Forgotten, they slumber in storage over the winter, are frantically given a coat of varnish in the spring, are exposed to traps and shackles, sun and rain without protection in the summer and thrown lovelessly onto the trestles in the autumn, while the hull is quietly carpentered and winterised. No, masts don't have it easy. What can pass without a trace for a decade on an aluminium or carbon fibre spar can cause irreparable damage to a wooden mast. First the varnish cracks, then the wood rots and finally the mast breaks without warning. Who regularly looks at their rig with binoculars during the season?
This makes it all the more important to check the wooden mast in good time before the start of the season. Damage is usually less obvious than a woodpecker hole - which does occur from time to time and is a talking point. Instead, cracks, pockets of rot or open glue joints are often hidden behind fittings or top caps. Screws on slide rails are coming loose, saling fittings are rattling and wire traps are sawing through the trap exit. None of this is a reason to berate the spruce log and harbour thoughts of retrofitting. Aluminium or carbon spars are easier to maintain, but are not necessarily the better choice in terms of weight or twist.
However, to ensure that the wooden mast lasts a boat's lifetime, it must be regularly maintained and serviced, just like the boat itself. If you take a day to dismantle all the fittings for inspection before the annual polish, you will be able to build on this for years to come. It will then become clear whether the black stain underneath the forestay fitting is just a small discolouration, whether a screw is corroded or whether water has penetrated and eaten away the wood.
In the current issue of YACHT, we show you the best way to repair such areas.
