Wayfarer restoration: looking for a mast

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Happy new year to all from the Med!
I am about to buy a Wayfarer World with no mast. My wife and some friends knew I wanted a Wayfarer; they saw a stupid project coming...Wayfarers are not popular at all down here and I was determined to drive to the UK and bring a used one here. It was a nice excuse for a three-week family trip in the UK. Finally I found one for sale just a few hours away from my place. The thing is that it has no mast; the rest of it seems to be in fairly decent condition and the price may (?) justify the "adventure". I would very much appreciate any help to find a solution. Some questions...
- Where could I look for used masts? any website/listings in particular you would recommend?
- Any recomendation for the shipping?
- How can I make sure the mast I buy is the appropiate?
- Could I fit a 470 mast or some other similar rigging?
- Ideas/suggestions?

Thanks in advance!!
Fernando
 
Thanks for the link. I found at least one potential candidate.

You are right, shipping is the main concern. I will find a W mast sooner or later but shipping.... Let's see if somebody comes up with some suggestion/previous experience.

If I finally have to go for another type of mast, could a 470 mast be a suitable candidate? Anybody had to try something similar? Any idea about where to find a wayfarer mast drawing? Based on the original mast drawing I might come out with an alternative design (oh my)
(I truly hope to find the right mast and shipping solution!)

Regards






lw395 said:
https://wayfarer.org.uk/?page_id=109&category_id=3/bits

If you use something made for another boat, you want the stays and spreaders to be in roughly the right place.
Cutting a bit off the bottom is no problem.
Weakness around stays, spreaders or gooseneck is a problem.

Shipping would be a nightmare, not only expense, but risk of damage.
Click to expand...
 
The significant dimensions of the mast should be defined in the class rules.
They are often referenced from some less than useful datum point.
If you draw it out, you should be able to work out the dimensions from one significant point to another.
Then compare to any available mast.

One word of caution. I'm not sure whether a Wayfarer World mast varies from a National Wayfarer racing mast.
I'd suggest joining the Wayfarer forum
https://wayfarer.org.uk/forum/
Most classes in the UK have enthusiasts who will help. People may know of a mast which might be OK for you but not for winning the nationals.

As for shipping, the ideal thing would be to find someone towing their boat to your area who would take an additional mast. There are also a couple of companies who take lots of boats to europe for people whenever there is a big championship. There are always events at e.g. Garda. 'Sailboat Deliveries' is one such company, I am not connected to them and haven't used them myself.
 
You don't say where you are based, but there is regular traffic of boats being shipped from UK to the Med, mostly by specialist boat transporters. Taking a mast would be no problem for such a company. Google Boat transport and you will get a long list of potential haulier. Alternatively suggest you post your requirements on shiply which is a web based clearing site for shippers. Most of the boat transporters as well as general transport companies subscribe to it.
 
You can pick up decent wayfarers for between a few hundred & <£1k - walk away from the project boat and get one that is complete.
 
Thanks! I'll check with Sailboat Deliveries tomorrow. Their website photos look very promising. I am not in a hurry; might be worth waiting for these guys coming to a race here in Spain.

I am already in touch with a potential seller; he asked Ian Proctor if his mast was suitable for a wayfarer world. The answer is yes, it seems to be very little differences among models. We'll see...
 
I live in Zaragoza and sail on a lake closeby. Have a 23 footer in the Costa Brava(coast North of Barcelona to France). The hull is in Valencia. Both places 3 hours driving from home. Bilbao is 3 hours from Zaragoza too. So any of these places would be fine to pick the mast up.
Will check on Shipley. Many thanks
 
Yes you are right, that was the initial idea as indicated on my first post. However having found one around somehow forces me to at least study the project. Tempted to walk away...
 
I bought a World with no mast several years ago- paid £200 for it- and then got incredibly lucky when a secondhand mast came up on boatsandoutboards.

Tbh you're best off finding one that is complete and has a good trailer. Boats for some reason are worth far less than the sum of their parts, and incomplete projects rarely make any sense.
 
cwb said:
Happy new year to all from the Med!
I am about to buy a Wayfarer World with no mast. My wife and some friends knew I wanted a Wayfarer; they saw a stupid project coming...Wayfarers are not popular at all down here and I was determined to drive to the UK and bring a used one here. It was a nice excuse for a three-week family trip in the UK. Finally I found one for sale just a few hours away from my place. The thing is that it has no mast; the rest of it seems to be in fairly decent condition and the price may (?) justify the "adventure". I would very much appreciate any help to find a solution. Some questions...
- Where could I look for used masts? any website/listings in particular you would recommend?
- Any recomendation for the shipping?
- How can I make sure the mast I buy is the appropiate?
- Could I fit a 470 mast or some other similar rigging?
- Ideas/suggestions?

Thanks in advance!!
Fernando
Click to expand...
Good luck with the project. I sail a Wanderer which is basically a 14 foot wayfarer with a very similar rig. If you end up going for a non wayfarer mast, a few things that might be worth thinking about. The Wayfarer has an excellent tabernacle for raising the mast which is basically "just" a pin that goes through the mast maybe something like 50cm up from the foot of the mast and allows it to be raised by pivoting. However, the pin goes through a bush in the mast which needs to be exactly in the right place so that when the mast is pivoted up you can slide the mast foot into the mast foot fitting on the hull. I can think of ways that something like this bush could be fabricated but it will be a high stress area while the mast is being raised/lowered and it needs to be strong. The other thing is the mast foot fitting itself. One way would be to change the fitting on the hull to match whatever dinghy mast you end up with. I'm doubting that the mast profile will be the same so I don't think you could fit a wayfarer foot to a non wayfarer mast.

Then the other thing I'm wondering about is the sails and boom. It isn't so clear if the Wayfarer you are looking at is just a hull, anyway I think if you're looking at a donor mast of about the right length and you are trying to fit that with actual Wayfarer boom and sails etc you would most likely need to change the gooseneck fitting on the mast to a wayfarer one.

I think the easiest and best way to do this is for sure getting a wayfarer mast if the transport problems can be solved. I also agree with the people that said a dinghy is worth less than the sum of its parts so unless you are lucky, it will not be a very economic route to getting a dinghy on the water. But then I've also done at least one boat project that didn't really make economic sense in my time also, it can be a good way to learn new techniques and I find solving problems can make life more intesting so as long as you go at it with your eyes open to what is involved I don't see that the money numbers need to make sense (they don't for any other part of sailing anyway!). On the other hand, I would say a dinghy hull without mast (and other rigging?) should have a value of almost zero due to the effort involved to use it so if it is on a trailer I would value the Wayfarer World that you've seen at pretty much whatever you think the trailer is worth. It is after all not useful in its current condition (if you wanted a rowing / motor boat there are much better choices).

I also found this ad online, not sure how recent it is https://wayfarer.org.uk/awpcp/show-ad/?id=734 but there is a mast (which needs some work - as well as shipping).

Chris
 
Well, project status: I found a couple of mast owners willing to sell it at a reasonable price; waiting for the hull (and sails, rudder, tent, etc...) owner to send a proper list and more photos. I still need to figure out shipping cost to have an idea if the project is feasible in terms of cost/risk/personal effort. So far looks well. Otherwise I could always buy a complete dinghy on my club....but it won´t be a Wayfarer, extremely rare species here.

Shipping options so far:
- I contacted Salilboatdeliveries.co.uk as some forumite recomended. They have a trip to Barcelona along February and could bring the mast. Waiting for the quote
- A pro with extensive experience recommended to ship it as Deck Cargo on a Ferry...but I have to get somebody to pick it up from the owner and bring it to the Ferry. Don´t know how to move forwared here
- Still have to request quotation to some regular freight company making frequent trips between southern UK and Spain (I can pick it up in different cities with my trailer.
- Finally I guess I could post an ad/open a specific thread on UK / French forums and see if I can find a return trip of somebody moving a boat (Lottery)

Any other suggestion about how to get the mast from Southern UK to Spain?

Thanks for your help! Your comments are being very helpful so far!

regards

PS: I understand buying a boat/car/washing machine/gas heater/etc by the part is way more expensive that buying a complete used unit. This would be my 4th boat, all of them "pre-loved". Please let my wife take the "no-no-that's stupid-you are nuts" role, she is making a great job. I am just studying the project so far and will go for it if it makes sense. Meanwhile I am having quite a lot of fun with it ;-)
 
chriscallender said:
Good luck with the project. I sail a Wanderer which is basically a 14 foot wayfarer with a very similar rig. If you end up going for a non wayfarer mast, a few things that might be worth thinking about. The Wayfarer has an excellent tabernacle for raising the mast which is basically "just" a pin that goes through the mast maybe something like 50cm up from the foot of the mast and allows it to be raised by pivoting. However, the pin goes through a bush in the mast which needs to be exactly in the right place so that when the mast is pivoted up you can slide the mast foot into the mast foot fitting on the hull. I can think of ways that something like this bush could be fabricated but it will be a high stress area while the mast is being raised/lowered and it needs to be strong. The other thing is the mast foot fitting itself. One way would be to change the fitting on the hull to match whatever dinghy mast you end up with. I'm doubting that the mast profile will be the same so I don't think you could fit a wayfarer foot to a non wayfarer mast.

Then the other thing I'm wondering about is the sails and boom. It isn't so clear if the Wayfarer you are looking at is just a hull, anyway I think if you're looking at a donor mast of about the right length and you are trying to fit that with actual Wayfarer boom and sails etc you would most likely need to change the gooseneck fitting on the mast to a wayfarer one.

I think the easiest and best way to do this is for sure getting a wayfarer mast if the transport problems can be solved. I also agree with the people that said a dinghy is worth less than the sum of its parts so unless you are lucky, it will not be a very economic route to getting a dinghy on the water. But then I've also done at least one boat project that didn't really make economic sense in my time also, it can be a good way to learn new techniques and I find solving problems can make life more intesting so as long as you go at it with your eyes open to what is involved I don't see that the money numbers need to make sense (they don't for any other part of sailing anyway!). On the other hand, I would say a dinghy hull without mast (and other rigging?) should have a value of almost zero due to the effort involved to use it so if it is on a trailer I would value the Wayfarer World that you've seen at pretty much whatever you think the trailer is worth. It is after all not useful in its current condition (if you wanted a rowing / motor boat there are much better choices).

I also found this ad online, not sure how recent it is https://wayfarer.org.uk/awpcp/show-ad/?id=734 but there is a mast (which needs some work - as well as shipping).

Chris
Click to expand...

Thanks for the advice, very useful. I found the 470 mast looks quite similar. I really hope not to go that way, all those minor differences mean hours of work and crazy parts to find...I will come back to your entry if I finally go for a 470 mast.

I found the mast already (actually I had contacted your link and a couple more, tx!), I really need to solve the shipping now!
 
Last edited:
I know someone who took a 505 mast on a ferry as 'hand luggage'.
OK, it was only to the Isle of Wight.
I doubt that helps much.
 
:-) that's funny!!! I plan calling anyway to ask for deck cargo pricing. I will try the "hand luggage" trick and let you know. Can't picture myself in the boarding queue with the mast...that would make a great selfie!
 
chriscallender said:
The Wayfarer has an excellent tabernacle for raising the mast which is basically "just" a pin that goes through the mast maybe something like 50cm up from the foot of the mast and allows it to be raised by pivoting. However, the pin goes through a bush in the mast which needs to be exactly in the right place so that when the mast is pivoted up you can slide the mast foot into the mast foot fitting on the hull.
Click to expand...

As an ex-Wayfarer sailor and racer I hasten to add...

The Wayfarer class association for many years had much disagreement over 'the pin'. The racers wanted rid of it because it did nothing but limit mast adjustment. The cruisers did want it as it aided raising and lowering of the mast. Neither could agree.

The assessments that were completed confirmed that the Wayfarer mast pin is not structural. If you get a suitable similar mast use it. The rig tension and mast foot engagement at the base is what counts. Get creative! :)
 
Well, finally the boat with no mast I was about to buy.....was not on sale!!! The seller went to pick up sails, tent, etc... to his very close friend warehouse and his friend decided he wanted the boat. So I don´t need a mast anymore. Actually, I ended up buying a Wayfarer this week in London I will have to drive down here.

Many thanks to you all for your advice; I thought I had to write down my findings, just in case somebody faces the same problem in the future:

- Salilboatdeliveries.co.uk by far the best option, fantastic quote because they were coming to Barcelona. Under 200€
- Deck Cargo on a Ferry: did not find a solution here. I called and Brittany Ferries did not like the idea by any means....
- I also got some online bids from regular freight companies ranging from 600€ to 1500€
- I open a thread on a French forum and they recommended bringing the mast on the car roof.

cheers
 
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