Following an unfortunate incident last weekend, I now have a Chipstow mast in four pieces - way beyond economic professional repair.  However, somebody with good DIY carbon skills might be able to do something with it (other than cut it up for a couple of Int Moth or Canoe booms).  Drop me an email for more details if interested.

Is there a bit long enough for a merlin boom? or a kingpost?

Hi Dave, if a Chipstow I remember Alan repairing one of William Warrens masts that broke into 3 or more bits but if a Superspar not sure.
Bye for now

Chambulls' mast (originally William Warrens) has been broken twice since and repaired by Alan and it is as good if not better than new. Each repair cost less than a replacement Chipstow (but not less than a Superspars. The repairs cost me £100 excess each.

Thanks all, but after discussions with Jacko and the insurance company, the mast is definitely a write off.  I have salvaged most of the fittings for re-use on it's replacement and been told I can dispose of the remains.  

The breaks are roughly 1/4, 1/2 and 3/4 height, plus the spreaders are both damaged.  If no one wants it as a complete rebuild project, I'm sure the sections will find new careers -plenty of potential as king posts, but there is no single piece long enough for a Merlin boom.

aparently The top makes a good cloths line prop..

Can I 'bagsy' one kingpost please?

I'd be up for a king post for WAPB, I could replace the railway sleeper that some one used!

What actually happened to the rig?

And are there any pictures of it happening!

We were three sail reaching and got hit by a series of monster gusts, had to bear off loads, but it was seriously quick, great fun and all seemed under control.  I'm still not entirely sure what happened next, it was over in seconds, but the mast just seemed to fold up after bearing off into another gust.  No photos, but a close witness reckons our mast inverted, probably because the puller had come uncleated or had slipped.  The cleat didn't seem particularly worn, but has since been consigned to the skip anyway.  Luckily no other damage to hull, sails or crew - could have been a lot worse.

Note carbon is not that strong in compression. Is a lightweight Jacko tube with pretty thin walls up to the job on its own???? If anyone does go down that route may be worth adding a wrap or two. Linton's boat use two posts to spread the load.

Dave - was it a bit like this?

A caption competition possibility if ever I saw one!

Hi Mags, yes, it was a lot like that!  No real drama, just a sudden loss of power :(

Caption:-
When I said "de-power the rig" I ment!!!!

If your after a caption competition how's about http://www.noblemarine.co.uk/photos/26.jpg

Shall we discuss this man to man?

Just to make the link easier

Sounds to me like one of the spreaders may have given up the ghost first.  That would result in a pretty mess like the one you describe!

Thats exactly how Will and I broke a chipstow into 3 pieces, we were at Rutland, Inlands a few years ago... and after noticing a broken spreader on the penultimate beat, we decided to be crazy and sail the run to the finish as it was, the second the spinnaker 'popped' a gunshot went off and we were surrounded by broken mast and sail - lesson to self, don't put the kite up in a F4 with only one spreader!

me too.

Mast has now gone!

Interesting but little known fact is that when you break a long thin brittle object by bending it, it does usually break into 3 pieces rather than the more obvious 2 resulting from the first point of failure.

A BIT LIKE SPAGETTI! Get a long piece hold each end and twist breaks into three!!!

by the way...... as informed by my 6 year old son!!!

Spaghetti masts are all very well but the damp tends to get to them.  I much prefer carbon(ara).

at least it will now fit into a container!

Dad,

The study of axial compression buckling of isotropic cylinders has received much attention by various researchers over the years. It is commonly acknowledged that the presence of minute imperfections significantly reduces potential buckling loads in comparison with classical linear predictions. This approach, of including geometric imperfections, has been extended by a significant, yet fewer, number of researchers to composite cylindrical shells. As the current study shows, imperfections may not be the only major factor for the discrepancy between experimental and linear buckling loads. Flexural/twist anisotropy, present in most balanced, symmetric laminates with angle-ply layers, is shown to play a significant role in reducing buckling loads from those predicted by classical analysis. Indeed, the assumption of deflections in the form of a double sine series appears to be questionable for such laminates. A recently reported classically linear analysis that included the effects of flexural/twist coupling on buckling loads has been further developed to include the effects of extension/twist coupling. It is shown that buckling loads can be improved by making the laminate antisymmetric rather than symmetric, for the class of quasi-isotropic laminates, whilst retaining a spiral mode shape.

Good. That sorted that out then 
Any thing to add Deepy?

Forget Spaghetti they can now use carrots for the fibres(some bright Professors in the midlands wanting to be green!)

Suppose it would be called CRP?  

How long before we get carrot sticks to hold up your sails?