adding a mast track

[photosettle]

I was thinking of adding a mast track to my 10'2" custom PSH board. 
Do you know if adding one will be strong enough since it was not installed before the initial glassing? 

Any general rules of where to install it?

should i install an 8 or 10 inch one?

thanks for any help.


OH YEH, I've had visions of getting a toe wedged in there while surfing.  I take it that has not happened to anyone?

[heave]

The main thing to consider is the potential damage the mast and boom slams will do to the board.  You might want to add more layers of glass wherever that will happen.       

The back of my 10" mastbox is just a bit forward of center and the mast position feels good near the center of box.  The mid point of the board is right between the handle and mast slots. 

I always wear booties and my toes have never noticed any of the deck slots.         

[PonoBill]

There's some pictures of doing that in an old article I did for Ponohouse

http://www.ponohouse.com/ponoblog/2007/02/28/a-little-more-ding-king/
http://www.ponohouse.com/ponoblog/2007/03/05/board-modifications-and-the-funmobile-rolls-on-its-back/

I put mine right in the middle, works great. You can have some finger holes routed in the mast track and use it as a carry handle too, or make a cable handle that uses track nuts.

The other option is to use a mast insert. I don't know who makes them. I got mine from Naish, but I think it was a prototype that was laying around. A single screw mast extension is just fine.

I have a boom whack on the nose of the gecko. I think it might be where the water is getting in. Either be more careful than I was or get a mast deflector. they look stupid but they protect the nose perfectly.

[photosettle]

Thanks for the replys.
Very much appreciated.  Bryan... your boards look sooo sweet.   I'm hoping to make it over to pistol river more this summer than in the past few years.  Our daughter is 3 now so she is getting easier for mom and grandparents to handle on their own now if i sneak away.  I'm planning on a few days at the gorge at the start of summer to get my sailing legs under me again before taking the ocean pounding. 

 I'm not sure about adding much more glass though since my pad is already on?  Or maybe i need to peel the pad off or atleast a good portion of the center of it?

Thanks so much you guys.

Shane

[goomba271]

Hi Brian -

Thanks for the email reply. 

That board and the one you had in classifieds are really nice!  Are you cutting a recess for the deck inlay or somehow feathering the skin? 

On Swaylocks Greg Loehr has been posting his bamboo veneer surfboard skins used with a method he calls Timberflex.  They are so thin that they can be vacuumed directly to the shaped blank with little or no feathering to reduce the edge. 

Really like the look of your tapered pinline too!

[heave]

I feather it.  I bag on 1/16 balsa over the first layup.  Mask off(2 layers of tape)the perimeter on the board before bagging it on.  Feather down to the tape and pull tape from center towards the ends so to not splinter.  Pinline to cover.

Greg's resin is so nice and Sways is a great resource.  I haven't done any bamboo veneer yet, but I always seem to hear much interest in it.  I gather it might be too stiff/hard for me.  I've tried several other woods and the softer balsa has that smoothness/resonance to it that I prefer in the ride.  Extruded foam, and Kevlar are my other favorite materials for smoothness and resonance.  Really noticable in sailboards.  I might have to try the perimeter stringer/timberflex method one of these days.