Swappping masts, worth it or insane?

[jgkelly]

Hi, I keep seeing a 1979 Peterson 34 on Ebay which was dismasted in a storm. Sounds like the boat itself it good, just needs a mast, sails and rigging. I have a 1970 Westerly Centaur with a properly functioning mast, sails and rigging, but the cabin is crummy. Would it be possible to swap the mast and rigging from the Westerly Centaur to the Peterson 34? Could that be worthwhile to do, I'm sure it would not be cheap to have a boat yard do the change over? Or does it sound overly expensive and or not possible to do? I'm sure the mast and rigging setups are completely different on these boats. And then the next question would be, how do you scrap a 26 foot sailbaot?

[PaulinVictoria]

I would guess you'll end up with a Peterson 34 that sails very badly. My assumption is that the rig on a 26 foot Centaur is going to be significantly smaller than the Peterson was designed for. Personally I think you'd be better spending the money either on improving your cabin, or putting it towards a bigger boat with the designed rig on it.

[rgscpat]

The more normal thing to do would be to scrounge around for a used mast for the Peterson or a used mast from a boat with a similar spar. Calling around, contacting boat owners, sailmakers, boatyards, etc. might turn up something. Another idea would be to pay for an extrusion of the right size and shape and finish it yourself.

[puddinlegs]

Originally Posted by jgkelly

Hi, I keep seeing a 1979 Peterson 34 on Ebay which was dismasted in a storm. Sounds like the boat itself it good, just needs a mast, sails and rigging. I have a 1970 Westerly Centaur with a properly functioning mast, sails and rigging, but the cabin is crummy. Would it be possible to swap the mast and rigging from the Westerly Centaur to the Peterson 34? Could that be worthwhile to do, I'm sure it would not be cheap to have a boat yard do the change over? Or does it sound overly expensive and or not possible to do? I'm sure the mast and rigging setups are completely different on these boats. And then the next question would be, how do you scrap a 26 foot sailbaot?

rgscpat hit the spot on the used route. Please don't ruin a nice hull with a very small rig that it wasn't designed for. For fun, call someone like Buzz Ballenger at Ballenger Spars and get a quote on a new one so you know what you're dealing with. Remember the sails themselves will be more expensive than the new spar. On another note, there's a very nice and wel known Peterson 30' for sail in Seattle that's all set to go.

Question 2, a 15amp Milwaukee Sawzall, some bladed, and a large dumpster. Metals can be sold for scrap. There was a video on youtube of a j30 being delivered to and demolished by a back hoe with a claw at a dump facility somewhere in Illinois.

[Sublime]

The Peterson most likely came with a minimum of a 45' mast. Your 26' boat is probably going have about a 30' mast (an educational guesstimate).

You can do it, but it would be silly.

[Barquito]

jg- How trashed is that thing? I think (money-wise), it would be better to put some time and a little money in this winter to fix it up. Then sell it in the spring... if you really want a different boat. Didn't you just get the boat this summer? (saw post on milwaukeesailors)

[jgkelly]

I did get the Centaur this summer, The cabin is very mildewy and kind of smells bad because of that, and who knows what else is going on in that bilge. I've probably used a gallon of bleach already, and will use a few more once it is out of the water. Sails fine but smells bad. Thanks for all of the comments, I figured it was kind of a crazy idea......

[WDS123]

one can do anything and get away with it - but your best bet is to search for a matching mast.

Even a busted mast can be sleeved and welded together - not pretty, but works for general cruis'g

[Jeff_H]

And also remember that a Peterson 34 in good shape really does not have a lot of market value ($10- 20,000), and there may be a lot more wrong with the boat than a missing rig.

This boat could easily have a negative value. You might want to look at the work that Catamount has done restoring his Peterson 34, and his was in pretty good shape.


Jeff

[SlowButSteady]

You're thinking of owning two boats? Isn't that insane enough?