Typhoon:keel stepped to deck stepped?

[Robert M Paterson]

I recently aquired an 71 Alberg Typhon, hull # 27. Spotted her nose just sticking out from undeneath an old canvas cover deep in the heart of a Ct city.Blood sweat and 16 hrs hard work digging her out of her forlorn home,building a cradel under her hull and winching her inch by inch onto a flat bed,was just the start,(I wondered what my better half would have to say when I arrived home with my hard won prize) My Question to this fantastic web site after an extesive search, is: Can I, or should I change the stepped arrangment of the mast,from keel stepped to deck stepped?,what are the pros and con's,other than ease of stepping the mast,giving more cabin room,(I used to raise my wooden mast 35',tabernacel mounted on a Dutch Trintella,but that was designed to accept and carry the load down to the keel through double bulkheads.If I change the mast arrangment on the Typhoon,will I have to add a compression post when under sail? beef up the coach roof? has anyone out there done this? Any help on the subject would be most welcome.......



wskyr3d@aol.com

[Mike Thorpe]

I recently aquired an 71 Alberg Typhon, hull # 27. Spotted her nose just sticking out from undeneath an old canvas cover deep in the heart of a Ct city.Blood sweat and 16 hrs hard work digging her out of her forlorn home,building a cradel under her hull and winching her inch by inch onto a flat bed,was just the start,(I wondered what my better half would have to say when I arrived home with my hard won prize) My Question to this fantastic web site after an extesive search, is: Can I, or should I change the stepped arrangment of the mast,from keel stepped to deck stepped?,what are the pros and con's,other than ease of stepping the mast,giving more cabin room,(I used to raise my wooden mast 35',tabernacel mounted on a Dutch Trintella,but that was designed to accept and carry the load down to the keel through double bulkheads.If I change the mast arrangment on the Typhoon,will I have to add a compression post when under sail? beef up the coach roof? has anyone out there done this? Any help on the subject would be most welcome.......

Bob,

I don't have any experience with a Typhoon but I believe that if you deck step the mast you will have to "replace" the support provided by the bottom part of the mast. Replacement means either a bulkhead or compression post arrangement thus negating any room you may have gained below. In your post you mentioned using a compression post when you sail but I think rigging tension alone will require that the compression post be a more or less permanent structure.

A deck stepped mast with a tabernacel is a great feature when you have to raise and lower the mast yourself but I would think twice before you cut the mast. When it comes to resale time it could cost you a lot of money.

Good luck with the new boat and thank you for saving a great boat.

Mike
CD27 Lady Jane



mthorpe@capecod.net