Mast transport

Cardo

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www.yacht-tinkerbell.co.uk
Hello all!

So having traversed the canals back in 2013 to get to the Med, this summer we're doing the opposite to get ourselves back to ol' Blighty. Unlike last time, though, we would like to get our mast shipped so we don't have to faff with carrying it.

As per the various recommendations, I got in contact with Wolfgang via the info@masttransporte.de email address on his website. However, I've had a reply from a different chap at a seemingly different company, fastmast.de. Has Wolfgang hung up his transport gloves and passed on his business? Or have these people usurped his email address and are sneakily taking his business?

In addition, we are looking to drop off the mast in Port St Louis towards the end of July and pick this up again in Rouen mid September. The reply I've had has said they'll only collect the masts and do the Port St Louis to Rouen trip if they have at least 3 masts to carry. They're doing a pick up next week and aren't expecting to do this again until the end of September, so they can't guarantee to have the mast in Rouen by the time we were hoping to come out the other side. Considering the cost, the quote is for €850 all in, I'm surprised they can't accommodate to transport our mast within a 6 to 7 week time frame. Thoughts?
 
You could do it like I did

IMGP1599_zps58af5ff0.jpg
 
Cardo,

bit of a long shot but try the UK ( and maybe French ? ) mast suppliers; I seem to remember Sailspar got their extrusions from France, a few at a time, so might be happy to share the cost if it suited everyone.

They are a remarkably helpful lot, 01206 251348

No connection except very impressed onetime potential customer !

Obviously try the other mast people as well.
 
You could do it like I did ...

That's excellent. Is the trailer just the bog standard caravan chassis conversion extended a bit. I see you have put a bend in the middle so that gravity locks the sections together and prevents the span sagging downwards, clever, was it deliberate?
 
That's excellent. Is the trailer just the bog standard caravan chassis conversion extended a bit. I see you have put a bend in the middle so that gravity locks the sections together and prevents the span sagging downwards, clever, was it deliberate?

The trailer is my home made box trailer about the size of a full sheet of ply that will also carry my 3 m dingy. I extended it with 2 6 meter long truss sections made with a camber as used in gantry structures to allow for the deflection you always get due to its own weight. The trailer splits into 3 and the mast supports can be removed for easy return transport ans storage.

Due to the wheels being right at the back you have to be careful when taking tight turns of roundabouts which we don't have too many in South Africa
 
Slight problem in the UK

The maximum length is 7 metres for a trailer towed by a vehicle weighing up to 3.5 tonnes (3,500 kilograms)

If the gross weight of the towing vehicle exceeds 3.5 tonne the maximum length of trailer is 12m excluding coupling and drawbar

There is a clause which allows for longer loads if they are indivisible. (like a glider)
 
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Here close coupled trailers can be think up to 15 meters.

Anyway we were stopped by the police just as we got to Durban with that mast and he only wanted to check the trailer road licence. I also used the same trailer to transport am 18 meter mast from Cape Town to Johannesburg (1400 Km) without any interest by the police.

There is a clause which allows for longer loads if they are indivisible. (like a glider)

Well a yacht mast is indivisible so it must be OK then

BTW we have to pay road licence on both the trailer and the towing vehicle and the trailer has a different registration number plate than the towing vehicle.
 
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