Hoping for some advice re: a snapped mast...
The snap is clean and is ~8 feet above the deck (the mast section is 22 feet in total) and is located immediately above the side stay spreaders. I was wondering if I could use the following method (found in another post thanks to jdoorly) to insert a new section of mast into the two broken ends and then weld or rivet together. What length do you think the inserted sleeve should be compared to the overall length of the mast? And am I just plain crazy to attempt this repair due to the location of snap near spreaders? Is the force applied to a repair/pop rivets/weld too much to expect for my family to sail safely? Of course, I would get a local aluminum weld pro in on the job...
I have looked into replacement extrusion and rivets for a complete rebuild with my rigging etc. but my budget can't cope with shipping costs. I have scoured ebay, craigslist etc. for a salvaged spar, with no nearby success.
Thanks for any advice you have!
["But there is a standard method for lengthening a mast section. Mast makers, like Dwyer, can only get mast sections up to 25(?) ft long and must therefore scarf sections together to make long masts. What they do is take an extra section of the same mast profile about 10% of the total length of the mast, and cut away the slot area (after 20% of mast). The scarph section can now be folded in a little, but it's enough to slide half into one mast section and then the other half into the second mast section. Then put in a lot of equally spaced pop rivets in to hold it together and spread the load."]