I have been building a new boom for my brother’s moore 24 and also finishing off the mast which we bought from Buzz Ballenger. One of the important things to think about when making the holes in the mast for fittings is to make sure you use a file to round of the corners of any rectangular cuts made for sheaves. This is important whether it is a carbon mast or an aluminum mast. Last year we had the unfortunate situation of falling victim to a hole that was cut in the mast, the corners were not rounded off and the hole was oversized (at the time we were winning our class) we ended up retiring from the regatta due to the subsequent mast failure (see picture). N.B. The hole was not cut by the mast manufacturer but by someone after the rig had been delivered.

I use cardboard to create a template for the fitting that I am installing on the mast. I then trace the template onto the rig at the correct point, drill a large hole and then use a jigsaw to cut the section out. Next I take a file and make the hole the correct size for the fitting taking off a little at a time. Lastly I take a rat tail file and round of the corners. I take some electrical tape and use it as an insulator between the stainless and the aluminum by taping the plate and then using a razor to remove the excess tape. I use tefgel on the screws or rivets that hold the fitting in place to stop the electrolysis between the two different metals.