Crack in the mast! What should I do??

[adell50]

I just bought a 1973 Catalina 27 and she is great. She feels great in the water and her systems are tip top, as far as I can tell.

Then I noticed the mast is cracked! Eeek!!!

I found another post on the subject that was helpful - Hairline Crack on Aluminum Mast - Cruisers & Sailing Forums

However, I am eager to receive guidance from our community.

There are two ~1" cracks at the step (one of the starboard side and one toward the stern) of the mast.

Any advice? Many thanks!!

[ArcherBowman]

Well, my first impulse was to tell you to replace the mast. Of course that co$t$. My next impulse was to tell you to unstep the mast, and cut it off above the cracks. Since the cracks are so short, you wouldn't lose THAT much performance. You would, however, have to adjust your entire standing rig. this option also gives you the opportunity to examine the interior of your mast and see if it has deteriorated. Finally, you could call in a professional welder and he MIGHT be able to spot weld that in place. I wouldn't advise it, though. Good chance of welding the mast to the step by accident.

[deniseO30]

Get someone that's expert in alum welding and have it fixed! It would need to dropped or lifted off the base of course. Maybe a welder could even weld a band around the bottom.

[Kiltmadoc]

here you go:

Catalina 27' Mast

[tommays]

I would take it down clean up all the corrosion that forced it open and you could most likely do a fiberglass/epoxy wrap with some screws or rivets and call it good as theirs not much there to weld back together


I have put back together a boom on a 35' boat at Block Island Race week with polyester resin cloth and a boat load of 1/4-20 screws that came out so strong they waited till the end of the season to get the new one

[shogan50]

You could cut the end of the mast off and then have a foot machined to space it back up to original height. Welding in place would be difficult due to thermal conductivity. Welding off the boat may work, but will by 1/2 to 1/3 as strong as original material. That said, that part of the mast isn't under much stress.

[knuterikt]

Originally Posted by tommays

I would take it down clean up all the corrosion that forced it open and you could most likely do a fiberglass/epoxy wrap with some screws or rivets and call it good as theirs not much there to weld back together


I have put back together a boom on a 35' boat at Block Island Race week with polyester resin cloth and a boat load of 1/4-20 screws that came out so strong they waited till the end of the season to get the new one

Depending on the state of the mast, an alternative solution can be to put a stainless steel band around the foot of the mast. 2 Inches wide would be enough.

[knothead]

Don't worry, it's not a big problem.
Get the mast off the boat, have it welded by a qualified welder, clean up the inside of the mast where it was welded and have it re stepped.
The whole thing could be done for less than five hundred here. I don't know about where you are.
It will be a good opportunity to check the rigging, lube turnbuckles, change out some lights for LEDs etc.

[TQA]

Alternatively locate the end of the crack and drill a 1/8th hole to stop it growing.

Get two heavy duty hose clamps and apply to base of mast. JB weld is optional.

Go sailing.

N.B. If planning a circumnavigation via the 5 capes disregrd above advice.

[hellosailor]

Right now, you drill a hole as TQA says. When you drill a hole at the end of a crack, the stress is stopped and the crack will stop spreading.

It would be easier to put a plate under a cut-down mast if the mast was keel stepped, it looks like yours is deck stepped? Which would make fabricating up a new foot more of a problem. There's probably a foot inside the mast already, so you might be able to unbolt that and put a plate under everything to compensate for cutting a bit off.

The alternative, welding the cracks and perhaps adding some reinforcement on the outside, might wind up being more expensive and less reliable since the metal around those cracks is already stressed and the welding wouldn't necessarily fix that.