Faux Bois

True. The weight will be entirely insignificant in terms of knots. That's one reason we settled on the Ensign -- it's so heavy and stable that my wife and daughter will be able to learn to sail on it largely stress free. Completely unlike the catamaran with an SA/D of 50 +/- that we currently have.

That said: a) I don't trust the 1966 mast, so I need to get a new one anyway, b) while I'm at it, another 4' of height will catch a bit of air higher off the water, c) the heeling moment will be lower than aluminum, keeping the boat's self-righting capacity intact even with a taller mast, and d) I want to be able to step the mast myself without a crane, and the lighter weight will be useful there.

Since we're going for a drop-dead gorgeous finished product, including either teak or nuteak decks, getting the fake-wood-finish mast matters, even if it's gilding the lilly. By the time I add in the price of that exorbitant paint job, it's hard not to go the extra mile and upgrade to carbon as well. In for a penny, in for a pound.

Other than that, a carbon mast would be ridiculous, just something you'd clear-coat so your friends can see the carbon weave while you brag about the mast and the half-ounce you saved by using titanium shackles (we'll be using stainless).

Though, the cheetos would definitely have the added benefit of high visibility...

 

At least Mother Nature makes trees out of carbon!

-Tom

 

You may find this long thread interesting;

http://www.boatdesign.net/forums/sailboats/deck-my-pearson-ensign-32174.html

This thread meanders through dreams of a schooner rig and other stuff, plus some divisive comments by a board member well known for this sort of distemper. Eventually the moderator separated a few pages of this thread, making it a new one, where this poster could rant about what ever alone, though some "remnants" of this show in some of the replies. Fortunately, he didn't last too long in the thread. There's quite a bit of Ensign info available there, admittedly within a long thread (over 230 posts).

Have you priced a carbon mast yet? You'll have more in that spar then the rest of the boat.

A deck stepped version was available for the Ensign (the Electra version) and a tabernacle could be arranged if desired so raising it wouldn't be too much trouble. The Ensign does trailer, but launching and recovering a boat of this draft can be challenging at many launch ramps.

Personally, I'd elect to make a birdsmouth mast from spruce. It wouldn't need a faux paint job, as it's the real thing. It's a light building method and easy to do as well. Lastly it wouldn't cost a small fortune and when lines slap against it, there's no man made thumping.

 

Interesting thread. Thanks for the link.

To answer your question, the carbon fiber mast and boom should be about $10k with the fancy paint job. A bit less than a third of the total budget. It's not cheap, but at 30 pounds for a 32' deck-stepped mast, this gets us the height we want while also being stronger, more fatigue-resistant, and more corrosion-resistant than the original mast.

Thus, the interest in the faux bois finish.

I'd consider a spruce mast if we could get a 32' deck-stepped mast for under 34 pounds, which would create roughly the same heeling moment as the original 44 pound 32' keel-stepped mast.

I just don't know enough to have a feel for what the spruce mast would cost (assuming someone else does the work -- my time is full for the forseeable future), or how it would measure up in terms of weight and strength.

fyi, in order to avoid cluttering the faux bois thread with additional design issues, I've posted a full list of questions and issues in a new thread titled 1966 Pearson Ensign renovation. I appreciate he commentary here, but don't want to get too far off-topic.

 

A 32' birdsmouth mast made from white spruce will be about 33 pounds. This assumes a 20% thickness thickness, 7/8's rig per the original. Dimensions would roughly be 4" at the base, tapering to 2.5" at the masthead.

If you went to a 15% wall, the dimensions would be 4 1/8" at the base tapering to 2 3/4" at the masthead, but she'd be about 28 pounds.

So much for carbon. If interested I can offer you a quote for this mast (click on my name and send an email), as I build several per year, this one likely being no different then any others.

In terms of stiffness and strength, the dimensions provided where on you mast, the rig type, sail area, etc., so yep, it's in there. On the rig as original stayed, it's way over the top. In fact you can eliminate a set of lowers and sweep the spreaders a little more, still having a stiff and capable rig, with less wire (windage and weight).

 

Thanks for the info. I'll be in touch this week for a quote.