Mast pre-bend on gaffer? And a crack!

[schilde]

I was looking at a gaffer mast today, off the boat. There was a noticeable amount of pre-bend, an inch or two, curving sternwards at the top. Is that ok? All the stays go to the same point, so I can't think how they could have induced a curve.

Also in the same mast there was a crack, well an opening of the grain, about four or five feet long. For the most part it had been repaired with a strip of wood about 3/16" thick. Is that ok?

The mast is solid wood about 20 feet long.

Very grateful for any thoughts.

Steve

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[Peterduck]

I used to have a mast like that, until the top 4ft broke off in a squall. Now I have a nice straight one. Ity is possible, I think, for timber to adopt a postion if it is held under a particular stress for a prolonged period. That may be what has happened here. The crack will be what is called a "shake", and is not particularly harmful, although repairing with a spline is a good thing to do.
Peter.

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