I had an idea to use some of the second hand sails available for sale after only being used for a season or two by a newer boat, on a 1970s boat with std hog stepped proctor mast and boom. I expect I'm not the first to think of it.

The aspect ratio appears wrong for the newer sails, needing a longer boom and a mast which is either shorter and or has different bend characteristics to suit the sail.

Changing the mast and boom for other second hand items may still be cheaper than a new suit of sails cut to the old mast, but which ones to look out for? 

Anyone tried it?

I know of a proctor D hog stepped mast to the more recent dimensions for sale, ring Phil Scott on 07973 720 732. He might have a boom as well. the dimensions are 5720 on the luff 2503 on the foot.

Sails wise, you will be able to get a reasonable shape but obviously the gust response will be poor. You will have to angle the spreaders quite a long way back too.

They will work, not as well as they would on the rig that they were designed for but in the abscence of anything better for sale and without buying brand new they are the best you'll get.

Thanks Chris, thats a great start, I didn't know if there would be any compatibility. 
You mention moving the spreaders backwards, would the shroud positions need to change at deck level also?

No, but the shorud base position will determine where the spreaders should be.

In your case trial and error will have to suffice.

Phantom,

If you send me your PM address, I may be able to help with the mast and boom.

Steve

Thanks, details e mailed.

So would the general concensus be that if the luff and foot were the right length then any hog stepped mast would be as good a comprimise as the next? or should I be looking for a specific 'optimum' mast with sails to suit? I've have heard mention of both Proctor D and Beta minus from very helpfull contributors and previous threads. Selden only list the current profiles to compare.

Proctor D, or Superspar M3/M7 would be your best bet all giving similar characteristics. Beta Minus will do but they were *very* heavy!

Also i don't think i've ever come across a Beta Minus with a 5720 luff. Possibly they went out of production before this height became fashionable, or the people with one that have been intetested in my sails have all been unlucky.

Chris, when I had Supernova, 2315, she came with a funny mast that was briefly popular in 1970 which I then broke.  I found a Beta Minus of 5720mm but had to get a bit stuck on the end as I had a taller rig.  So they are around.  I didn't think it was that much heavier than a Proctor D, but much heavier than the M1's etc.

Tha mast I have is basically a round section with an extension on the back for the luff track which  makes it look a little pear shaped, but at the foot the section is round except for a flat where the sheave exits.
At the bottom of the mast, there is a 150mm section added in the same gold anodised section as the main mast. This seems to have always been there - the mast gate height doesn't seem to have changed. 
The round section is 50mm diameter, but the front to back dimension is 70mm. 

The gooseneck centre to band dimension is 5980mm.(measurement certificate states luff 5920) add 1040 for overall length.
The round gold boom is 65mm diameter. Certificate foot dimension of 2380 which is close to the end of the boom.

Unfortunately Selden don't seem to have any history on file for the Proctor range prior to them taking over.
Does this mast section have any particular code or reference? It looks like it has been around for the full 33 years of the boat.

That actually sounds like a Needlespar rather than a Proctor. Is the track riveted on, or is it actually part of the extrusion?

If the track is Riveted on it's a Needlespar, if not it's probably a Proctor D.

jusr re read - gold anodising = proctor!

Yes, I think you may be right - I've looked on the Selden site again and found their D Plus profile which could easily be a development of the profle I have.
The mast has been made up for the taller rig, and consequently looks like it had provision for shroud fixing points and halyard exit points in different places originally ( the Jib halyard runs in the luff channel and comes right through the mast on a double sheaved 'slot in' plate) so rather than chop it around further, it would probably be better to find a good one made for the correct rig height.
I suppose the crunch question would be if new sails made for the existing height mainsail would be better than new sails made for the shorter current format - better in terms of performance and manouverability.
Are the different hulls sensitive to the type of mast and format of sail they carry?

We have hog stepped Proctor gold D section on 1968 boat and managed to get a good set of secondhand sails to fit. Took a little while but were worth the wait. 
I don't believe in deck stepping a boat that was designed for hog stepped mast. New sails can make all the difference - just ask John and Lynn with Merlin 36!!

Thank you, that's reassuring. As a sanity check I didn't want to start down a route which would at best be a compromise in performance and also take alot of fiddling to set up, if a new main for the existing mast would have been the optimum solution.

I agree re: the deck stepping, and could I ask if the sails you found to work well with the Proctor D were a particular cut or sailmaker?

Number Ones but the key is the corrrect luff and boom length betwen black bands.

I also use a mylar  No1 on a gold proctor and they set reasonable well.
Nick

Thanks so much to all of the constructive comments and help - where else could you find such a wealth of know how! What a great club!