Freedom 33 Mast Repair

BOAT REPAIRS & MODIFICATIONS

Major Mast Repair for Freedom 33

I get a lot of inquiries regarding the care and feeding of masts on Freedom Yachts, and the Freedom 33 is a favorite model. Alan Kusinitz of Winchester, MA, owns hull number 51 built in 1982, shortly after I left the Chief Engineer's position at TPI, builder of the Freedoms at that time. Alan purchased this yacht about six years ago, and I had consulted with him briefly shortly thereafter about outfitting the boat for extended cruising. This boat was one with the fixed keel design that the TPI Engineering Department had developed while I was there. The masts on his boat were fitted originally with the two-ply sails and wishbone booms. Freedom Yachts converted all their sailing yachts to single ply sails on a track and with conventional booms about two years after this boat was built. It was cheaper to build them that way, but also performance was improved--a win-win situation for the builder and the owners.

This particular boat had had its rig converted over at some later date, and the previous owner reported that Freedom Yachts had done the conversion. I was surprised to hear that this involved cutting a big square hole out of the forward side of the mast at gooseneck level in order to reach in and tighten through-bolts that fastened the new aluminum gooseneck to the carbon fiber mast wall. This big hole was NOT laminated closed; rather a metal cover plate was fabricated to simply close off the hole, leaving the huge hole there. Surprisingly, the boat survived some years in this configuration. One day last year (2009), after Alan had sailed all the way from Boston to Bermuda and back, he made a scarry discovery, and I received an email from him: "Eric, I have a problem."

Nope, the masts did not break, but the gooseneck on the main mast did pull off, ripping the through-bolts right through the mast wall. Alan's question to me was, can the masts be repaired, or does he have to buy new masts? He sent some photos, below.

Figs. 1 & 2. (L) The gooseneck ripped out on the main mast; (R) How the gooseneck was attached in the refit installation. One has to wonder why in the world did the masts not break with these big holes in them, but they didn't.

The answer was that certainly the masts could be repaired by a suitably experienced composites builder. Alan and I discussed various builders on the telephone, and that was the sum total of my involvement. Ultimately, Alan contracted with one of my recommendations, Composite Solutions Inc. in Hingham, MA, to carry out the repairs and modifications to both masts. From here, I'll let Alan tell the rest of the story:

From Alan: At the beginning I wasn’t sure if the mast could be repaired, or if so would it be cost effective versus a new mast. I received quotes from 2 shops for a new mast ranging from $13,000 to $16,000. Every shop I contacted and sent pictures as well as 3 that inspected the damage in person and Eric Sponberg indicated that this was repairable. I received quotes ranging from $2500 + the cost of the new hardware (pins and bushings) to do both masts (plus the cost of unstepping the masts) to $5500 per mast. The approaches also varied from new integral carbon fiber goosenecks to repairing the damaged areas and reinstalling an aluminum gooseneck with a backing plate. Cost did not seem to correlate to the approach taken. One of the shops was a bit of a distance and would also have involved the cost of shipping the masts.

Based on a variety of factors including availability/time to repair, approach, and others I chose Composite Solutions of Hingham, MA. They were local so I could motor the boat to a marina (Custom Fiberglass also known for its glass work and painting) they had a relationship with and have the masts unstepped. Originally they were going to fabricate the new goosenecks then do the repair work at the marina, but the damage was worse than anticipated once they started. At no additional charge they transported the masts back and forth to their shop with one of their trucks.

Figs. 3 & 4. (L) Overall view of the repaired masts; (R) Close-up of carbon fiber gooseneck.

My understanding is that two identical goosenecks were custom designed, fabricated and autoclaved. They had integral curved flaps of carbon fiber to wrap around the mast part way to be laminated in to the repair. I visited and was able to see the mast damage after removal of the prior goosenecks as well as the new goosenecks after fabrication. On the main mast, significant cutting, grinding and scarfing was done, and then lamination with carbon fiber to make the repairs, close the hole in the front of the mast, and laminate in the gooseneck. On the mizzen there was no damage so repair work was less extensive. The goosenecks with their curved flaps added significant strength. If you look closely at the pictures you see the added thickness at the sides of the goosenecks. The pin arrangement to attach the boom is also heavier then the original.

I had the masts painted afterwards at Custom Fiberglass even though I was aware the concentric cosmetic cracking would return [typical of early Freedom masts--EWS]. They look much cleaner than before and the gooseneck area and strengthening/repairs blend in this way.

The only issue I have had after installation is that the geometry of the boom end restricts the movement of the booms so I can no longer let them out a full 90 degrees. Composite Solutions had some aluminum boom toggles made to extend the space a bit and resolve the problem. This was done at no charge. The total cost from Composite Solutions was approximately $4000 which included the custom stainless hardware. This covered both masts. I doubt this was high profit for them given the extent of the repair on the main and the time involved. They were a pleasure to work with and I certainly recommend them to others (working with Custom Fiberglass was also a pleasure).

I believe the new arrangement is far stronger then before both in terms of the goosenecks and the surround areas of the masts.

Fig. 5. Alan Kusinitz's Freedom 33 sailing in Boston Harbor.

In the end, this whole repair worked out very well. Not all is lost if carbon fiber masts get damaged. I have been involved with a number of mast repairs damaged by everything from including hurricanes to fork lifts running over them (a surprisingly common occurance, by the way!) Composite Solutions are also top-rate carbon composites builders; you can reach them at their website: Composite Solutions Inc..

If your boat is damaged and you'd like to fix it, and if you need a little engineering help or guidance, give me a call through the Contact Us link below.