How to de-mast a sailboat permanently

Discussion in 'Sailboats' started by Marco1, Jan 28, 2014.

  1. Marco1
    Joined: Oct 2009
    Posts: 113
    Likes: 28, Points: 0, Legacy Rep: 240
    Location: Sydney

    Marco1 Senior Member

    Yes, at risk of upsetting sailboat lovers, I thought the sailboat forum would be the place to ask this unholy question.

    First some background:
    I live on a water front property on a tidal river some 6 km from the confluence with another much bigger river. This situation limits the size of boat I can have moored to my pontoon.

    I need to find a displacement cruiser of 25'-35' that draws less than 2'.
    Yes I know, good luck.
    All the powerboats of some size draw 3' or more and at low tide I would be in trouble. Ex fishing trawlers are even worst at 4 or 5'.

    Our local market is rather limited, perhaps it is different in the US and you could find a largish power cruiser, family cruiser, bay boat or anything that floats that is designed for shallow waters. I can't find anything here.

    I even looked into bringing a steel dutch barge over from France. I love those old barges converted to live aboard and some are rather cheap, but the expenses of shipping them over are not cheap at all.

    Before going to that extreme, I "discovered" (sorry not into sailing ever a true internal combustion person here) that I can buy a reasonably sized drop/lift/ swing keel boat and they draw just 400mm or so! Just what I need and they even have those lovely small diesel engines like Lister HRW3 with that sound that puts you to sleep.

    So now to my question. If I get one of those sailboats that I can lift the keel and the rudder, the mast is still in the way because we have some lovely power cables as low as 10 meters to dodge.

    Considering i am not into sailing and the nearest open water to try to sail is about 50 km away on a winding river the more practical option seems to me is to cut off or remove the mast.

    Now that seems a simple enough task, take off all the cables, get your chainsaw or a crane and pull it out, or may be not? not sure
    Also what next? I will have a ballast of a few hundred kilos and the keel.
    Can the keel or the ballast or both be removed? What about the rudder? Leave it to swing?

    May be someone here can give me some general idea of what type of boat to look for and what to do to demast it and "de-keel" it or both.

    This is just an example of what I am after, http://www.boatsonline.com.au/boats-for-sale/used/trailer-boats/binks-b25-3-4/141196
    Not the right one because it is a bit small and no on board engine but you get the idea
     
  2. gggGuest
    Joined: Feb 2005
    Posts: 865
    Likes: 38, Points: 28, Legacy Rep: 76
    Location: UK

    gggGuest ...

    Unlikely to be a nice boat to be in if there are waves about. Reckon its going to rock roll pitch and everything else without the inertia of the mast and keel, not to mention be pretty tippy. And the other thing is you're paying for a lot of hardware that you just throw away, in the form of all the gear for sailing, not just mast and sails but winches and stuff, so you won't be getting an awful lot of boat to the dollar.

    Hard to believe there aren't better options around you. Have you taken a good look at what might be available in terms of workboats you could convert for similar effort but a much better result?
     
  3. Marco1
    Joined: Oct 2009
    Posts: 113
    Likes: 28, Points: 0, Legacy Rep: 240
    Location: Sydney

    Marco1 Senior Member

    Mm, what about lowering the mast high then?
     
  4. Baltic Bandit

    Baltic Bandit Previous Member

    Its absolutely possible to pull the mast. And it is also true that the motion of sailboats is designed for the mass of the mast to be above the boat. The weight in the keel is there mostly to offset that as well as to work with that. If you remove the mast, you will have a lot of unnecessary weight in the boat that will change how she behaves.

    That said, unless you are going out into moderate or larger seas, odds are you will not notice the difference.

    Can you pull the keel and daggerboard? Perhaps. Depends a lot on the boat. most centerboard boats have lead or iron molded/bolted into the bottom of the boat. removing that is likely difficult. But pulling the centerboard out of the boat is perfectly feasible.

    Understand that in doing so, you are essentially putting the resale value of the boat to negative (IE you will have to pay to have it hauled off).

    But the thing about it is that you can easily find powerboats that fit what seem to be your specs:
    http://www.boatsonline.com.au/boats-for-sale/used/power-boats/custom-built-cabin-cruiser/143469
    http://www.boatsonline.com.au/boats-for-sale/used/trailer-boats/chives-seamaster/142976
    http://www.boatsonline.com.au/boats-for-sale/used/power-boats/hartley-32-baycruiser/134724
    http://www.boatsonline.com.au/boats-for-sale/used/power-boats/hartley-30/127697

    Are but four that I found in a similar price and length range that are going to draw about the same amount of water. as gggG pointed out, you are paying in part for the sailing gear of a sailboat, which frankly, stripped of the boat, also has negative resale value.

    And a powerboat is going to have massively more room in it than a sailboat.
     
  5. gonzo
    Joined: Aug 2002
    Posts: 16,790
    Likes: 1,714, Points: 123, Legacy Rep: 2031
    Location: Milwaukee, WI

    gonzo Senior Member

    The centerboard keeps the boat from rolling. The trunk takes a lot of space in the cabin, but if you can live with it, the advantages of lowering the board to decrease the roll would make the ride more comfortable.
     
  6. Baltic Bandit

    Baltic Bandit Previous Member

    He only has 3'-4' of depth...
     
  7. gggGuest
    Joined: Feb 2005
    Posts: 865
    Likes: 38, Points: 28, Legacy Rep: 76
    Location: UK

    gggGuest ...

    Now I think of it a multihull might fit the requirement better anyway...
     
  8. Baltic Bandit

    Baltic Bandit Previous Member

  9. Richard Woods
    Joined: Jun 2006
    Posts: 2,209
    Likes: 175, Points: 63, Legacy Rep: 1244
    Location: Back full time in the UK

    Richard Woods Woods Designs

  10. Marco1
    Joined: Oct 2009
    Posts: 113
    Likes: 28, Points: 0, Legacy Rep: 240
    Location: Sydney

    Marco1 Senior Member

    Thank you for that BB but neither of those boats would be likely to draw less than 600mm or 2'. Even when not specified in the ad.

    The pontoon with a cabin on top is a nice suggestion not far from the lovely steel dutch barges I like.
    Best so far is the cat in plywood, however I am not after something to build. I have many projects going mainly renovations and the boat is something to take me away from work not to have something extra to build.
    Just finished building a sea wall and having pulled out my dear old jetty have now bought a 6mx2m pontoon and must build a ramp to it. Ramp must be anchored properly with concrete piles because we have a rampant species of teredo worms that eat just about anything painted or not.
    Anyway, will continue my quest for a powerboat with a very low draft or may be a big fat sailboat with a low mast and a swing keel.
    By the way, what is the likely air draft of a 30ish foot sailboat? I have power cables at 10meters height?

    http://www.dutchbargesforsale.co.uk/barges_for_sale_in_holland/6087/14_0m_tjalk__skutsje.html
    This would be the go. If only I could motor her across the Mediterranean sea, the Suez canal, what next .. the Indian ocean, under Indonesia and Papua and around cape york and down to Sydney ...
     
  11. Richard Woods
    Joined: Jun 2006
    Posts: 2,209
    Likes: 175, Points: 63, Legacy Rep: 1244
    Location: Back full time in the UK

    Richard Woods Woods Designs

  12. Baltic Bandit

    Baltic Bandit Previous Member

    Marco, nothing except for pontoon boats will draw what you need in the 30' range. not even those sailboats.
     
  13. Moggy
    Joined: Feb 2011
    Posts: 181
    Likes: 8, Points: 0, Legacy Rep: 76
    Location: Somewhere else!

    Moggy Senior Member

    Cats work well demasted. :)
     
  14. Skyak
    Joined: Jul 2012
    Posts: 1,462
    Likes: 145, Points: 63, Legacy Rep: 152
    Location: United States

    Skyak Senior Member

    Richard,
    that was my pick too. The ballast is water so he would not be paying the price for extra weight if he didn't want to.

    10M is actually high enough for masted boats in the lower end of his size spec. Too bad he is not a sailor. I think my trimaran would fit under and it draws 2 ft.
     

  15. Marco1
    Joined: Oct 2009
    Posts: 113
    Likes: 28, Points: 0, Legacy Rep: 240
    Location: Sydney

    Marco1 Senior Member

    Actually that macgregor 26 is the ticket.
    The catamaran is best but must build it myself so no go for now, may be when I retire.
    The Macgregor draws one foot from what they tell me, and can be used without the mast, just take it off. No need for chainsaw.
    No one could tell me the air draft but I suppose there are ways to find out if I can keep the mast up. May even learn to sail. How hard can it be? Just sit there and wait for the wind right?:D
     
Loading...
Forum posts represent the experience, opinion, and view of individual users. Boat Design Net does not necessarily endorse nor share the view of each individual post.
When making potentially dangerous or financial decisions, always employ and consult appropriate professionals. Your circumstances or experience may be different.