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Most 242 masts eventually have this problem: a relatively thin cross pin that connects the upper forestay swivel to the mast tang, which in turn wears its way over time through the aluminum and elongates the hole.
Before
A solution was developed by Yury Levkovskiy of Kitsilano Yacht Club, who sails #233 Swift. The project was recently performed in Nov 2023 by Michael Clements and Colin Gilbert on #304 Too Wicked and is documented here.
After
Background:
As of November 15, 2022, the International Martin 242 Class Association no longer has a mast & boom extruder in California (SAPA), nor access to the long-time mast builder (also in California - Buzz Ballenger, who is retiring). And there are only a few used masts and blank tubes on the West Coast, so the available supply might last a few years at most. As such, the Class faced an existential crisis for the hundreds of boats that have been produced.
Solution:
Fleet 1, working with other Fleets, has found an extruder & anodizer in BC (Apex Extrusions in Langley), who is interested in producing mast tubes for us, and we have lined up a mast builder (Pro-Tech Yacht Services, in North Vancouver), who are interested in this project and will do the tapering and final mast prep.
Your Technical Committee has reviewed the specifications and quotation from Apex, and has decided to proceed with the procurement of an Extrusion Die from Apex (Phase 1, delivery in mid-Feb), after which we would obtain four 12" extruded anodized samples for further evaluation (Phase 2, delivery in late March).
Phase 1 (Extrusion Die) will cost about $4770 CAD
Phase 2 (12" samples) is estimate to cost about $400 CAD.
Phase 3 (production of 200' of test tubing) is about $1500 CAD in mid-to-late April
Phase 4 (minimum production run of 1000kg of aluminum for about 40 masts and 3 booms) ~$12,500 CAD would be in the summer, with delivery probably occurring in early October.
All 3 major Fleets have agreed to contribute Funds for Phase 1, which will cost about $4770 CAD, as follows:
- Fleet 1 would contribute about $2500 CAD
- Fleet 2 would contribute $1000 CAD
- Fleet 3 would contribute $1000 USD, which is about $1350 CAD
We'll also ask Alberta and Oregon boats to contribute $100 CAD each, up to about $500 CAD per Fleet, and in that manner Fleet 1's contribution to Phase 1 could be scaled back a bit.
Project Outcome:
M242 class has a secure supply of raw tubes for likely 10-15 years and a local Vancouver, short lead time mast builder.Expected final cost for a mast, spreaders, standard fittings should be comparable or slightly cheaper than the last few Ballenger masts produced (~5300USD + shipping + forex + tax = ~$8200CAD)
Project Financials:
See THIS shared spreadsheetTo Contribute to the Project:
Option 1:
Canadian residents - send an e-transfer to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., accompanied by an email to indicate what the funds are for.
Option 2:
Paypal at paypal.me/mastproject
Option 3:
(preferred over paypal for larger payments to avoid fees)
send a cheque via snail mail to:
M242 Fleet One c/o Judith Roos-McClacherty
4410 Strathcona Road
North Vancouver, BC
V7G 1G3
Canada
Fleet One: Anthony Collett, Michael Clements, Jeremy Smith
Fleet Two: Ken Holland, Ken Machtley
Fleet Three: Mike&Denise George (Licensed Builders), Tom O’Conor, Steve Moses, and Yumio Dornberg
Fleet Four: Don Ulsifer
Fleet Five (Japan): TBD
Fleet Two: Ken Holland, Ken Machtley
Fleet Three: Mike&Denise George (Licensed Builders), Tom O’Conor, Steve Moses, and Yumio Dornberg
Fleet Four: Don Ulsifer
Fleet Five (Japan): TBD
Oregon 24x Fleet Rep: Rock Kent
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