Any reason to keep my mast/boom?

[CharlieO.]

Thinking about removing my mast and boom. The only thing mounted to it is my anchor light, spreader lights and some kind of round antennae that is not in use.

Thinking about either not have a mast at all or a much shorter mast that wouldn't have all the wire stays running on the upper deck. Maybe have the standard base mount and another solid mount around the mast to connect it to upper deck/aft house area.

If I did shorten it by about 5 feet that would keep my air draft to around 15 feet and if I did need to lower it it would not cut my aft deck in half. I'd still have good visibility on my anchor light.

I plan on adding davits on the stern someday so would not necessarily need the boom.

But I dunno......

[OldDan1943]

The round thing is either going to be the RADAR oe TV antenna

[CharlieO.]

Originally Posted by OldDan1943

The round thing is either going to be the RADAR oe TV antenna

Definitely not radar(I wish), probably TV I'm pretty sure it's a Shakespeare brand on it.

[Comodave]

Nothing wrong with shorting it as long as the anchor and steaming lights are visible as needed for the nav rules.

[koliver]

Use the search function. You will find several threads on masts. Your question is unique only in asking whether to have a mast. The answer to that lies in your intended replacement locations for the nav and anchor lights and maybe the deck lighting.

My recommendation is to shorten the mast as you have indicated, to dispose of the stays, to capture the mast at the edge of the upper deck and step it on the lower deck. Mine is that way and supports lights, flags, radar and a lifting boom. I have lifted my Laser, which has leaked most of its life (not at this very moment) and so that lifting boom was called upon to lift the 150# boat+ up to another 150# of water. For that lift I ran a line from the base of the radar to the base of the helm chair and it was sufficient.
If you don't rig a lifting boom, no worries at all about being unstayed.

[CharlieO.]

Originally Posted by Comodave

Nothing wrong with shorting it as long as the anchor and steaming lights are visible as needed for the nav rules.

I believe I will be all set with lights. I'll be sure to put my white all around/anchor light back on top of the shortened mast. I also have the forward facing white light on the fly bridge and a white stern light above the transom.

[CharlieO.]

Thanks Keith, what you describe having done is what I am leaning toward.

I did first search for mast removal or something similar and nothing was found.

[koliver]

Originally Posted by CharlieO.

Thanks Keith, what you describe having done is what I am leaning toward.

I did first search for mast removal or something similar and nothing was found.

My mast step failed while lifting a Sabot. Cass rules mandate the minimum weight for a fully rigged Sabot at 52#. That mast step failed lifting just the empty hull. It was a cast Aluminum step. I replaced that, then the mast. I now have more height, a long enough boom to reach the centerline of the Laser beside the boat and all the previously described add ons. My welder used an Aluminum irrigation pipe, 3" diameter. He moved the step down a deck and added a mast capturing gizmo attached to the upper deck using the bolt holes the old step was in.
My criterion was to eliminate stays, as they act to decapitate anyone rushing from or to the upper deck, elevate the lights a bit, lift the Laser, fly some flags and elevate the anchor and steaming lights a bit.
All working well after ~25 years.

[alormaria]

Without it's mast it's not a Marine Trader 34 DC, the world's most popular trawler.



It's just a short, fat, old powerboat that looks like it's missing something.

[CharlieO.]

Originally Posted by alormaria

Without it's mast it's not a Marine Trader 34 DC, the world's most popular trawler.



It's just a short, fat, old powerboat that looks like it's missing something.

Like me!

[Mac2]

Originally Posted by alormaria

Without it's mast it's not a Marine Trader 34 DC, the world's most popular trawler.



It's just a short, fat, old powerboat that looks like it's missing something.

Perfectly said!

[Soo-Valley]

Originally Posted by alormaria

Without it's mast it's not Marine Trader 34 DC, the world's most popular trawler.



It's just a short, fat, old powerboat that looks like it's missing something.

No offense meant, said in jest.

Without it's mast it's not a Grand Banks, the world's most popular trawler. But a Marine Trader 34 DC, who would notice.

[CharlieO.]

Keith, my mast is already mounted to the lower aft state room roof, I think I'll look into a bracket off the rear fly bridge deck to allow me to remove my cable stays. I'll still need the bracket so I can occasionally lower the mast.

I must admit I do like the classic look with the mast.

[koliver]

Originally Posted by CharlieO.

Keith, my mast is already mounted to the lower aft state room roof, I think I'll look into a bracket off the rear fly bridge deck to allow me to remove my cable stays. I'll still need the bracket so I can occasionally lower the mast.

I must admit I do like the classic look with the mast.

It is also a great help on special days when you want to fly your signal flags.
For lowering, I have an "A" (not Russian) that I pin to the mast as it lowers toward the deck, where it provides support so the radar and masthead are both as low as the top of the venturi. My shelter isn't quite that low, but it gives me the access to everything fastened to the mast without needing to scale it.

[alormaria]

Originally Posted by CharlieO.

Keith, my mast is already mounted to the lower aft state room roof, I think I'll look into a bracket off the rear fly bridge deck to allow me to remove my cable stays. I'll still need the bracket so I can occasionally lower the mast.

I must admit I do like the classic look with the mast.

Without stays where will you put the ratlines?

[CharlieO.]

Yours look great Al, maybe after I add the crows nest.

[grandbanksbayfield]

You can get along well without a mast, but consider what it does for radar: The higher the better. We have big lakes, big ships and it is nice to have long-range radar.

[Lostsailor13]

I use mine for lifting my skiff,my stay sail,also have radar and tv antenna,just redid all new turnbuckles on the staycables,plus they complete the trawler look

[HTurner]

When you raid and pillage towns and fishing villages, how will you intimidate without a mast?

[rgano]

Being in a heavy US Navy exercise area with fast moving destroyers when I bought my woodie trawler, the fist thing I mounted as high as I could get it was a radar reflector. In later years I moored it under a covered slip, but did not want to cut it off or down for too many reasons to enumerate here (but one was the lovely proportions of the boat with mast). Lowering it to 45 degrees solved the covered slip iss with 17 feet of air draft. I also lowered it to that position when in the ICW in south florida with all its 24-foot bridges (air draft was 26 feet with mast up. I was once timed, unbeknownst to me) at 2.5 minutes to raise it and have all four stays secured when exiting my slip. At that angle it did not get in the way of anything.