Mast broken in two. Should I repair or replacement 1986 E32-3

[Khubersail]

My E32-3 was just delivered to UT from NC with the mast cracked completely in two The boat hauler, the firm that de-commissioned the mast and packed it and the broker are all denying any responsibility for the mast being broken. My insurance company is sending out another surveyor to take a look. My questions are this:

1. Can these masts be properly repaired?
2. Does anyone know of a place to buy a used kenyon mast? Approximate cost?
3. Is there any way to tell if the mast was cracked before shipping?
4. What should I be concerned about in relation to buying a new mast and using exsisting sails, boom, spreaders and standing/running rigging?
4. Any ideas on who is at fault here? I think I am about to get screwed!!

I had a survey done, by what I thought was a reputable firm before purchasing the boat, however he did not go aloft to check any of the rigging out.

Can anyone help me??

 

[Loren Beach]

Bummer!

One of the parties you mentioned IS no doubt responsible. Check your own insurance policy, also. Your ins. co. may have to fix it and then sue the other guys to recover their $.
Kenyon is long out of business, AFAIK. I would have someone reputable like Ballenger Spars build a new mast.
http://www.ballengerspars.com/
This company has replaced other masts on Ericson-built boats - excellent rep.

Your old boom would work fine. If the boat still has original rigging, it's past time to replace it, anyway (although you probably did not want to hear that...). Same for the old running rigging, expecially if it is the original wire-to-rope splice stuff. Ick.

New spreaders might be part of the deal, too. Of course the sails will fit -- same luff groove should be part of the spar bid.
Ballenger can clue you in on all these details. Having been in business for decades they might also have some suggestions for whose insurance customarily is tagged first in these situations.

I remember that when our used boat was shipped up to us from SF Bay, I got my insurance binder arranged for as soon as the deal closed, before a truck or yard was involved. No problems with our hauler, but still, ya never know....


Keep us posted. I sure hope that one of these guys owns up. Either first hand, or after your ins. company attorneys sink their fangs into them.

Best of luck,
Loren in PDX

 

[Seth]

go new

While it usually possible to repair this type of thing, it is not desireable-and given the circumstances is not acceptable. The repair will add weight to the rig, and change the bend characteristics-I would only do the repair if a new rig was not available-but since they are, replace it. Also, resale value will be hurt with a repaired rig....

Although not the original vendor-Buzz Ballanger is going to give you the best rig foor the best price.

To follow up on Loren's comment about the sail track-it may or may not be the same. Buzz will give a detailed proposal indicating the tube section he wants to use, and it might have a different track-be sure and tell him what size rope or slides you have on the mainsail, and see what he can do. If the selected section does not match, you have 2 options: 1). Just have new slides sewn on by your sailmaker, or 2). Install a Tides Marine mainsail track on the mast, and then have your sailmaker sew on the slides that come with the track-this will make raing and lowering (and reefing) a snap-

Good hunting!

S

 

[treilley]

I have not worked with Ballanger but I believe Rigrite can provide you with an original Kenyon spar new.

You should be able to tell if the crack existed before the move based on corrosion. Of course if the crack happened a week before the move it would be hard to tell but that is to your advantage. I would say if the crack shows no signs of corrosion then it happened during the move.

Just out of curiosity, can you provide more details and photos of the break? Where on the mast did it occur? Was there any visible corrosion or flaking paint around the area?

 

[Loren Beach]

http://www.rigrite.com/Spars/Kenyon_Spars/KENYON.html#Kenyon Mast Sections

Here is a link to RigRite. I guessed wrong about Kenyon... appears they are still in production.
Having met owners who replaced the original "light" Kenyon section with a Ballenger, and having talked to Buzz about our rig a couple of times, I would for sure get a bid from him for any replacement on our boat.

best,
Loren

 

[Guy Stevens]

Where is the crack?

Where is the crack? Can you take a photo for us? This is not a normal situation. Generally if masts crack in half while they are up, they fall down.

Photos please.......

Generally surveyors survey the hull and structural hull members, existing system in and on the boat, riggers survey the rig, and mechanics survey the engine. Having one person to do all three is rare. Two occasionally.... Most surveyors will tell you what they survey at the time that you first enter into the agreement with them.

In reality I don't think this is a surveyor oversite, it sounds like a crane error most likely, although it could have been the truck and support issues, they have a bad tendency to only support the mast at the ends, and pull down on it in the middle. Then drive thousands of miles over deteriorating roads just to make sure there are a lot of stresses and potentials for work hardening.

$.02

Guy

 

[NateHanson]

Did you have a sea trial on the boat before it was shipped? That would take the wind out of anyone's assertion that the mast was substantially cracked before it was loaded/shipped.

As Guy said, cracked masts don't generally stay up.

 

[Khubersail]

Pictures of broken mast

Thanks to all for the helpful information. It is nice to know there are other ericson owners that take the time to share their vast knowledge and experience with others.
I have attached my pictures of the boat as I received it at the trailer manufacturer in Sandy Utah. This was done with a disposable camera so I couldn't focus or zoom real well

 

[rwthomas1]

If I had to guess I would say that the forward tip of that mast got to oscillating when rolling down the highway and the constant flexing just worked it in half. It wasn't supported correctly. Whomever secured the mast is at fault. RT

 

[Guy Stevens]

That is not the way to transport a boat



Point loading multiple cycle work hardening. Standard failure for any metal bent over a single load bearing point. replicate the experiment with a standard metal coat hanger bend repeatedly back and forth.

There are engineering books that will allow you to calculate with a fair degree of accuracy how long down the road this happened.

Trucking Company should have never accepted the load. Whoever put the mast on the boat that way was not clued in about point loading metal fatigue, or physics in general.

Guy
:-(

 

[wurzner]

Advice for Anyone Shipping - TAKE OUT INSURANCE

When we had our boat shipped up, we took out a rider immediately as Loren mentioned. The policies typically covers damage related (read the responsibility) of the transport company. If anything happens (acts of god, vandalism, rubbing wires resulting in a fire), you are in for long and difficult litigation that is simply not worth it. For us, it was an additonal ~$150 for coverage bringing the truck up from SF Bay to the Seattle area. Given this resprents about 4.5% the transport costs and pennies on the aquisition costs, this was some of the best money we spent towards the boat. I would strongly encourage anyone shipping a boat to take out additional coverage.

Good luck getting it fixed, you'll be happy with here when you get her in the water with a new spar and running rigging. I hope you don't lose too much of the sailing season.

shaun