MAST CONSTRUCTION

I just realized this week, that I never posted anything about the making of the mast. So, here goes.

On page 12 of the Paradox plans, are the drawings for the mast. When I first looked at them, I had that "deer in the headlights" look. I studied them for several days before I finally said, "Ah, I get it."

There are two views of the mast. It appears as one, because the horizontal lines continue from one to the other without a break. The drawing on the left, is the side view from port. This gives you the dimensions for the width of the side pieces, and the thickness of the front and back. The back of the mast is flat, so all measurements are taken from this side.

On the right side of the drawing is the view from aft, or forward, because they are the same width. The view is of only half of the mast since both the port and starboard sides are the same. If you look closely, you will see the CL written on the center line between the 500 and 900 marks. This view will give you the width of the aft and forward pieces, and the thickness of the side pieces.

I wanted running lights on the masthead, so I secured 1/2 inch plastic tubing in the center of the mast, exiting out the center of the masthead and the port side in the vent trunk. This will let me easily run wires to install the running lights, and to do any repairs later if I need to.

The plans call for a block to be installed within the mast head for the halyard. Through my research, I learned that several have abandoned the original design, and attached a block on the outside of the mast. I decided to go with this method. Seemed easier and better.