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Mast Tang Reinforcement Project
Most 242 masts eventually have this problem: a relatively thin cross pin that connects the upper forestay swivel to the mast tang, which in turn wears its way over time through the aluminum and elongates the hole.
Before
A solution was developed by Yury Levkovskiy of Kitsilano Yacht Club, who sails #233 Swift. The project was recently performed in Nov 2023 by Michael Clements and Colin Gilbert on #304 Too Wicked and is documented here.
After
Mast & Boom Project
Background:
As of November 15, 2022, the International Martin 242 Class Association no longer had a mast & boom extruder in California (SAPA), nor access to the long-time mast builder (also in California - Buzz Ballenger, who is retiring). And there were only a few used masts and blank tubes on the West Coast, so the available supply might last a few years at most. As such, the Class faced an existential crisis for the hundreds of boats that have been produced.
Solution:
Fleet 1, working with other Fleets, has found an extruder & anodizer in BC (Apex Extrusions in Langley), who is interested in producing mast tubes for us, and we have lined up a mast builder (Pro-Tech Yacht Services, in North Vancouver), who are interested in this project and will do the tapering and final mast prep.
Your Technical Committee has reviewed the specifications and quotation from Apex, and decided to proceed with the procurement of an Extrusion Die from Apex (Phase 1, delivered by end Dec 2024), after which we obtained two 12" extruded anodized samples for further evaluation (Phase 2, delivered in mid-Jan 2025).
Phase 1 & 2 (Extrusion Die & 12" samples) cost about $4908 CAD
Phase 3 (production of 200' of test tubing) was about $1400 CAD in mid-to-late Jan 2025
Phase 4 (minimum production run of 1000kg of aluminum for about 40 masts and 3 booms): was originally budgeted at ~CDN$13,000 (including taxes) but due to rapidly escalating aluminum prices in 2025 and 2026 due to Tariffs, that number has been revised to ~CDN$17,500 (including taxes) as of September, 2026. We had originally targeted late summer 2025 for this order, with delivery probably occurring in early October, but that has been pushed back to October and December, 2026, respectively.
All 3 major Fleets have agreed to contribute Funds for Phase 1 & 2, which cost about $4900 CAD, as follows:
- Fleet 1 contributed about $2500 CAD
- Fleet 2 contributed $1000 CAD
- Fleet 3 contributed $1670 USD, which is about $2340 CAD
- Individual contributors have loaned/advanced: Ken Holland (Nanaimo) $1000CAD, Rock Kent (Oregon) $647CAD, and Yumio Dornberg (California) $100CAD
We'll also ask Alberta and Oregon boats to contribute $100 CAD each, up to about $500 CAD per Fleet, and in that manner Fleet 1's contribution to Phase 1 could be scaled back a bit.
Project Outcome:
M242 class has a secure supply of raw tubes for likely 10-15 years and a local Vancouver, short lead time mast builder.
The expected final cost for a mast, spreaders, and standard fittings was originally targeted to be comparable or slightly cheaper than the last few Ballenger masts produced (which came in at USD~5300 + shipping + forex + tax = ~CDN$8200).
The expected final cost for a mast, spreaders, and standard fittings was originally targeted to be comparable or slightly cheaper than the last few Ballenger masts produced (which came in at USD~5300 + shipping + forex + tax = ~CDN$8200).
However, due to the aforementioned Tariffs, plus other escalating costs in the Vancouver Region, our original target of CDN$6000 to $6500 total including the cost of 2 tubes and taxes has now increased to a range of CDN$7700 to CDN$9700 (including bare tubes and taxes) depending on the size of each Production Run. Boom costs are TBD. Spinnaker pole costs from Pro-Tech were about CDN$1000 including the tubes and fittings as of 2025, but may be higher now.
Note that anyone who bought bare tubes at a cost of CDN$500 per tube or less obtained an excellent deal - normally those tubes would be around CDN$1500 (equal to CDN$3000 per mast) in past years, and now would be closer to CDN$2000 (or CDN$4000 per mast)
Note that anyone who bought bare tubes at a cost of CDN$500 per tube or less obtained an excellent deal - normally those tubes would be around CDN$1500 (equal to CDN$3000 per mast) in past years, and now would be closer to CDN$2000 (or CDN$4000 per mast)
List of Purchased Mast Tubes, Owners, and Storage Locations
Please see this link to a Google spreadsheet to see who owns tubes and where they are located so that everyone knows where all the tubes are located. When they have been turned into masts or booms we will endeavor to update the sheet accordingly.
To Contribute to the Project:
Option 1:
Canadian residents - send an e-transfer to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., accompanied by an email to indicate what the funds are for.
Option 2:
Paypal at paypal.me/mastproject
Option 3:
(preferred over paypal for larger payments to avoid fees)
send a cheque via snail mail to:
M242 Fleet One c/o Judith Roos-McClacherty
4410 Strathcona Road
North Vancouver, BC
V7G 1G3
Canada
IMCA Governing Council
Fleet One: Reto Corfu, Michael Clements, Jeremy Smith, Matt Sullivan
Fleet Two: Ken Holland, Mike Cannon
Fleet Three: Mike & Denise George (Licensed Builders), Tom O’Conor, Steve Moses, and Yumio Dornberg
Fleet Four: Don Ulsifer
Fleet Five (Japan): TBD
Fleet Two: Ken Holland, Mike Cannon
Fleet Three: Mike & Denise George (Licensed Builders), Tom O’Conor, Steve Moses, and Yumio Dornberg
Fleet Four: Don Ulsifer
Fleet Five (Japan): TBD
Oregon 24x Fleet Rep: Rock Kent
Fleet One Association Article Count: 1
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