TIM WEBB wrote:You could always just order an extrusion from Dwyer that's the length you want for the stub? Seems easier than fussing with the step, which is screwed into a piece of wood (plywood?) that's glassed in between the compression post and cuddy sole.
If you dislike the expense, remember, once you cut your mast, the lower portion is "just" a compression post.
What that means is that you could certainly cut the mast section below the deck, separate it to add the required length. To maintain the separation, insert and throughbolt a piece of hardwood to transfer the compression loads. That way the two ends have the mast profile (where it matters, going into the step/tabernacle) but you get the length you need. Because the loads are expected to be pure compression, that fix is easier than sleeving a broken mast.
Something like an 18" to 24" long piece planed/sanded for snug fit, and held by 2-3 bolts on either side of the gap should do the trick. (Seal the wood in epoxy first, so it doesn't take up moisture and can't swell/shrink any more).
More radical would be to dispense with the bolts. You could make the wood insert go the whole length, so that it takes the full compression load and the mast stub pieces just act as adapter for tabernacle and mast step (depends on the way the tabernacle casting is set up). Or you could glue a shorter, not too short, piece wood in there. In that case, I would fill the "gap" with laminate, as a belt and suspenders type solution the laminate would hold the compression loads even if the glue joint were to fail for some reason (tough to glue things accurately when the joint is hidden).
Oodles of options. Or get the extrusion.