Repairing Mast Bend

[Dijon]

Hi All: I have a trailerable Hunter 25 which I purchased used last year. After having a rigger assist me in tensioning the shrouds correctly as well as tensioning the forestay within the furler the mast rake was still excessive. According to the manual the rake should be 1 degree aft with the main halyard suspended 6" from the gooseneck on the mast (currently 11" leading to more weather helm). The rigger and I came to the conclusion the mast has been bent excessively. I will try tensioning the forestay again but failing that I am wondering is it possible without damaging the mast (aluminum) to straighten it out. Thank you in advance to any advice, Dijon

[tommays]

The mast should be straight while on the ground is it ?

I am have a problem seeing the mast raked aft 11" with the correct length? standing rigging ?

[Dijon]

Hi Tommays: Thank you for your response. The mast is not straight while on the ground. Even with the standing rigging tension at zero there is a bend in the mast that accentuates the rake. It may be that the rake is correct but the bend makes it impossible to achieve the correct metrics. I hope that makes sense. If not please provide more questions and clarity.

[LandLocked66c]

Sounds like a new Mast is in order. Not sure what kind of luck you would have straightening... Let us know what you end up doing.

[deniseO30]

Betting the PO added the roller furling and did not have the headstay shortened. it's a common mistake I do believe.

[shogan50]

Not sure it it helps you, but might shed light on what happened. Aluminum can creep if held in a stressed condition over a period of time. In the aircraft industry, that is how they form stringers. They elastically bend them with tooling and leave them in an oven at surprisingly low temperature for 8 hours. They come out plastically deformed. It is called creep forming. At ambient temp it just happens in months rather than hours (probably dependent on alloy and heat treat). Is suggests that forced the other way, it would creep back over time.

[Faster]

Is it a uniform bend with no lateral component? Difficult to imagine something like that happening... If the mast was ever dropped I could see a 'kink' and bend in it..

As to the furler issue Denise brings up that would depend on the style of furler.

Certainly with 11" rake when you should have 6 something's off....

[Dijon]

Thanks to all the forum responses. In response to questions there is no lateral component as measured from toe-rail starboard and port. As to the PO not shortening the forestay within the furler, I do not understand how that would produce the aft bend. As mentioned at the start of the thread I did shorten the forestay but the bend remains. I live in Seattle and maybe Boeing could shed some light on "aluminum creep". Thanks again for the responses.

[mitiempo]

If the forestay was slack and was tightened with tension on the backstay the forward lowers would keep the mid mast section in place but the upper half would take a set aft.

[capnmoe]

Hi Folks
I'm new to POrt Charlotte and I'm looking for a place(yard) that will haul my boat out store it and let me work on it for a few months and not want too much money. Anyone know of such a place? I wouldn't mind sailing a little ways to get there. \

Thanks

John