Repair/Replace damaged mast?

[Tam_Hazan]

I have been following a potential restoration project, and very nearly made a firm offer when I stumbled upon a major glitch.

At some stage in the past, the mast has been dropped [I suspect] and has been creased about 1 metre from the top. I wondered about repair, but thought that I might as well go the full distance and replace.

The boat is a Hunter 701 [23ft LOA, 1300kgs displacement] of mid 1970s vintage - a pretty design with quite reasonable performance. Definitely a lightweight racer/cruiser rather than a heavy cruiser!

Ringing round for quotes for a new mast were disappointing. The cost of the mast would be almost the price of the project hull, sails, trailer & all the other bits. Delivery would be in the region 150-200 pounds.

Anyone got any suggestions? I do like the look of this boat, and fancy restoring it for pleasure and general fun.

 

[sighmoon]

It may not be necessary, but when a crack appeared around the spreaders of the mast on our last boat (hurley 19) somebody advised rivetting on a sleeve, which he'd done on his boat at gooseneck level. We didn't bother in the end as we got given a bent dragon mast which we mutilated to fit.

 

[NPMR]

It's worth talking to more than one rigger because you may well be able to put a sleeve inside the mast, cutting out the 'ding' or a even new top-section to the mast.

If it is mast-head rigged, where will the bending fulcrum be?

For a new mast section, you'll need some more of the same profile mast (which may be the hard part on an older mast) or a competent rigger to fabricate something.

It will probably depend on how much stress is in that portion of the mast whether you even notice the problem when sailing. A good rigger should be able to advise.

Giving up too soon might negate a good bargain?

My son had a bend in his Hunter 707 mast from some sort of 'accident' but still was VERY competitive even taking National Championship one year with it!

 

[geem]

I have to replace the bottom one metre of my mast. Z spars sent me a kit of extrusion and sleeve section. The cost was £130. Have you tried the mast manufacturer?

 

[SvenglishTommy]

I cant imagine you would really need to replace th whole mast. Surely you could just reinforce the area or replace a small section.

 

[Dave99]

insurance?

 

[alienzdive]

The boat has little or no value with a bent mast and being in project stage. I would keep looking unless you can take the boat away for the cost af haulage only, which if in project stage with a bent mast is its true value.

 

[William_H]

Just another thought. Is it a mast head or fractional rig. Fractional is probably not so critical. Masthead with the forestay load is more critical.
If it is masthead and you can remove the top fittings to expose the open mast it may be possible to push a sleeve down into the mast. I imagine a piece about 30cms long. It would cover about half of the circumference of the inside of the mast but open at the back track side. Provided the indentation was not too deep if this sleeve was pushed down to location it could be pop rivetted into place around the damage. If you think the sleeve would not fit flat inside then cut a hole in the middle of the sleeve so the dent extends through the sleeve. The reinforcing around the outside will be valuable. Make sure the pop rivets are long enough. Use lots of Duralac.

I used this method to splice a brocken mast and raced it for half a season until a replacement was available.

There are lots of other options before you lash out on a new mast. If it is fractional rig you may be willing to shorten the mast while not shortening the forestay or shrouds. Just make it less fractional. You will need to cut the mainsail down in height or lower the gooseneck.
If it is a mast head rig you could simply shorten the mast and have a good heavy weather boat.
You might consider converting to fractional rig and have the mast section tapered by a mast welder.(expensive) The process of tapering will open up the fron't of the mast and may facilitate cutting out or beating out the dent.

When I suggest shortening the mast that does not necessarily mean to the extent of shortening to take out the damage. If the dent is not too obvious and you can leave it there any shortening of the mast brings the dent closer to the top where there is less stress on the mast and less likely hood of failure. ie masts break in the middle if the spreaders or inner stays fail or in the middle of the unsuported sections midway above and below the spreaders. Near the base and near the top is unlikely to fail.
Finally if you can leave the dent in place you can reinforce the mast with diamond stays and small spreaders at the damage.
So there are lots of options depending on whether the damage is more cosmetic or a real eyesore and whether it compromises the integrity of the mast and if you are willing to fit additional support.
Never imagine that mast size is critical and the designer's design is sacrosanct. Everything is a compromise and a tall mast is good in light winds but a real problem in heavy winds. With a shorter mast you may be able to compensate with a larger overlap jib. Only if you race does it really matter and even then if you race in mainly strong winds shorter is better.
good luck olewill so go for it with suitable price reduction.

 

[KennyWilson]

I've got a 701 which had to undergo a lot of restoration. Luckly it was mainly hard work and interior fitting out. These are terrific little boats which will hold sail and take whatever the weather can throw at it when everyone else is heading for the hills. There were four in our Club at one point. It would be well worth your time. Regarding the mast; there are three different mast configurations tall standard and cruising (short), all mast head rigs. Depending where the damage is you could shorten to the smaller cruising rig but that would mean sail alterations and to be honest it's not as if the standard is too much to handle. A lot of these boats were finished at home so have different fittings on them. As far as getting original parts as suggested, good luck, as a lot of them aren't made any more. My mast looks like it was a bigger mast cut down and sleeved and has never been a problem in fact sometimes an advantage as it's a bit stiffer. I broke the shoe on the foot a year back and managed to get a secondhand one of another 701 who was getting a new mast after breaking theirs. My recomendation, therefore, is to sleeve it - it won't be a problem. The other thing about altering masts out of standard is handycap - you'll always be in the middle of an argument with a non-standard boat! Hope this is of some help - you'll have a great boat that will forgive you a lot. Just don't expect to turn on a sixpence!