Question about substitute masts

Seaotter5

Well-Known Member
On FB, a guy from The Netherlands asked how much it would cost to ship a mast to him. I am sure that he will quickly discover that it would probably be cheaper to just buy a new one locally. But the question got me thinking: would it be possible to make one’s own mast, using conduit or something? I have a few extra masts and spars, so for me it’s just a theoretical question.
 
The mast is made from a standard size of aluminum pipe (I don't have the diameter and wall thickness handy, but they are in the archives). I bought pipe from a local metal supply place for $142, cut it to the right length, and installed endcaps. Anodized aluminum pipe lasts longer, but it isn't critical for casual use. New endcaps are inexpensive and cheap to ship.
 
I looked into this a few years back. I found a suitable pipe but couldn't get it anodized. For me the anodising is critical as I am sailing salt water. Anyway I ended up buying one from LP
 
The mast is made from a standard size of aluminum pipe (I don't have the diameter and wall thickness handy, but they are in the archives). I bought pipe from a local metal supply place for $142, cut it to the right length, and installed endcaps. Anodized aluminum pipe lasts longer, but it isn't critical for casual use. New endcaps are inexpensive and cheap to ship.
Mast wall thickness is 083." Order the anodized aluminum pipe to keep sail colors snappy.

An alternative to anodizing, would be to paint it with Krylon clear coat. As it wears, expect to touch it up every few years.

In discussing alternative mast materials, this forum went to three pages :eek: of good ideas--over here:

 
What, no 150' tall rig made from Sitka Spruce? Oh, yeah, those pesky knockdowns... :confused:

Another scorcher today, but the breeze picked up so it'll cool down later... moi, I'm sippin' rotgut vino in the A/C, about to watch some entertainment on the 65" curved screen, lol. :rolleyes:

Gotta like the home theater setup with soundbar & subwoofer... not to mention the leather sofa opposite the elevated TV. "It don't suck..." ;)

Hey, I finished another John Hawk tale by author Charles G. West, this time it was NO JUSTICE IN HELL, lol. Those John Hawk stories are great, ol' Chuck West sure dredges up some ornery outlaws for his Western tales, while Hawk is a bad@$$ mofo, one tough hombre to kill, and he gets into some scrapes, lol. :eek:

Look for those Hawk Westerns at your local library, they're worth reading, lol. So far, I've read HELL HATH NO FURY, NO JUSTICE IN HELL, and MONTANA TERRITORY, and each story was classic. Of course, I'm biased toward Westerns, since I live in rural Arizona, lol. CHEERS!!! :D
 

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