go for it just drill a small hole at the point of the crack to stop it spreading then at gleetwood unstep and chop a bit off
Drill it, weld it, and shape a two foot long wooden plug and insert it inside the mast to shore it up from the inside. Often a repair will be stronger than the original. Your thinking about investing more in to changing things, than it would take to just repair it.
If you can't remove the mast, maybe fabricate a two part collar to put around the outside and bolt it together at the ends?
I reinforced the ends of my swim ladder tubes by filling the ends with thickened epoxy, and redrilled the holes. Maybe you could inject about six inches of thickened epoxy in the the mast base?
You've got light winds and high pressure for at least a week. I'd get on with moving. It will be a lot easier than battling the prevailing south westerlies.
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That might be salvageable with ac/dc tig, at least worth giving it a try.
Welding will cause the crack to open. I would cut off a couple inches then like some said weld a collar at the base. I am a welder fabricator.
Also watched someone try to weld a similar crack on a mast, the welder was having no luck due to the thickness of the material and the impurities that affected the welding process, he said it would just make the problem worse. Aluminium can be a right bugger.
Cheers!
I'm a fan of junk rigs and cat rigs too. Cat rig is like a windsurfer with a wishbone. I have no experience with either of them but I do appreciate the simplicity of something with many less parts. Big downside though is if your main goes to shit on a sloop rig you can limp along with the headsail, with a junk or cat rig there's no backup.
Just sleeve the bottom about 12' - either an outer or an inner sleeve (sleeve riveted to main mast)
If you use a stainless clamp don’t forget to isolate it from the aluminium mast. When we did ours we cut a strip of plastic packaging.
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Just shorten the mast with 4 inches and have your stanchions shorted, if you can live with the boom hanging a bit lower. It's by far the cheapest option I think. Regarding completely redesigning the rig. It might turn on to be far more expensive than anticipated, and the question for you is if the boat is worth it.
I think you mean … no … I KNOW you mean SHROUDS😳😊
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I'm with you on drilling at the end of the crack to stop it. I would be looking at then welding it and putting a patch over it and riveting it. I reckon keeping a look out for a second hand mast would be a thing. Junk rigging is going to cost you. There is also the option of cutting a bit off the bottom, buying a small section and sleeving it. Loads of masts are sleeved. About getting the mast off and on. Some clubs have a crane and it is way cheaper than that to get the mast off. It probably only weighs about 110 kilos. Even our club has a crane at about $45 a go. However getting to Australia would take you a while.
I am not sure if i would panic too much about that. There’s corrosion bursting the mast extrusion for sure. Ideally you need to unstep it and dismantle it to clear the corrosion and probably shorten it by a few centimetres to eliminate the crack. In the meantime I would simply strap it with stainless jubilee clips or even heavy duty tie wraps. The bursting force is not yet compromising the ability to bear the compression load. How about a hinged mast step fabrication? I do possibly have a spare mast that may be long enough with sails and a furling head going free. I shall get the length measurements for you ASAP.
Saw a few inches off the bottom of your mast, put a solid mahogany spacer underneath it. You won’t have to change any rigging, you’ll be good to go.
Shorten the mast mate 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼
Shorten it by 4 inches add a hardwood tabernacle to add height back brace the weak part of the part with giant jubilee clips insulated from stainless/alloy corrosion
Can you not stabilise the corrosion and tig weld some strengthening plates on of marine grade aluminium. In my home town of Alnwick, Northumberland for many years we had a company called Aln Marine who specialised in aluminium boats for the offshore industry, wind farms , salmon farms etc, some of there vessels were huge. Best wishes . I am sure it can be repaired without shortening or taking down the mast, just a qualified Tig welder.
I agree, drill the crack to stop it propagating then get a friendly welder to put a patch over the top.
Either chop a few inches off it or get in touch with boat scrapyard and see if they have a mast, no matter what option you choose the mast has to be removed even if you go junk rig
Unless the rest of the mast and the boom are riddled with corrosion don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater. The value of your sails, existing spars, winches and all of your standing and running rigging etc is pretty substantial and you’d be trashing all of that for an inferior rig if you pursue the junk rig. You will have to lift your mast and you may have to replace the mast step/boot that locates the foot of the mast in place but, as others have said you can repair the mast. But don’t shorten it as it’ll cause more work than necessary in readjusting your standing rigging and it will lower your boom (getting closer to sconning you as you go about). Get an ally’ fabricator to cut the foot back to clean metal, replace the missing piece and add a sleeve over the outside covering the newly welded area to reinforce the whole repair.
Put a sleeve in it and pop rivet Or sleeve the outside simple😎loads of masts are done this way..
If you prepare a wooden block to place under the foot to retain the height and avoid messing with the standing rigging, then you might even be able to just lift the mast a few inches, cut and lower it back down. I’ve seen masts get stepped/unstopped by fendering up between two other sail boats and using a halyard from each to lift/lower the mast on the middle boat. If you can do it without removing the mast completely, maybe you could get creative with some bottle jacks or acroprops just to lift it enough to cut, would need to secure the bottom with some lines to keep it from kicking out, sketchy but ghetto option.
Nice!
Possibly, change all the bolts etc in the mast for ally ones, get the crack welded by a good aluminium welder person and make sure your anode protection is good enough
Pop rivet an aluminium plate U shape 4 inches wide on the base. I assume there is a casting that the mast fits to on the deck. Releaving the crack tip works if you can restrain the propagating energy, keep those band clamps tight and in place.
Jubilee clips and keep an eye on until you get home. Then saw a bit off the bottom. 🙂
Come one people let's help a brother out its payday!
Thank you!!
As one old sailor once said?? Wot cracks? I see no cracks!
My thoughts exactly, cut off the bottom few inches and treat/seal the where you cut and just adjust your rigging
Cheapest is to cut off and carry on. Bur rigging might be too short. So get/ make a temp or permanent step/tabernacle as others suggested suggestion suggestion. Junk on this boat would cost time and money and bert fees, and make the boat a disappointing performer.
You can jack the mast use lines on rigging ends if necessary. Scissor car jacks work.
Very best of luck.... dont jump into it too quickly.
Geoff New Zealand.
Sailing Wave Rover is building a boat with junk rig, and he looks like a kind person. Try to ask him about junk conversion! Till that, you can wrap around the first 30-40 cm with stainless steel sheet and lock it with clamps. Drill a hole at the end of the crack is very good idea to stop the crack. Keep up, I have faith in you!
I would do as others have suggested, drill the crack, support the base as well as you can, then look for a second hand mast or shorten your current one. Either a better solution than a junk rig.
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You could try a boat breakers yard good luck mate 👍
Sir first off i am no sailor, that being said iv worked in the marine industry for years. i would say that you're cheapest option would be to drill the whole to stop the crack, through some epoxy to help proof it ( temoprary ) and clamp the crack. then when you get where you are going trim the mast for the perm fix.
Un step the mast cut off the effected part restep and shorten the stays or poke around marinas for a used mast that will work.
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Make a new step from an ofcut piece of hardwood to compensate for the piece you cut from the mast so you don't have to adjust the rigging. Its no big deal. It will last another ten years. Find a free replacement mast from a hurricane wreck in the tropics if you want to.
Junk rig would be a major refit. New running rigging, epoxy and fiberglass re-enforcement of the deck and bilge, sail fittings that you'd have to buy.
If it's just a crack at the bottom, how much would it cost to have a welder come out and weld an aluminium "callar" around the base. Kind of like a sleeve, but you don't have to de-mast it.
You need a different mast for a junk rig too.
Yeah, but I love the junk rig, I was thinking of doing it anyway 🤷
Could you possibly add a tabernacle type base to your mast!?
Would be cheaper than buying a new one.
It's basically a big hinge that bolts through the boat and through holes in your mast.
A good fabricator could probably build you one cheaper!?
My boats got one... allows me to drop and raise the mast to go under bridges. Not that I do lol.
Might be worth pricing it up and speaking to someone more knowledgeable than me before scrapping the mast itself
Maybe
What stops you drilling hole (to stop spread), welding crack and then add a collar?
Changing mast position and structure will change the weight balance and whole performance of the boat, and the extra work will make it cost more
I like the junk rig though 😂
wrap the base with hose clamps the ones you use on your car radiator hose
If you enjoy sailing to windward, FORGET the junk rig. I know they have there aficionado’s & simplify sail control but they really don’t go to wind. Before you get too disheartened and give consideration to replacement, get a proper rigger to look at it - I’ve seen infinitely worse that have been very cheaply repaired. A diy permanent fix (which still involves unstepping) is aluminium brazing which would need the anodising removed in the repair area (as would TIG welding).
To get you back to Fleetwood, drill the top of the crack, smooth any rough edges, wrap it with a few thickish layers of dpm type material & clamp with 4 - 6 jubilee clamps. Almost as good as new. Then the hard bit. Avoid beer & eating for a few weeks & get the mast down!!
Definitely repairable & definitely relatively cheap (by marine standards!!). Mate had a similar sized boat, base of mast far, far worse than yours; bodge job with jubilee clamps lasted 7 years!
One last piece of advice. If you’re wanting to set sail for warmer climes, ie, carribean etc, that mast is coming down anyway before ANY extended cruising.
Best of luck & if you’ve any further questions don’t hesitate to ask.
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Shorten the current mast or look for a second hand mast. I think a junk rig will be a lot work and more expensive overall.
A 10 minute conversation with an old rigger present on your boat would change your world right now.
I suggest buying a quality box of beer and a couple cuban cigars to entice him or her aboard and see what they say. At the very least you get to drink half the beer and blow some smoke rings.
It appears to be perfectly repairable.
Thanks!
Another one for shorten it . I have just done that exact same thing no probs . Mine was all split at base... Rigging still was ok length so perfect.
If you do the junk rig you still have to take the mast down anyway so just cut and put back up and get sailing.
As has been suggested temporary fix then shorten the mast. Such cracks are usually caused by expansion corrosion in the mast base. Clamped it will be fine for a long time. Use t hose clamps not cheap threaded band style. Extra rivets also. Insulate with Duralac or similar. Have seen similar age wear and tear over 50 years and while a repair is needed l have never seen such damage lead to catastrophic failure.
Go for the junk rig. Excellent for short handed sailing and a low tech solution
Thinking about it 👍
Can you get a piece of pipe the mast will sit into ?
Mabe if you dont want lift the mast you could cut the pipe and get some colars welded on .
Then bolt to deck .
I’ve manually unstepped and stepped a mast. Just used a few people on the halyards and shrouds. I’ve also seen it done using a high harbour wall. I’ve also seen it done unintentionally on a ship before…..
Keep the same rig, repair what you got. I’ve seen shortened, plugged, welded, plated and tied repairs before. Good luck, don’t over think it.
I have had two. wish I still had one. So easy to handle.
I like the Fred Dibnah T shirt ! 👍
No need to over think it, patch it up to get you home then take the mast down etc. I think the idea to cut away the damaged part is fine but making a tall foot to make up the gap could be problematic, you would be introducing a hinge with that method. Just shorten it 👍
Cheers!
Probably a silly idea, but how about drilling a hole above the plug and then tipping in epoxy. Cheap and nasty but as strong as the alloy. The heat while curing might be an issue?
Can you weld the slips part? After all, aluminum gets welded all the time.
Love the bumbling channel! We sail on the northern coast of the Gulf of Mexico and Lake Pontchartrain in Louisiana, USA..
Make sure that water that can get into the top of the mast can drain freely to mitigate further corrosion.. under the jubilee clamps, install a cuff of fiberglass and epoxy , maybe 8-10 inches tall .. then put the clamps back on. Good job drilling the crack end. Good Luck to ya!
One word tabernacle, or tig weld a sleeve over the base section
As someone else mentioned, just shorten the mast, with any luck your bottlescrews might even have the travel in them to take up the slack in the shrouds/stays. Make sure you cut off the bottom though, not the top lmao.
simple fix laminate it up on the inside with carbon.Then clean up the outside and paint just for cosmetic appearance sake.
Have it welded and then a collar welded around the repair.
To lower mast for free:
Both you and PamC or other big boat side on to a pontoon, but bow to bow. Facing each other.
Use her halyard and long line to lower your mast down.
Before you start lowering,
Wooden blocks strapped for and aft of mast foot ao it wont kick.
Big long wood across the push pit. As mast will hang over back of boat.
Sails and boom off before you start
And make sure the halyards ar in ok condition and the rope bwtween the 2 spini halyards is long enough. You dont want to run out of line before you have lowered it on the deck.
Your 9m mast wont be heavy. 2 people can easily lift it. You should be able to step it this way too.
Yes i have done it this way twice before.
For keel stepped mast i have done it side too a much bigger boat and used their mast to step it. That was a bit harder to line up. But also doable 😂
Like others in this thread, you should consider shortening the mast just above the crack and tightening the standing rigging. Probably the cheapest option. In the short term, drill stop the cracks temporarily.
Have you looked into some kind of mast foot or even a tabernacle style mast step that allows you to chop the bottom off without changing the height of everything?
A collar clamp for temporary fix. Basically heavy gage aluminum wrapped around the base of the mast with 4 large worm gear clamps. It's not a perfect solution but it could give you the time you need to get to the next steps. I haven't read the other comments so others are likely to have better suggestions. In any case, keep at it. We'll be watching!
Thanks
Although there are chaper options (like cuting 4 inches off the mast) a junk rig would make you stand out from other youtubes! Because lets be honest, everyone on youtube sails a Bermuda rig!
Didn't wildlings unstep with a simple wooden A frame?
Then chop a bit off the bottom and either build a step or adjust the rigging for the shorter mast.
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Two options for economic recovery, 1 shorten mast by length of crack carry on. 2 get a local welder to weld repair crack carry on.
Shortening the mast by a couple inches will work. You’d also move the forestay and shrouds up the mast by an amount equal to the amount removed at the step (this saves your current rigging). The backstay will have to be shortened as well, and hopefully there’s enough adjustment available that refabrication isn’t needed. If not, shorten it using a Norse fitting.
As a more temporary solution- a mobile welder who can weld aluminum could be used. A capable welder could drill the stop hole and grind a v into the crack with the mast in place, adding a fillet weld. There are fireproof blankets which can be placed on the decks. As a former construction manager, I’ve hired many mobile welders who had leads as long as 300’, and some with more portable rigs.
To move the boat to another anchorage without any repairs, just reef the main, fly your working jib, and wait for a lighter weather window.
Another temporary measure could be to have an aluminum collar fabricated, that wraps around the base of the mast, with a couple of bolts to close it (like a stovepipe collar).
I’m sure you’ve thought of all this, so I’m really just offering more opinion to help you weigh your options.
Cheers, mate!
Additional thought: your boat should be kept to fair weather coastal cruising, unless fitted with a complete new rig- even if the mast is shortened or welded. There could be more cracks and fatigue that can’t be seen yet.
I think you should push on, dont push it in big winds, if your gentle you'll be able ro sail it home no bother ,its got you this far, no gale force winds though but its not the end, keep going lad!
Did the Crack just appear or had it always been there and you didn't notice it?
Realistic options have already been discussed repair the base of the mast by taking mast down and shortening 2 or 3 inches you may be able to just tighten the rigging screws only to readjust, but possibly you can also just weld up the cracks. Personally I doubt its that dire so I would sail on and sort it out when you can later as you will need to unstep mast anyway to check all fittings at some point and those bolts or screws go into a fairly solid block of aluminium already that runs up the inside of the mast a few inches. More likely a good welder could disassemble then weld grind and restore to original for a few quid didn't you say you had a mate who did that sort of thing. I wouldn't set off on an Atlantic crossing like that but for coastal cruising .......meh.
Years ago I had a mate with a similar (maybe larger) boat to yours who couldn't afford to unstep I was among a group of mates who cme help and we hand lowered the mast like you would a trailersailer it turned out pretty easy really to take down and put back up.
Long story short Mountain...............Molehill its fixable and not likely to be particularly dire.
Junk rig is awesome but its not in your current short term future. Skill and cash will come so it could be in the future. For sail design look at the Mingming 2 video series on RUclips Roger Taylor. But its a simple easy rig but still costs and a huge boat rebuild.
Cheers!
Put a stainless strap right around the base of the mast
"Woolding" - wrapping rope around the mast to bind it and stop it splitting (more). If nothing else, it'll hide the damage. Usually no need to worry about oxidised (rusted) aluminium, it's not like iron that falls apart. Don't mix metals - aluminium + steel - if you can help it, remember there's a reason for sacrificial anodes under the boat. Changing the rig is almost certainly a lot of work for no benefit.
.Sorry to hear about your troubles Terry, seems like a lot of people have made some good suggestions here.
Look at making up an A frame to bring the mast down with a few mates help. Cut the damaged part off and get a new step made up to get the vertical dimensions back to what it was for the rigging. Best wishes
While I agree that shortening the mast and adding a tabernacle is probably the cheapest option, I've seen others tact a sail track to a pole (wood or aluminum) and use it as you already are. You could, also, convert your main sail to a gunter rig. I hope I spelled that right.
Alternatively, fabricate a tight fitting collar out of thick aluminium and rivet it to the mast around the damaged bit.
If you are working with your mast and wondering if its the end, just stand at the bow or stern looking at the mast. Tip your head slowly backwards until you see only sky, then bring your head slightly down until you just see the mast, and there, is the end of it...
As many others have said, shorten the mast. If you want to keep the rig the same height you can always raise the mast step. You should be able to drop the mast on the boat with a couple of helpers. No need to pay to have it lifted out.
Drill the hole and use a couple strong band clamps below, covering the crack(s). Should get you home.
It looks like the comments are very positive, if I had your problem as you say there are some good people out there, and remember we are all beside you as you make yor way north 👍👍👍
oh crap, that is expensive Im unable to offer a solution but as you say drilling the top of the crack, and bracing a bit might help short term.
Lots of great suggestions. I would NOT sacrifice cabin space for a keel step. Your space is already limited. Also, your hatch is very important for fresh air in the cabin. They spend a lot of time open.
So drill your hole and try to get a welder on it. If they wont bite, drill it, wrap it in dyneema lashing nice and tight then go for a little bit. You gotta unstep the mast, cut it off flush and subtract the same amount from the rigging with Stalock studs. Or make a taller step. Just take off the foot take it to a welder and tell him to raise that ring however much you cut off with a 1/4 plate aluminium box. Much cheaper than trying to reconfigure a whole rig. Raising the step will likely be less than 8 sta lock studs, so look at it both ways. Likely you need new rigging so stalocks are a good start until you can afford new wire. Good luck. Did that job for a client recently. We cut the wire down when we re rigged the thing. Not a hard process you can do it!
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