I see some talk about reinforcing the lower part of windsurfing masts and this sounds like something I should be concerned about. What's the best way to handle this?
If there's a thread I've missed, I'm happy to read that instead of re-hashing old info.
Thx.


FYI:
Got both Minis fully operational now... Good tires, bearings, sails, etc.
My 14 year old daughter got to sail for the first time yesterday. I took her for a ride and spent some time explaining everything, then she sailed by herself for the rest of the afternoon. She handled the craft safely and we had a great time. Talk about a proud daddy! Next time I won't leave the camera at home.

Ditto kemosabi, sailing solo is one thing but having company is a lot more fun. Congratulations!

Making sure the mast reinforcing is long enough to go past gooseneck or bottom of the sail is probably a good idea. Cheers Cisco

they have the gist of it, its there to compensate for the fact that the mast was originally designed for a windsurfer. on some early masts I shoved some whacking great heavy pipe up there, then john and wayne built their yachts and just used the lightweight windsurfer mast extensions( not mast tops)
they then proceeded to beat me so I started making lighter mast reinforcers.
if you have none the mast will eventually snap at the mast step base, or the rowlock.
having the stiffener in the mast also led to gradually shortening the mast step from the original 500mm down to 250mm

thats quite a good system too, as the mast starts soft then stiffens with sheeting

Kemosabi said...

By "Silastic" do you mean silicone adhesive?
I don't have any old windsurf masts, so it looks like I need to use wood or aluminum tube.

Are there any good places to sail on the south island of NZ? I'm contemplating a trip in the next few months.

Hi, there are some gret spots, drop me a PM and I will sort you an itinerary. A bit cold at the moment though, daytime temps are getting up to around 9 degrees c tops some days!

landyacht said...

Any clubs down that way these days, maybe a few old rivals

I have to be careful how I answer this, as I have been out for a while, there were only 2 clubs really in the Mainland, Nelson and Christchurch, neither appear to be active any more, but it's possible they still exist, a long way from their former glory.
Most of the people you knew are long gone Paul

Kemosabi said...

By "Silastic" do you mean silicone adhesive?

Yep- it was silicone sealant/ adhesive of some sort (cant remember which type)

The 1.5m of mast top is an interference fit at the base when pushed up into the main mast, so I just pushed the 1.5m section most of the way in, and pumped the silastic into the gap, then pushed the 1.5m section all the way in so the bottom of the full mast, and the short section were flush.

I believe there are some active homebuilders in Dunedin but dont know any names

Thanks for the info. Now it's just a matter of finding the right diameter tube for the masts I'm using.

-------------------------------------------
The south island intrigues me the most, but I'll probably start out in Auckland and work my way down from there.

Looks like there's an active group at Ohope beach. Do most of you NZ fellas sail there?

The Auckland Club Web site has a sailing calender.

www.landsailing.co.nz

We have a few active members that sail most scheduled club days, some that only turn up for the major events.

Club days are open to anyone - even arm chair ex NZLYA Presidents

Welcome to the forum John, its great to see we have such strong NZ representaion. It would be great if some of you could post some photos of your sailing sites around NZ, so us Aussies can start making our travel plans!

Kemosabi said...

This one looks like a possibility:

2 Aug Sunday - Muriwai 100 km Enduro - Muriwai - 9:30 am

Is this a time/distance race?

No, just go 50km up the beach, round the mark and come back. Remember it is mid winter. Depending on the yacht from 1hr 50 to 4 hrs +

Landsailor said...

We set a 50km course for Minis and Blokarts if there are the numbers.

what a bunch of babies
welcome to the forums, landsailor, sorry the better name was taken, you had to be here 2 years ago, but you did well to pick the next obvious choice.
enjoy