I have a bent upper spar that starts from where the halyard is tied and because of the high cost of shipping want to repair it by sliding a foot length piece of aluminum pipe over the area ,so it acts as a supportive sleeve.does anyone know if this is feasible?seems it would also make it stronger.
How to repair bent spar
- Thread starter stevie jr
- Start date
Here's a link to a prior thread with a similar topic:
http://sailingforums.com/threads/straightening-a-spar.22385/#post-105446
And there's another thread listed within that one...
http://sailingforums.com/threads/straightening-a-spar.22385/#post-105446
And there's another thread listed within that one...
Sailkb
Member
A regular chain link fence pipe from Lowes fits nicely inside a Sunfish spar. Tap a 2' piece down to the weak spot and add a couple screws or rivets. If you need a longer piece to get it straight, you will start to add to the weight, but I don't think that's a issue for sailing. I have also heard of using wooden closet rod but that's probably not as rigid.
Thank you so much for that reply. In fact I did see that chain link pipe in the store. I believe the size is 1 3/8 ....I was just concerned it if it would fit.
L&VW
Well-Known Member
While on the subject of splicing, I've successfully spliced a broken Sunfish mast using a new "leftover" exhaust pipe—free from a Meinecke muffler shop. It's really heavy now
but it won't break there again!
baseman
On the Water
LVW - I have a spare mast if you need one. It's a Phantom mast, so it's black, but it's the same thing only different 
L&VW
Well-Known Member
The ad at the bottom of the page suggests carbon fiber tubing as a lightweight alternative to pipe.
("Dragon Plate" brand).
("Dragon Plate" brand).
While on the subject of splicing, I've successfully spliced a broken Sunfish mast using a new "leftover" exhaust pipe—free from a Meinecke muffler shop. It's really heavy now
When Sunfish masts do break, very often it is right at the deck level, right at the top of the mast step. When that happens it is a bummer to be sure, but there are a couple of silver linings, as they say.
If we even off the end of the mast at the break, and put the end-cap there, we have almost exactly.....a Minifish mast ( or an original Sailfish mast). I got myself a Minifish mast that way ( unintentionally) to supplement my M2 rig.
For those who don't give a hoot about Minifish, there are also Sunfish uses for that shortened mast. For recreational heavy air use, we will note the the deck- level broken masts are also almost the same height as.....a Jens tie- off point. By using this shortened mast on heavy air days, we get all of the benefits of a Jens rig, without the complications. For most sailors this is preferable to tie-ing off a Jens, and for the KISS types among us, less fussy and maybe safer. And for kids - anyone under say, 100 pounds, this 'permanent Jens' setting is more efficient in most if not all conditions.
So I look at a broken but recapped mast, shortened to this Jens length, as an addition to the arsenal. Or maybe a gift to your leightweight Sunfish (or Minifish) friends.
![1z16a6o[1].jpg](https://cdn.sailingforums.com/attachments/12/12361-9643d5c0c608d4dd5a1c227d20a9d80c.jpg)