spreader to mast corrosion

[BeamanR]

For the first time in it's 15 year life we recently had the spreaders removed from our aluminium mast, with the original intention being renewal of the standing rigging. Seems that the builder (a well respected European manufacturer) probably 'forgot' to add any insulation between the spreader brackets and the mast. Result is severe corrosion hidden under the spreader brackets and in all likelihood the need for a new mast. Has anyone seen similar problems and were you able to claim any of the new mast costs back from the boat builder or on insurance?

 

[ean_p]

Have you considered having a 'patch' welded in place ???

 

[charles_reed]

Unfortunately it's the mast manufacturer at fault - when I had a fatigue failure of mine neither manufacturers or insurers were interested.

Welding aluminum is difficult and potentially will cause early failure around the weld.

Far better to cut and sleeve the mast, which is a fairly easy DIY occupation, providing the section is still current.

Get in touch with the mast manufacturer - they should be prepared to assist if for no other reason than to preserve them from pursuit by the EC authorities.

PM me for how I replaced my mast for 50% of the original quoted price.

 

[30boat]

Alumininum is not as straightforward to weld as people minght think.The problem is that depending on the alloy used it may get soft and you don't want that in a stressed area such as this There are some alloys (7000 series but I may be wrong) that are self hardening and don't need heat treatment.If you must weld,and it might be a good solution if done correctly I would suggest that the patch overlaps the damaged area instead of being done flush.Since anodizing won't be pratical it should also be painted over a proper primer.

 

[William_H]

I would suggest that if you do a repair on the mast that an aluminium sleeve external to the mast exceeding the area of corrosion and pop rivetted on will do the job. Contrary to previous comments this is not a highly stressed area of the mast because the inner side stays and inner forestay (or if not fitted the sweep back of the spreaders) should keep the middle of the mast located so that loads are only compression. It is the areas between the stays that is highly stressed due to no support from stays. In the end it has to be a fix that you feel confident with so maybe you should persue the manufacturer. regards will

 

[BeamanR]

Thanks to everyone for the quick input. With the boat being 15+ years old it's not straightforward finding who was the mast manufacturer (it's a Dehler, who effectively went broke some time ago and have been restarted under new ownership. The new owners seem to suffer from amnesia regarding the older models), but a useful suggestion.
Charles - will be in contact by PM soon.