Hi Steve, I recently broke my mast on my 41 foot sloop and I am in a quandary in what to do. A new mast is pretty expensive and I am trying to avoid getting a new mast.
Some people have suggested that I sleeve and rivet the mast together (splice). I am not convinced if this method would have long-term advantages.
My mast broke right around the 1st spreaders with a relatively clean cut. It was a fractional rig. The aluminum mast is about 54 feet long. Do you think that a repair would be wise if done properly or would it be prudent to get a new mast if the budget permits? Thanks, Joey
Hi Joey: Sorry to hear about your mast.
Re: repairing it, sleeving a broken spar is a common practice, and doing it at the lower spreaders is a lot better than at the hounds where there would be a potential problem with bending.
There are a number of issues to consider:
1-The sleeve has to be long enough. Check with your rig supplier or designer, but something like an overlap of three times the fore and aft dimension is usually required.
2-Make sure the ends of the sleeve are tapered, so as not to create a hard spot. Again, the mast guys will know about this (bigger spars are often sleeved if the extrusions cannot be purchased long enough).
3-The norm today I think is to use a combination of high strength epoxy, especially formulated for bonding aluminum, and mechanical fasteners. Although in the past just fasteners were used, the combination of these two is much better.
4-There will be some change in the bending characteristics of the spar, but this should not be a huge problem at the lower spreader. The weight and center of gravity will also go up. You have to trade this off against the cost savings.
5-Take care with the mainsail track. If it is internal you will want to be sure the edges of the joints are aligned and well softened. Check this carefully when the mast is down, and rock the slides in all possible positions while checking. – Steve Dashew
Posted by Steve Dashew (November 30, 1999)
