Mull designed Freedom, 17 y.o. carbon fibre spar ???

[Hal-Joy]

We looked at two late 1980s Gary Mull designed Freedom sailboats. I liked the 30'' for the ease of handling by one and the lower purchase, up-keep, etc. costs. Joy preferred the 38'' for its greater room & comfort and the perceived safety of a larger boat. The budget is the tie-breaker and votes with me.

I am completely unfamiliar with what to expect from a freestanding carbon fibre spar - now 17 years old. Any comments or direction to a reliable source of information is appreciated.

[hoppy]

You might want to get on the Freedom list
here at Sailnet. Don''t think there are other
boats with Carbon-fibre masts so input here will be very limited.

[SailorMitch]

Ditto on checking the Freedom email list on Sailnet. And check the archives for carbon fiber mast issues. I used to lurk on that list a couple of years ago before I bought my current boat and there were some stories on there about mast failures. If the mast has any cracks at all, have them checked out thoroughly. One fellow was told that the cracks in the mast of a boat he was looking at were cosmetic only -- and he subsequently lost the mast in rather benign conditions. Those carbon fiber jobs cost a small fortune to replace, too.

If the mast has been struck by lightning -- very bad.

It''s possible to have the masts x-rayed, but I have no idea of the cost of that.