How to cut an aluminium mast in 5 seconds

[Port-Na-Storm]

2 1/4" seems a bit on the small side to me, but then if none of us can remember what its for it'll probably be fine, probably.
I'm with CW in the slightly bewildered corner.

[Jeremy]

I suspect you'll find that 16g is a bit thin and will be relatively easily dinged, so you may well be better going to 14g.

You'll also get this a LOT cheaper from your local metal stockist, I suspect, and you'll get a proper spec on the invoice to affirm that it's 6082-T6 and not some very much weaker alloy.

I use a metal stockist near Romsey a fair bit, MG Metals (http://www.mgmetals.co.uk/ ).  They are usually around 1/2 to 2/3rds the price of Metals4U (who are the most expensive supplier I've seen).

[Paul H (admin)]

Port-Na-Storm wrote

2 1/4" seems a bit on the small side to me

The Enterprise mast is 2 1/4in wide and about 1.72mm wall thickness, so 1.6mm seemed ok for a shorter mast with a slight weight saving.

MG Metals don't give prices (mad I think for an online business).

But I'm so pi**ed off messing around I think I'll stick with what I've got. And I wonder if simply buying a boat that works would have saved years of fiddling - DCA manage ok.

-Paul

[Port-Na-Storm]

Paul (admin) wrote

 I wonder if simply buying a boat that works would have saved years of fiddling - DCA manage ok.

Buy a boat? Where's the fun in that, we might actually have to go sailing!

This might get me kicked out of the brownies, but in my experience a fair few of the Southern Chapter of DCA struggle with inappropriate boats.

[Paul H (admin)]

Port-Na-Storm wrote

Paul (admin) wrote

 I wonder if simply buying a boat that works would have saved years of fiddling - DCA manage ok.

Buy a boat? Where's the fun in that, we might actually have to go sailing!

This might get me kicked out of the brownies, but in my experience a fair few of the Southern Chapter of DCA struggle with inappropriate boats.

Well at Cobnor John P. did say "You've probably got the safest boat in the DCA"

[alopenboat]

On 26 Sep 2015 at 12:59, Paul (admin) [via UK HBBR Forum] wrote:

 
> Well at Cobnor John P. did say "You've probably got the safest boat in
> the DCA"
>

Was that because it wasn't in the water?  :->

--
Sail when you can, row when you must, motor only
when you have to be at work in the morning.

Alastair Law
Yeovil, England.
<http://www.little.jim.freeuk.com>

[simplesimon]

FWIW, and primarily for the record:

 Mirror masts are 4.9m (16ft) long, and the circular ones usually use a 50mm dia section with usually 2mm (14swg) wall thickness. They may taper above the hounds down to 25mm dia. The hounds are at 3.3m (11ft) above the heel. They carry around 5sqm (55sqft) sail.  

Oppie unstayed masts use a similar (constant) section but are only 2.4m (8ft) long and supported a thwart at 225mm (9 in) above the heel, and carry around 3.5sqm (38sqft) sail.

Laser masts are unstayed circular sections in two parts. The bottom section is 63mm dia with a 3mm wall, the top section is 51mm dia with a 2mm wall. It carries around 80sqft (7.3 sqm). (Laser radial sails are smaller and use a different, more flexible, lower mast section).

Of course the required stiffness & strength of a mast are primarily determined by the stability of the hull, not by the sail area.

Simon