New Mast for RZ85-3

[Irikos]

Hello,

I have the old, wooden one, with some improvements that ease the sail control. I'm looking to replace it with a new, bigger one, out of metal most likely, that can accommodate a bigger sail. Not sure where to start, though. Is there another easily available one which I can buy that will fit and meet the requirements? Should I build it?

Any starting pointers are appreciated.


On a side note, I'm also looking for a RZ85-1, now that I've seen the differences between them.

[JohnSand]

I haven't built a kayak mast, just dinghy and dory masts of wood. I'm interested to see what you do, please keep us posted.

[gbellware]

Well, you have a lot of options. You might look at http://www.baloghsaildesigns.com/ to get some ideas. Their masts are built in sections, with a 3-section mast for small sails and a 4-section mast for larger ones. The "wingbone" is a type of boom that might achieve what you are thinking about in terms of better control. The quality is first rate and difficult to match without a good machine shop and access to commercial tubing stock. Now, if you want to build your own mast you can try to source aluminum tube with dimensions that allow it to telescope. I don't know what is available in your location but if you find a good supplier you can probably get what you need except that it will probably be bare tubing, not anodized like a production mast from BSD.
If you go the route of making your own and want some dimensions that work just ask, and good luck!
g