Tapered Masts

[Guest]

I see it recommended that one buy a DS with a tapered mast. I am looking at a 1970 DS with the original equipment. Did the DS come with a tapered mast or is that a later upgrade? How would this affect the price of a DS1? What is the cost of a tapered mast?

Dave Griffith (djgriffith-at-eosinc.com)

[Guest]

Tapered masts are upgrades on most boats. Unless you are racing a tapered spar would not mean a whole lot to you. Beyond the taper you have internal running rigging, spinnaker set up and of course less weight aloft. You can expect to spend a thousand dollars on a new tapered section, so theoretically, it would add value if you had to have one.

Tom Dignam (tdignam-at-awod.com)

[Guest]

Tapered masts are overrated as a preformance need. There may be a slight advantage, but not a $1,000.00 one. The 1994 PCC's and 1995 High Serria were won with a stock 1966 untapered mast. When looking at a DS try to find one with a mast that goes all the way to the keel in one piece. There are some with a hinge at the deck level which is ok for crusing, but would be a disadvantage for racing.

Phill Root (phillrt-at-msn.com)

[Guest]

A question that I have is: hy is a keel stepped mast superior for racing as opposed to a deck stepped mast?

What is it about the keel stepped mast that makes the boat perform better? I suspect it has to do with being able to better control the rake and pre-bend of the mast.

By the way, when I replaced my deck stepped mast, I chose to go with a tapered mast since the price difference between a non-tapered mast and a tapered one was about $400. This counted trucking and all that fun stuff. The tapered mast also had some upgrades such as internal halyards, and adjustable spreaders. The internal halyard really cleaned up the deck, and the adjustable spreaders allowed me to change the bnd of the mast without jury rigging it and cutting away the ends of the spreaders a little bit at a time to find the right length. I'd have surely cut too much off, That's my luck.

But, if I originally had a non-tapered keel-stepped mast I would have stuck with it. As it is, I really like that tapered mast. I was able to tell that the boat had less tendency to round up in stronger winds s the top of the mast will tend to spill the gust.

Bob Hunkins (rhunkins-at-pdq.net)

[Guest]

Hey Bob, Fancy meeting you here (we should'nt meet like this) I'm glad you like the new mast. You are right about your keel step ideas. You can better control rake. You can control prebend by pushing the mast butt forward, for less prebend and aft for more.
The keel stepped mast will also stay stiffer in the lower four feet or so and help keep boom loading from making too much bend down low, as it might in a deck stepped mast. Hope to CU in Anapolis.

Phill Root (phillrt-at-msn.com)

[Guest]

I'm considering a new tapered mast because it would be lighter; better performance would be a bonus. It take everything I have to stand on top of my 67 DS1, hoist the stock mast up and into the hole (even with a person on the ground to help). If it's blowing, it's even scarier.

Would a tapered mast solve this problem? Which is better, the Proctor or the Zephyr that CapeCod sells?

Jeff

Jeff Smith (jsmithhouse-at-core.com)

[Peter McMinn]

Jeff, I have a DS1 that's a few years older than yours with a keel-stepped, tapered mast by Ballenger (sp?). I keep the original Proctor mast as a spare, and it is heavier. I'm medium build, about 5.10, and have little trouble stepping the tapered mast, although the first few times were kind of scary. Agree that it helps with performance.

A question for Phill: I've wondered why I have no pin in the keel mounted mast step track, even though there are holes for one--is this to allow for the fore-aft pre-bend adjustment, or should there be a pin?
BTW, took a peek at Fern Ridge last weekend--looks like we'll have plenty of water for Memorial Day!