Sailing Umavideo

We Cut our Mast in Half | Step 486

May 17, 2026 · 29 min · 116K views · Marina, Turkey

Crew member installs electronics on mast section

What this video covers

Dan and Kika on the 50-year-old sloop Uma cut their original aluminum mast in half for scrap recycling after failing to sell or donate it for over a year — moving it even one mile cost 900 euros, and shipping it across Europe would have run roughly 10,000 euros.1:37 A new custom aluminum mast from John Mast, a Danish spar manufacturer, arrived by truck to Sardinia after a three-day drive, with the driver sleeping in his car because the trailer was too long to park at hotels.12:03 The decision to go aluminum over carbon came down to repairability, cost (carbon runs roughly four times more), and 18-month lead times for a custom carbon build.8:47 John Mast also fabricated Uma's deck collar and keel step, and poured a custom rubber gasket matched exactly to the mast profile.10:56 Dan and Kika spend the day mounting spreaders using John Mast's welded stainless steel compression brackets, drilling and riveting a radar mount, running pre-snaked cable conduits, and installing the anchor light, steaming light, foredeck light, Windex, VHF cable, and wind transducer.18:01 Joaquin, John Mast's CEO, and Morton, their lead rigger, flew in to set up the standing rigging.12:13 The crane is scheduled for the following morning.25:00 Aluminum's field-repairability and modification flexibility outweigh the weight penalty of carbon for a liveaboard cruising rig.

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