New Mast (does it really need to be work hardened?)

Nifty50

Nifty50

New Member
Just got myself a new lower section. I notice a sticker on it saying it needs to be work hardened and that I should not use it in anything above a medium wind for a while. I've never heard of that before. I thought you could just stick it in and go out for a sail. Has anyone else read that orange sticker on a new mast?
 
The masts do come with the sticker. I think it is BS. The tube is already completely work hardened from the extrusion process. Between the alloying, heat treatment and extrusion processes it would be surprising that it could improve much more.

The original designs were wrong. The number of failures is incredible. If it wasn't the Laser class, they would have fixed the problem(different section, material, etc) a couple of decades ago.

I think the problem has gotten much worse since the new rigging. More people are sailing with more downhaul and vang because they now have the purchase. Perhaps the sticker is a way of saying be careful this could break if you sail it in heavy air with too much downhaul and vang. Not the first time. More like anytime.
 
Earlier thread
http://sailingforums.com/threads/reversing-the-fittings-on-the-top-mast-section.23548/#post-111182
Without rehashing what's been said before in any detail, basically Laser masts will not work harden in ordinary use because they are being flexed in a region on elasticity. For work hardening to occur, the masts need to be flexed in the inelastic region i.e. where permanent bending occurs. The manufactures are just covering their behinds, because the wall thickness of the spars is under sized.
 
I read that sticker, then forgot about it. After sailing regularly in 15-25 knots, the new mast top-section is now permanently bent aft. Of course I should have rotated it each afternoon to work harden it instead of letting this happen! Oops.
 
Maybe its a good thing to have the upper bent. Turn it aft in heavy air would give more rake. Turn it forward in light air to keep it more upright. As long as it doesn't break or bend beyond reason it may not be that bad. If you have a bent Radial lower you are pretty much screwed. My friend's was so bent that it was ovalized.
 
AlanD said:
It's illegal to race with a bent bottom section (except 4.7's) or top section.
Click to expand...

That may be the case but as bottom sections appear to be made out of toffee at the moment and I can't afford to keep buying new ones I have no choice but to sail with a bent bottom section. Its not fast or beneficial to me, just really annoying. At the moment I have a straight bottom section that I keep for opens and a bent one that I club race with.

I'm fairly sure most of the fleets top sections would fail if you measured after racing too (I straighten mine before launching but they need straightening again after pretty much every sail)
 
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