Free Standing Aluminum Mast, Mounting Hardware

[montgwh]

I'm currently working on installing a sail bag system on a Freedom 40 that has the original unstayed aluminum masts. The design of the bag normally requires hardware to be attached to the mast, however because of the free-standing design, I'm very hesitant to drill holes in the mast. Should I be concerned that it would cause damage, or is the mast "beefy" enough. I tried to contact Eric Sponberg, but apparently he has retired and gone sailing, dang. hahaha, sounds nice. Can anyone give me a definitive answer or point me to a Naval Architect with experience in this area? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

 

[rob denney]

Almost certainly the mast is strong enough to stand a few rivet holes. If possible, try to keep them as far away from the deck bearing as possible, not radially around the mast and on the leading and trailling edges rather than the sides

 

[phillysailor]

I was reluctant to drill my CF tubes, so ground and sanded a G10 puck in which embedded nuts secured the hardware I was attaching. I glued it to the mast with epoxy and laid FG on top, in a couple of orientations. I mixed carbon powder into the epoxy so that the color matched the mast, although it is matte instead of glossy.