Bent mast..... Bugger!

[doorstop]

Me again!! The youngest offspring unit and his scrawny cousin managed to capsize in a bout 12' of water on Saturday, the result of having a fair bit of wind and a crew who weighs about the same as a soggy packet of potato chips is an aluminium mast with about a 9" bend fore and aft and about 4" bow sideways. :(
Any good ideas how to straighten said stick before next Saturdays races?

[SailBoatDude]

Is it kinked? Any folded or deformed metal of any type? If so, the stick will need repairs, which can be costly. I've heard of people talking them back into plumb, but the ways used to describe it just leave me shaking my head. I wouldn't try heat and hammering as the extruded sticks you're talking about doesn't like that much, without very precise control of the heat and banging stuff.

I'm not sure what to tell you if the rig can't pull the bends out. Are there any flag poles of similar dimensions in you area? Would they really miss it for a weekend?

[doorstop]

Flagpoles?? Hmmm.... good idea ;)
No kinks, just a long slow curve over nearly the complete length of the mast, if I can't straighten it then the insurance company will have to spring for a new one but I would rather fix it if possible.....

[TomRobb]

Or perhaps knock out a quick wooden one.

[NormMessinger]

Send the boys back out and have them capsize the opposite way. ...or something analogous to that.

[Ian McColgin]

Assuming no kinks, fill it with sand packed reasonably tightly and bung the ends with something like a soft wood plug held in with lots of tuct tape or whatever - don't damage the ends.

Now you can gently cold bend the mast back straight.

Drain off the sand and sail on.

G'luck

[Ed Nye]

Ian,
I did that with a Korilie 14 mast about 30 years ago. That was the toughest thing to bend I ever saw. I finally built up a jig (two blocks molded to the mast shape about 6 feet apart). I then took a third block and put a hydraulic jack between it and the front of my truck. And the truck was hardly heavy enough to take the sweep out of that thing.
Ed

[Ian McColgin]

Brian's right - but if it breaks when rebending, the issue is resolved whereas if it survives you're left in doubt till it does break.

[whb]

Chris

This is probably a really stupid question but here goes.

Have you taken the rigging off of it yet?

I guess what I'm wondering is if the tip over moved the balance of the rigging and is the bend all real or is some of it from a new imbalance in the rigging?

Howard

[doorstop]

OK, I'm back from the beach again. As I didn't have much in the way of workshop facilities at the shack I took the mast and your advice (not yours young Norm!) down to the boatyard..... Brian, you are spot on..... SNAP!!! :eek: . Consequently I spent 4 hours yesterday transfering rigging, carving slots and holes etc. to a new stick of ally. One curious thing was the amount of sand inside the old mast, well over a metre of the bottom was hard packed beach sand, the woman who had it before us must have spent an awful lot of time upside down!!!
Thank you all for your help, you too Norm ;)

[NormMessinger]

Thank you all for your help, you too Norm

Harrumph! Maybe next time you'll take my advise. tongue.gif

Interesting. I wouldn't have thought a slight bend and back would have work hardened aluminum that much. Bummer.

Best wishes.

[doorstop]

IT WORKED!!!
The boys rigged the boat with their new "stick", second last first race, seventh second race, fourth in the last and third overall for the day on handicap!!!! Pleased parent ! :D

[NormMessinger]

Hey! I'm pleased too. Even if ya didn't follow my advice. Let that be a lesson to the rest of ya.