Broken 430 = 400 mast

jada · Joined: 07 Jan 2001 Posts: 32

Ok. Tell me the problems. My Fiberspar 430/21 went for a land ride without me and smacked up the very bottom. I cut it off real clean with a fine hacksaw and sanded the edge smooth. It measures 400 now. I can still get the boom on the reinforced area with about 5 inches of extension on the bottom for my 4.5. Am I asking for trouble? Or did I just get a 400 cm mast that wil work.

spyder · Joined: 24 Sep 1996 Posts: 2790 Location: oahu

yep thatll work just fine.

shredlock4 · Joined: 22 Sep 1998 Posts: 5

i would say it depends on your mast. is it 100% carbon or it is a wave mast? on such a land impact, a high percentage carbon mast will likely to get some internal cracks which will be more prone to failure later. stresses like that is invisible.

I would advice you to be cautious on where you use the mast. If your life is depending on it, i wouldnt do it.

spyder · Joined: 24 Sep 1996 Posts: 2790 Location: oahu

your advice is very good, and what you say is true. but, masts break, and even if you think you have a good mast it still may fail (new/used).

I have been able to save some mast tops/bottoms in this way, however, I am not sure I trust them as much, because of what you mentioned.

jada · Joined: 07 Jan 2001 Posts: 32

The mast is lower carbon content - 20%. I reinforced the very bottom with a layer of fiberglass. Prolly use it for lake sailing - if it breaks I swim.

gemoore · Joined: 14 May 2001 Posts: 494

I have done this, have also repaired a boom crack, and have lengthened the ferrule to a base that split the top section. All these fixes have been highly reliable (to my surprise). The main problem you will have with shortening a mast is that the IMCS wont match many sails...it will be too stiff for the smaller sails. So you can use it as a back up, or for really overpowered conditions where you want a stiffer mast. Also, that size would be OK for a beginner sail. So you saved a mast, but its not as good a deal as youd hoped.