How to straighten SC mast

[hoddinr]

I had a run in with a pine tree yesterday at a local ramp.  Launched and sailed in light wind, but when I put her back on the trailer and lowered the mast, I noticed that the tree had bent the mast slightly. 

Any ideas for straightening her out.  New ones are $727.

Thanks!

Ron

[crazycarl]

If I remember right, bob23 devised a way to straighten his mast.

I believe he placed it on saw horses with a weight hung under the area that was bowed, and left it that way over the winter.

It looks more a bow than a bend, very lucky.

c.c

[rogerschwake]

  Sorry to hear about your bad luck. It's bent so try to straighten it the best you can and if it doesn't work you will have to spend some of that money your working for and buy a new one. One thing I have done when bending thin wall tubing is fill it with fine sand to prevent putting a kink in it. Good luck and hope to see you at the next CLR.

ROGER

[captronr]

I'll offer some ideas, but have NEVER tried this, so take that under advisement as well:

1.  Can  you find a part of a mast and just cut/splice below the bowed part?  Should be cheaper than new.........

2.  I don't know if you could hang weight on it to remove the bow, so for a more aggressive approach, how about putting it on saw horses.   Fabricate (steel pipe cut lengthwise or 4x4 wood) support pieces for both sides of the mast for each end and the middle.  If I were trying it, I would make the end lengths at least 2 feet long and the center piece 4 ft long. 

Fill the tube with wooden plugs if you can, sand if you can't to prevent kinking to a pressure points.

I would have have a 4x4 spacer on the concave side of the mast, so you'll be able to overbend it.

Attach pipe clamps to each end and the middle.  Start tightening the center clamp.  You'll likely need 2-3 clamps to keep fresh thread in the center pipe clamp. 

I suspect it will take a few inches of overbending, but again, I'm just guessing.  I'm not an engineer, but work with steel, and those properties are different.

3.  If this doesn't work, you can get a new mast. 

Hope this helps.
Ron

[ghsfusioneer]

Along the same line of thought, construct a wooden form that cradles the mast and has gentle curve to guide and limit the amount of bend.  The form should hopefully and likely prevent any kinking. Clearly, the mast will have to be pulled beyond straight because the mast is a tempered aluminum alloy and will bounce back - a lot.  After fastening the form, and the lower end of mast to a wall or something very rigid, use a come-along at the mast head to pull the mast into shape.  Doing this gradually, and releasing the tension often to check, should allow you to bring it back to straight - or at least close enough.  You've got nothing to lose by trying.  Good luck!
Fusioneer

[hoddinr]

Thanks for the replies, and great ideas.  I've decided to let experts who have straightened masts before give it a try.  As you say, what have I got to lose?

Island Nautical, in St. Petersburg, has a spar shop, and they will have a go at it.  Taking it to them on Wednesday (day after tomorrow). 

When talking with them, they had similar ideas and they have bolted down heavy saw horses and heavy weights to work with.

The funny thing it, I could just ignore it.  The SunCat rig is so low tech that it didn't seem to make any difference when I sailed it on Saturday after bending it.  But I just can't do that.  Like you probably, it would bug me, and I'd be sighting up the mast and feeling bad for Nomad.

I'll let you know how it turns out and what they had to do to get it straight.

Ron

[captronr]

If you use it as is, you could always respond to the question 'is your mast bent' with 'no, it's just an optical illusion--it's straight.'

Ron

[hoddinr]

LOL !! That's a good one Captronr .  I like that idea.

After taking all the shrouds and blocks off the mast to get it ready to go to the shop, I now have to worry that I won't get it put back together without a twist or two in the halyards!  Good experience though.

Ron

[Tom L.]

Ron, I just got home from Naples and read your post. That aint nothin. The shop will have that straight as an arrow in nothing flat. Hope to see you soon.

Tom L.

[Bob23]

  Ron: As Carl noted above, I did indeed remove most of the bow in my 23 mast by doing exactly what he described. I placed the mast on 2 saw horses and cut some 2x4 braces to keep the mast from flopping over on it's side and hung a Compac approved cement block from some old line in the middle. I kept it like that for most of a winter and checked it periodically to ensure I wasn't bending it the other way. This took about 80% of the bend out and with secret rig tuning techniques, the mast is pretty straight today.
  Unlike you, I have no idea how I bowed the mast. Maybe it was like that when I bought the boat or maybe it was that time I got the anchor hung up on a piling backing out of the slip....nah...couldn't be that. Have fun!!!!
Bob23

[hoddinr]

Bob!  Does ComPac still have the approved concrete blocks in stock?  LOL!!

Thanks!  I need all the humor I can get.

Ron

[Bob23]

Ron: I am the only licensed distributor in North America for those blocks. The cost is minimal: $39.95 plus shipping and handling,  including the approved line. You can PM me your credit card info and I'll get it right out. You should only need one and they are reusable! Such a deal!!!
Bob23

[kickingbug1]

  this proves it bob is indeed from jersey

[hoddinr]

A follow up.  Took the spar to Island Nautical's spar shop where they attempted to bring it back to straight condition, by bending it the other way.  Took a LOT of bending, but when they let go, it pretty much went back to where it was.  Lots of spring in that aluminum. They did manage to get about 1/2 of the bend out, but were afraid to continue putting pressure on it.

So I loaded it up, and hooked up the boat and called Jerry at Hutchins.  They have a new spar and will put it on for me.  End of that.

Ron