replacing a mast

[bils]

I am looking to replace my 30 year old aluminum mast for our 43' sloop. Comments or suggestions would be appreciated by anyone with experience doing so. Thank you

[JomsViking]

bils, It depends. I've seen a lot of masts that age that do not necessarily needs replacement, but could be made as new by stripping it of everything, and then painting it before reapplying all the hardware. There's a lot of work involved, but none of it is really hard. Some mast companies even do this for you, and it is still cheaper than a new mast. So how bad is the mast actually??

[bils]

Thnx Joms -
She is showing some stress at the upper spreaders. I had the cracks, about 4mm, welded two years ago. they look as if they me coming back.

[Tartan34C]

It’s easy to buy a mast but why do you want to? A mast can be refurbished very easily and usually it’s just the accessory’s that need replacement not the tube itself.
All the best,
Robert Gainer

[Tartan34C]

Originally Posted by bils

Thnx Joms -
She is showing some stress at the upper spreaders. I had the cracks, about 4mm, welded two years ago. they look as if they me coming back.

Where are you located? What shop did the welding for the repaire?
All the best,
Robert Gainer

[sailingdog]

I would agree with Tartan34C. It is very likely that the mast itself is in pretty good shape, unless you've seen cracks or other issues in it...it may be the accessories, like the spreaders that just need replacement. And that would probably be far less expensive than paying for a new mast in its entirety.