Tanzer 16 Hinged Mast -- Part 1 --extra mast & finding the hinge

Tanzer 16 Hinged Mast Retrofit -- Part 1 -- extra mast & finding the hinge  -- September 1, 2014  My first step was to find an extra mast for my boat.  If I wanted to take a hacksaw to a mast that is no longer being made, I felt I should start with an extra mast.  If I get this right, and document it properly, maybe others can approach this job with enough confidence to skip the "get a spare mast" step.

A new mast would cost about $400.  Since the companies I located were on the East Coast, and I am in Olympia, WA, shipping was going to be a problem.  Turns out that if they can drop it off at a recognized commercial address, in my case a friendly local lumber yard, the shipping costs drop down to about $250--of course that doesn't include the cost of any  fittings that you will be robbing from your old mast.

But!  I got lucky. A fellow down in Vancouver, Washington had put a Ranger 16 mast on his Tanzer, and we struck a deal for his old mast--200 bucks, and I drive down and pick it up.  Bonus--it had a complete set of fittings on the mast.  He threw in the old shrouds for another 25 dollars.  Thank you Ralph--see post June 23, 2014.

Ralph is the guy who did the total refurb on his Tanzer--like new boat and

trailer, with full cover, and nice sails.  He was only asking 4 thou--bargain.  

I would have bought it if I weren't already emotionally invested in my own.

boat.

The next task is to find a hinge.  O'Day was the answer.  They are still making their boat, current count 10,000 units, and they still make parts.  The hinge came from D & R Marine (http://www.drmarine.com) cost: About 51 bucks plus shipping.

This is the small hinge--they make a larger one, but this seems appropriate.

Next part:  Getting some plugs to attach the mast to the hinge.