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Bent Mast

popeyez7

Rank: Mate

Registered: Apr 26, 2004

Last visit: May 01, 2023

Posts: 398
Posted: Aug 08, 2011 - 05:40 AM

~~ I have a mast from a 16 Hobie that has a ' slight but noticable' bend in it... There's no kinks & the sail-track is good.
I wanna make a bigger ice boat this year, if time allows it ?? I've tried steady pressure on the mast with weights using cinder blocks that I put into a small boat that I have... Here's the way I did it. I put the mast on the ground, then put some wood blocks under it at the ends so it was raised off the ground about a little more than 2'. I used a rope on the bow to suppened the front of the boat, I put the back of the boat on the mast, then I put the cin. blocks in the back of the boat so all the weight would be in one spot... I probably used about 5-6 blocks. Not sure how much it weighed, but it was alot. I left it like that for about 2 weeks... Still no change ! I was hoping TIME would do it ? I'am running outta time !!!! Any ideas anyone ?? (besides using my truck, I did try the lawn mower, that didn't work--I didn't wanna kink it) Some one have a mast they wanna sell ???

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~ Vietnam Vet 69-71~ 17 Hobie w/big jib, ~18 Hobie mag,~DN Ice sailor,
and other toys.......
~~ I live in NY state on the north shore of Oneida lake in
Bernhards Bay. ~~~~~~
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jfricker

Rank: Lubber

Registered: Aug 01, 2011

Last visit: Oct 07, 2014

Posts: 82
Posted: Aug 08, 2011 - 06:51 AM

Time won't bend it. You need to yield the metal (push it past the elastic, springy range), but yielding weakens it, so it will bend easier at the yielded point (the old paper clip bending til it breaks example). My experience trying to straighten Laser masts is they bend right back (if the original yield was caused by over vanging) the next time you put on heavy vang. With 470 masts bent by sticking the mast in the mud, they can be straightened a little. In any case, if the mast is unusable, it's worth a shot, but there's a good chance you'll break it if you have to bend it much, and if it's only bent a little, it's probably usable as is.

Try fixing one end of the mast to something up close to the bend (between stairs, a hole in a piling), and bounce up and down on the other end, stopping often to see how much load it takes to make any progress and gauge from that. Use wood where the mast is fixed to avoid kinking it or scratching it. It's nerve wracking. My success rate is limited, and I have broken smaller masts. Never tried on anything as big as H16 mast. Post your results so we all learn from it.

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John Fricker
Prindle 16
Seabrook, Texas
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pbegle

Rank: Mate

Registered: Mar 12, 2003

Last visit: Feb 19, 2021

Posts: 879
Posted: Aug 08, 2011 - 09:06 AM

Have a mast (check my ad) & can ship. 909-800-5237
Sawyeraj

Rank: Lubber

Registered: Jan 29, 2009

Last visit: Aug 07, 2013

Posts: 25
Posted: Aug 08, 2011 - 09:11 AM

Just last summer, I bent a bowed P16 mast back to straight pretty easily. Locate the center of the bend and place a couple tires, or atleast one on the top, a couple feet off the ground. Fix one end of the mast to the ground... I placed it underneath a heavy trailer using wood blocks between mast and trailer until the mast was pretty close to the ground. Then bounce on the free end! Grab the free end and bounce it up and down, slowly working out the bend (VERY slowly... it takes a while). The key is to heat the mast first though! I let my mast sit out in the hot sun until mid afternoon and then worked with it. You may have to move the tires to different parts of the bend while straightening. Make sure the mast is warm and the bend fulcrum is soft and wide (like a tire) to avoid kinking the mast. Good luck!

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AJ Sawyer
Nacra 20
San Diego, CA
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