Ask the experts
Q
We sail our 1995 Gib’Sea 302 Club Plus in the Netherlands on the Grevenlingen lake.
The vessel was originally bought new by a sailmaker who raced her extensively, then sailed for leisure by her next owner. From new she was equipped with a taller, tailor-made aluminium mast with two pairs of spreaders, and a diamond top rig to control the extended, thinning end part of the mast.
During maintenance checks I noticed crazing damage around the upper spreader bracket. It seems this damage is not new, but it is structural so jeopardises the strength of the top part of the mast. It might have been a result of the diamond rig pre-tension being set too low in the past, I’m not sure.
Clearly I want to keep her sailing safely for the next decade. I can think of a couple of options:
Buy a full new mast/rig. This will cost a significant amount of money, even though the remainder of the mast does not show any fatigue/crazing at any place (not at the spreaders, nor at the connection points, etc).
Repair it by either welding or gluing a new plate onto the front.
I understand there’ll be no guarantees when repaired, though given the construction and the location of the issue, the right rig tension – together with a structural reinforcement of this weak spot – should last for quite some time. Mike coates replies:
It’s difficult to assess the damage properly from the photo – it may be we can see just dirt or possibly damage to the anodising... but it does also look like cracking. I’d check by cleaning the mast thoroughly using a RED Scotchbrite pad and WD40 which will help remove stubborn dirt and residues. Obtain a nondestructive testing kit, which is usually a three component system: a cleaner to thoroughly cleanse the area, a penetrating dye, and a developer. Clean the surface Apply the penetrating dye Wipe surface clean with cleaner Apply developer. Any cracks should then be highlighted by the dye. If cracking is found, rather than welding – which could cause heat distortion problems – it may be possible to repair by plating. But at that stage I’d then get advice on the damage from a reputable rigger or mast manufacturer.