Replacing a mast

spiller

spiller

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1 May 2006
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Dubai
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The mast (Proctor) on my 26 foot Super Seal is showing its age. Corrosion/Fresh air around certain vital rivets!

A) What can I expect to pay for a new replacement?

B) What remedy is there to "repair" corroded areas?

I suspect that it is 27 years old, as is the boat. It is sailed in coastal, fairly predictable waters and the most serious apparent potential failure might be the bottom pulley of the headsail halyard. Not a major drama, but an inconvenience.

Opinions, please, on a course of action.

Relevant point, I am in Dubai and therefore delivery would be a substantial consideration.
 
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What remedy is there to "repair" corroded areas?


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The foot of my 40-year old mast was beginning to corrode and I had it repaired by having a 5mm thick aluminium collar welded round it.

Any suspect rivets could be drilled out and larger diameter ones put in.
 
The mast on Border Maid is also coming to the end of its useful life (photographs that came with the boat show the same mast and boom in a picture taken in the late 60s) after 40 years or so. I have had a quote from Z Spars for about £1500 for a new mast and boom, delivered, and indicative prices from Selden for about 2k and from Collars for a wooden mast and boom about the same. As you say delivery of such an awkward parcel to Dubai might be quite expensive.

it is indeed a hole in the sea into which you throw money /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif
 
As one of the mast manufacturers in the U.K. previously mentioned, Z Spars, is in fact French owned, it might be worth your while having a chat with them, as La belle France is somewhat nearer to Dubai than Suffolk!
 
I reckon it highly unlikely that your mast is due for replacement.

You can rivet replacement panels over areas of corrosion and or weld extra layers of aluminium at the base.

In the case of the bottom halyard pulley. Some years back I converted to having exit holes about 1 metre up from the mast base so the halyard comes out through a slot then down to a turning block on the cabin top. This arrangement gives less friction in the halyrad and of course solves your bottom block problem.
If you really want a new mast then you might consider getting a quote from Taskers http://www.taskers.com.au They are very good oz prices seem way cheaper than European and with daily flights by Emirates, Perth to Dubai I would think air freight not be a great problem
olewill
 
There are bound to be local fabrication shops in Dubai with all the oil activity there. The mast on my previous boat was tabernacle mounted and the through-bolt fixings were non-existent through corrosion.
A local shop welded everything up and drilled new mounting plates. The fixer-upper said they kept aluminium welding kit to sort out Land Rover bodywork and grain silo frames.
Once in the tabernacle the repairs were invisible.
 
I dealt with Chris Holman of Holman Rigging, Chichester marina. [Contact details] He took charge of the whole job including collection/delivery on a special trailer. I had the mast foot strengthened, new spreader root fittings made and some work done on the Rotostay. Next door to Holman's place is a welding & fabrication firm and they did the actual welding.
 
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