Advantages of hollow wooden masts

[dckelly]

Hi,

We have to replace 2 wooden masts on a 50 meter ship. The big one is about 30 cm at the base and 15 meters tall. The other one is 12 meters.

I have an offer for hollow wooden masts and having no experience, I was wondering what the advantages and disadvantages of a "hollow" wooden mast are in comparison with a normal, solid wooden mast.

Thanks,
Dimitris

[hoytedow]

You save weight.

[alan white]

But the lack of weight up high can make the boat twitchy, which may be uncomfortable in certain sea conditions. Otherwise, hollow masts are much lighter with similar strength.

[gonzo]

I have the same opinion

[Olav]

Originally Posted by hoytedow

You save weight.

... and windage as you can run your halyards internally. Disadvantage: Possibly lots of hassle if the halyards get tangled or if one end of one of them disappears into the mast when you forgot to tie a figure-eight knot to it.

[hoytedow]

Originally Posted by Olav

... and windage as you can run your halyards internally. Disadvantage: Possibly lots of hassle if the halyards get tangled or if one end of one of them disappears into the mast when you forgot to tie a figure-eight knot to it.

True. It makes you more careful next time.

[ancient kayaker]

On a ship of that size I doubt those masts make much difference, hollow or solid.

[hoytedow]

Originally Posted by ancient kayaker

On a ship of that size I doubt those masts make much difference, hollow or solid.

On a ship that size I might consider going to aluminum.