An expensive mistake

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ryanroberts

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Well it seems like I managed to break my mast by sweating the mainsheet. It's a zpars furler, with a single point mainsheet to the cockpit floor. I was applying a little 'tracker' by pulling the sheet leewards while playing around 'racing' in the Solent and caused this. The bracket has bent inwards, blocking the furler and also distorting the mast a little. ZSpars reckon it to be unrepairable and have 'never seen anything like this before'. Has anyone any experience of repairs to damage like this or am I actually looking at a full mast replacement? It seems like this could have quite easily also happened doing normal sailing things like backing the main, so am suspicious of replacing like for like. I have never even lightly crash gybed the boat and she was fully re-rigged in 2016.
 

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ryanroberts said:
Well it seems like I managed to break my mast by sweating the mainsheet. It's a zpars furler, with a single point mainsheet to the cockpit floor. I was applying a little 'tracker' by pulling the sheet leewards while playing around 'racing' in the Solent and caused this. The bracket has bent inwards, blocking the furler and also distorting the mast a little. ZSpars reckon it to be unrepairable and have 'never seen anything like this before'. Has anyone any experience of repairs to damage like this or am I actually looking at a full mast replacement? It seems like this could have quite easily also happened doing normal sailing things like backing the main, so am suspicious of replacing like for like. I have never even lightly crash gybed the boat and she was fully re-rigged in 2016.
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have you a bigger photo (zoomed out a little) as the spar looks like it has cracked at the winch pad too! Its almost as if you were best part of the way to ripping out a section of the aft face of the mast. Now that would be 'odd'! Or is it just surface staining?
Going forward, then few things are beyond repairing but it boils down to economics and risk. Clearly Z Spars think it cheaper/ safer to replace the whole assembly rather than cut and splice or cut and weld. They may well be right but will the insurance surveyor agree?
 
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ryanroberts said:
Yes for sure this is going to be worth my no claims bonus :). I want a replacement where this won't happen again though
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zspars make masts for thousands of boats, good std tack. Ive just helped repair an in mast zspars furler on a dufour, cause? over zealous use of the winch caused it. Ive had a few crash jibes on mine but no damage. My personal experience then, good tackle!
 
Over sweating / tensioning a mainsheet should NEVER cause any risk to the mast. It should be designed to take more than any gorilla can apply to the sheet tension. (There are other ways to break a mast with misuse, but generally more crash gybes, or over doing the mast bend plus hoisting a kite etc).
Sounds like some fundamental previous issue with the spar.
What size / type of boat?
 
ryanroberts said:
Well it seems like I managed to break my mast by sweating the mainsheet. It's a zpars furler, with a single point mainsheet to the cockpit floor. I was applying a little 'tracker' by pulling the sheet leewards while playing around 'racing' in the Solent and caused this. The bracket has bent inwards, blocking the furler and also distorting the mast a little. ZSpars reckon it to be unrepairable and have 'never seen anything like this before'. Has anyone any experience of repairs to damage like this or am I actually looking at a full mast replacement? It seems like this could have quite easily also happened doing normal sailing things like backing the main, so am suspicious of replacing like for like. I have never even lightly crash gybed the boat and she was fully re-rigged in 2016.
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When lowering our mast a rope slipped, the mast crashed down and the mast split.
Fortunately being an accident it was covered by insurance.
Then I thought that with a new mast it was like selling a car with a brand new engine, so I put it up for sale. Loads of enquiries off eBay advert and it was sold. More than we paid for it 2 years ago.
 
The 'curtains' of a inmast furling mast extrusion are pretty weak as they are cantilevered, most of the strength is in the 'box'; is the mast straight away from where the gooseneck attaches?
 
You mention "racing", were you in a race or just trying to get the best performance? I suspect the later, if so claim on your insurance policy as your rig will be covered if you have comprehensive insurance. You will be happier with a new mast and that is what Z Spars says you need. The insurers surveyor might differ and suggest a repair, but if the section is no longer produced, then there will unlikey be a repair.
 
Concerto said:
You mention "racing", were you in a race or just trying to get the best performance? I suspect the later, if so claim on your insurance policy as your rig will be covered if you have comprehensive insurance. You will be happier with a new mast and that is what Z Spars says you need. The insurers surveyor might differ and suggest a repair, but if the section is no longer produced, then there will unlikey be a repair.
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No definitely not actual racing, just that little competitive moment you get when people keep matching your tack going down southampton water.
 
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