WHAT MAKES A FAST MAST

[lisalamaro5270]

Can some one please tell me where the best place to put fittings on mast ?
Ie should gooseneck be at max height above the btm of the mast and vang plates , shroud tangs??
Any help would be great as my old mast, which i was going to use as a templete is way under size!!…
Also any help where to put vang onto boom would be great
Ok happy sailing!

[andrewr]

Hi,

The main thing that makes a mast “fast” is that it bends to suit the sail set on it.

As far as where fittings should go, the rules tolerances are pretty tight for most things, so there is not much to play with. The things I would do are:

1. try to get the maximum distance between the gooseneck and the vang fittings by putting the gooseneck as high as possible and the vang fitting as low as possible (within the tolerances of the rules of course!). That way the vang will be as efficient at producing leech tension as possible.
2. make sure the distance between the two black bands is the maximum allowable under the rules.
3. make sure the mast is as short as possible under the rules – no point carrying extra weight aloft and the sail can only go as high as the top black band anyway.
4. cut out the minimum of sail track for the sail entry point. To ensure maximum strength it is probably best to just bend/widen the sail track with pliers or multi-grips (just be careful not to crack the aluminium when doing this).

There are proposals to remove both the black bands and the limitations on the boom vang fixture point. However, they may not ever be passed, so it’s best to stay within the rules as they currently stand.

Regards,

Alan Riley
Sabre 1564

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