What kind of material for mast for a Steel Cruiser ?

I have a 37 ft Roberts Steel Hull ( 12 tons) 11' beam with a 30-hp Yanmar and ready to be fitted with a new mast and rigging.
Aluminum...hollow wood...solid wood any thoughts....pictures or input welcomed !
mac

 

Bermudan or Gaff??? It's pretty simple to make wooden standing rigging for a gaffer as aluminium for a marconi.. my2c

 

Hollow birdsmouth has to be worth considering.

Cost, ease of the build...............the look of wood

 

If you want to be able to find parts that fit, have a reasonable maintenance schedule and a mast that any rigger can understand when it needs repairs, go aluminum extrusion. The Roberts plans will include the section dimensions for the rig.

 

Found USED 47' SITKA SPRUCE with all rigging for $ 300

i DONT HAVE ORIGINAL PLANS FOR BOAT THAT HAS BEEN "MAYLESS"....JUST INTRESTED IN LEISURE RUISING AND ITS EQUIPPED WITH A 30 HP yANMAT DEISEL TO BOOT. iS THERE ANY SITES SHOWING how TO RIG WOODEN MASTS ON THE NET ?

 

Coach I would recommend away from a wooden mast, not that they don't have advantages, but there is no reason to push the envelope here.

Find a spec sheet for any sister ship and see what they are using, then go walk the boat yards nearby. You can probably find an extrusion of about the right size on the cheap from a boat that was destroyed, replaced a mast for other reasons, ect...

If you want to buy new give Buzz Ballenger a call at Ballenger Spars, and have him spec a new rig for the boat. He does a great job, is very helpful, and knows more about designing rigs than anyone on the planet (Ok probably a slight exageration).


The other thing I would suggest it if you are on a budget, see if you can get a rig with the same specs as a local strong one design racing fleet (J-35, J-120 come to mind off hand). By having the same size rig you can buy their discarded sails for pennies on the dollar if not find them for free (a recent Olson-30 owner gave away 10 sails from 2-5 years old). This way you might be able to either have better sails, or to free up more money for other projects.

 

Without a sail plan you'll have a very difficult time fitting a stock or one design rig to your boat. It's very likely you'll have to hire a professional to come out, make measurements and draw up a new sail plan for your yacht. There's a whole lot more to this then just plunking down a stick and some wires and hoping for the best.

 

Roberts Sprays..... There's another thread here just for you on those boats. The main problem is their freeboard and windage are excessive and the marconi rig just doesn't have the sail area to push them. BERTIE here (a rather modified SPRAY) has 16' of bowspt outboard, a similar overhang on the mizzen and a 1000 sq ft main. She sails very well, but only because the rig is so large, freeboard low and windage minimal. No stern cabins or antenna farms or monster pilothouses here.

 

10-12K for new mast and rigging ?

Got ahold of Buzz in Watsonville (thanks got yjr lrad) he gave me a ball park of 10-12 K...the boat was 7k so Im going to try and go used...keep the suggestions coming a appreciate it !
mac

 

Which 37' Roberts do you have? Why haven't you called BR and asked for a sail plan, let alone a spar and rigging plan?


This is the Spray series, 37' plan A sloop.

This is the Roberts 370 also a 37' yacht.



I think this is the Roberts "Centennial" series Spray.



The spray series is available as a sloop, cutter, ketch and a schooner. So, have you tried to contact Bruce?

 

Identify the hull ?



Here is an actual picture...doesnt appear to be a SPRAY ?

 

Das ist nicht ein SPRAY.

 

Not even close to a Spray. Look Coach, send this image to Bruce and let him identify it. It will help if you send accurate draft, length, beam, etc. dimensions along with it, as well as other photos at different angles. No one is going to be able to "eyeball" a sail plan and rig for a craft of this size.

 

I apparently own a "pregnant" 35 ft Roberts !!!

Par...took your ADVICE AND GOT AN E MAIL FROM bRUCE...HE DETERMINED THAT THEY MADE A 35 FT BOAT AND ADDED 2 MORE FEET TO HER. NEVER DID GET A RECOMMENDATION ON A MAST HRIGHT (FOUND A 70 FT ONE THT CAN BE CUT TOO LENGTH) . iTHE SAILS THAT CAME WITH HER ARE 45' LONG...BOOM 21/ 6 "....THOUGHTS ?

 

You're not going to avoid one of two possible situations. The first is buying the plans from BR and following the sail and construction plan, so the stick is where it belongs. The other option is to hire a designer or NA to come out, measure up your boat and have them draw up a new sail plan for the yacht. BR can be difficult to work with at times, so it might be best to just find a local NA willing to help you out with this project.