dismasted freedom 39 ph

kevmec
Posts: 16
Joined: Sun Apr 16, 2017 1:08 pm

Re: dismasted freedom 39 ph

Post by kevmec »

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5X edge grain (you can see some voids here too)
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5X Cracking
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50X (circumferential cracking thru the fairing but not thru the FG)

kevmec
Posts: 16
Joined: Sun Apr 16, 2017 1:08 pm

Re: dismasted freedom 39 ph

Post by kevmec »

Repair sequence:
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Mast laid out on dock with 20” broken zone removed. I made small stands with wheels to support the mast along the length.
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Ends tapered at 16;1 Sleeve dry fitting. Wax paper around messenger lines. Sleeve is 3/16” thick and 60” long.
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Glued up with High density filler and epoxy. Aligned with angle iron and the mast track. Clamped with strap clamps and large hose clamps.

kevmec
Posts: 16
Joined: Sun Apr 16, 2017 1:08 pm

Re: dismasted freedom 39 ph

Post by kevmec »

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First layers of layup. I alternated about 3-4 layers of unidirectional then (1) layer of twill. This is about 10-12 layers.
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Ran out of time and ended up hoisting the mast back onto the boat. I’ll finish up with about another 15-20 layers and some grinding and fairing.
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adam
Posts: 42
Joined: Wed Nov 30, 2022 5:46 pm

Re: dismasted freedom 39 ph

Post by adam »

Some freedoms had "running backstays" fitted for only for the use of free flying sails spinnakers , genekers ect . not a good idea in my opinion . these boats are fast enough without that risk. A

katorpus
Posts: 146
Joined: Thu Dec 04, 2008 10:51 pm

Re: dismasted freedom 39 ph

Post by katorpus »

Former owner of Katorpus here---(Sold in April 2022)
Hull #61 Freedom 40 AC

Katorpus "came from the factory" with a mizzen staysail and running backstays. The head of the sail was attached to a halyard on the mizzen, the sail had a wire luff and was tacked to a ring on a sail track that ran fore & aft on the cabin top between the two main hatches. It was sheeted off of the end of the mizzen boom. Not something you wanted to use when doing a bunch of tacking back and forth, but...off the wind when you weren't pointed down enough for a wing-and-wing, it would make a pretty good difference in speed on a long leg...

BTW, Adam....what sailor ever says his boat is "fast enough"? :)

dgrodey
Posts: 9
Joined: Sat Jan 21, 2023 8:50 am

Re: dismasted freedom 39 ph

Post by dgrodey »

Seeing those voids makes me wonder how TPI made them. I know with CF aircraft parts, they get bagged and vacuumed to make sure there's no voids then cured in vacuum ovens.

The repair looks like it's going really well. Did you find a new section of track?

adam
Posts: 42
Joined: Wed Nov 30, 2022 5:46 pm

Re: dismasted freedom 39 ph

Post by adam »

conscientious cruising sailors without an unlimited budget generally think thus ......

#1 safety
# 2 comfort
#3 not breaking expensive stuff on the way
#4 speed
cruising sailors are a completely different breed from racing sailors where speed is paramount , *what difference does it make if it takes 21 days or 25 as long as we were safe, comfortable and didnt break anything? "

vaimana's mast was hand made 40 years ago vacuum bagging wasnt invented yet and neither was pre-preg Adam

kevmec
Posts: 16
Joined: Sun Apr 16, 2017 1:08 pm

Re: dismasted freedom 39 ph

Post by kevmec »

I was finally able to finish the Vaimana’s mast repair on our spring break. I added the final carbon fiber layers (approximately 1/8-3/16”) and faired it with West System epoxy and fairing filler. I did a final 2 layers of fiberglass cloth over the whole damaged area, then a skim coat of more faring. I reattached the original aluminum slug track ( I had to “borrow” an 8” section from the bottom of the track near the gooseneck because I wasn’t able to source any ). I then added new Harken Battcar track. I also did a cosmetic repair to the original seam where the mast was made in 2 pieces. The mast was then painted and readied for stepping.
Before final fairing
Before final fairing
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I was able to step the mast at the dock using the main mast 3 extra people and some tricky rigging. I tried to get a time lapse video of this but failed to start it properly. :oops: Other than that it went very smoothly. It took longer to clock it and get the mast wedge in place and compressed correctly than the whole raising process. We sailed around the islands in some rough seas and 20K wind without any issues.
Prepping for mast raising
Prepping for mast raising
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Finally!!!!
Finally!!!!
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My plan is to sail back to Portland OR being very conservative reefing early and never with a full sail. I will then remove the mast and grind off the fairing coat from the whole length of the mast. I will add about 1/8 inches of carbon layers to the outside of the whole length of the mast in a controlled environment. I think that the current repair makes the mast stronger than the original, but it could just move the stresses above or below the break if there is some inherent strength issue with the mast. Adding the additional layers will make the whole mast stronger than the original, eliminating any reservations.

I still don’t know the root cause of this failure. One plausible theory is that the Vaimana has always been in a hot sunny climate, San Diego then Hawaii. Until the last couple of years the mast has been black making it get very hot in the sun. This thermal cycling is not good for composites; you basically get debonding between the epoxy and fibers. Another possibility is simply fatigue over the last 40 years. Or perhaps a combination of the two.

I will keep everyone posted on how the journey east goes scheduled around June 1

walterg
Posts: 67
Joined: Tue Aug 30, 2016 6:48 am
Contact:

Re: dismasted freedom 39 ph

Post by walterg »

kevmec and adam, thanks for sharing this. Very useful info on a topic that I am sure more Freedom owners will need to confront at some point And impressive work on the repair done "in the wild". Wishing you smooth sailing back to Portland.
Walter Gotham
Salem MA USA
'87 Freedom 28-Mull #33 "Nova Vita"

adam
Posts: 42
Joined: Wed Nov 30, 2022 5:46 pm

Re: dismasted freedom 39 ph

Post by adam »

Pleased to report that Vaimana is more than halfway from hawaii to portland , and the foremast repair is holding brillantly

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