mast replaced!

It was not easy to find a replacement mast for my catamaran; but I managed to do it. A new mast would have cost more than this boat. I am a perfectionist and cannot stand the sight of the ugly dent left there by the previous owner. It bothers me too much to leave it alone; must remove the dent!

There is no way that I could knock from the inside of the mast to remove it. So, the obvious answer is to replace the mast. I found one and took it home using the roof rack installed on my car. I had hope to use the racks for carrying my kayak but it was too much effort lifting it up there, especially for a man with a crook back.

I laid the masts side by side at my back garden to check whether they are in fact identical. They were. I removed the top sheave from the old mast and installed it on the new one.

I resealed the new mast with an old piece of hose. Next I transferred all the standing/running riggings. This mast is extremely heavy duty. It floats and prevents the boat turning turtle when capsized. For heavy weather sailing a small float is attached to the top of the mast.

There are lines rigged permanently under the trampoline, which is helpful when you are trying to un-capsize a Hobie 16. You will need the extra body weight of a crew member; you probably cannot do it alone on your own, unless you weigh over 250 lbs!