[Public-List] Mast Beam Variation

[Roger L. Kingsland]

Mr. Bergquist waxes philosophic with great eloquence.

Roger Kingsland, Chief Rubber, Scraper & Check Writer
"PERFECT intentions" (AKA, Good Old #148) 



-----Original Message-----
From: public-list-bounces at lists.alberg30.org
[mailto:public-list-bounces at lists.alberg30.org] On Behalf Of J Bergquist
Sent: Thursday, July 17, 2008 9:24 AM
To: Alberg 30 Public List -- open to all
Subject: Re: [Public-List] Mast Beam Variation

Jeff-

Quantify what you mean by 'failure' in this context. If you mean
catastrophic failure (mast going through the boat) then I for one have not
heard of this. That doesn't mean it hasn't happened. Just that I don't know
about it.

If you mean slow, steady, creeping failure of the beam over time such that
you can't close the cabin door any more, then I think these started
happening back in the 70's (when the original repair was designed by Mr.
Rankin).

I suspect that when the beam fails is a function mostly of the boat's usage
pattern. Many boats do a lot of sitting and not a lot of sailing. Boats that
get sailed a lot are probably going to experience beam failure earlier than
boats that sit at the dock a lot. So that is why some boats fail earlier and
others later (of course, it's not the only factor, because no doubt the glue
used to make these beams probably drops off in strength as a function of
age, maybe temperature cycles, maybe UV exposure I don't know I'm making
this up as I go along).

If you want to go to the trouble of ripping out your beam and re-laminating
a new one and installing that, then have at it. To me it seems like an awful
lot of work to undertake, especially given the existence of a
well-documented and successful repair method which was designed by a
professional and which many people have used over the years. Also, the
aluminum plate sister method will take you 2 days to complete. I can't
imagine completing a re-lamination or fresh lamination of a new beam in that
kind of time. But maybe you are much faster worker than I am.

I suppose if you are very confident in your skills and confident that you
have the chutzpah to undertake a project like this and see it through to
completion, then have at it. However, I think we have all seen people
undertake boat projects that are a little bigger than the well-intentioned
undertaker (no pun intended) initially estimated.
Sometimes these things result in an incomplete or less than excellent
result. People reading this list (well, by that I mean me and some of the
other Albergers I know) think it's sad to see boats be subjected to these
kinds of things, and I htink that might be the source of some of the
resistance you are hearing. Also, when you modify your boat, especially when
it is a boat with the kind of staying power that these boats have, you
should consider not only your needs but the needs of future owners. Most of
us have, from time to time, cursed our previous owners for things they did
which were less than ideal. I know I have.
So if you make this repair and it comes apart for the next owner or the
owner after that, how will that make you feel? How confident are you in your
skills that you are really up to the task of doing a job like this at least
as well as Alberg and Whitby (who were professionals that stayed in business
for several decades...clearly they knew something about what they were
doing...)

Heck for all I know you're a boat builder by trade. If so, knock yourself
out.

Ultimately, if you have a good idea, you should vet it, make sure you
believe in it, and if you have the confidence to undertake it, then go for
it. There are always people who will say 'nay'. But fortune favors the bold,
so if you're bold enough to make it happen, best of luck! We just don't want
to see you do something you might regret later.

If you do undertake this repair I would love to see pix!

Kind regards,

J Bergquist
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