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In this article, we are going to have a look at a couple of different ways you can look after and protect your ILCA Spars on and off the water and what to look out for to avoid breakages next time you are out on the water.
Let's start from the Top the ILCA Upper Mast.
For the ILCA this is available in two variations Carbon Fibre or Aluminium. With these ILCA Spars, there are a couple of differences to look out for,
The carbon ILCA masts were introduced in late 2016. The new Cabon mast was designed with the exact same weight and bend characteristics as the existing aluminium upper. Instead eliminates the permanent bending problems associated with the aluminium spars.
Things to look out for, Carbon masts ILCA Spars are more subject to UV damage than metal so is always best practice to keep them covered up and protected when not in use.
The other thing to keep an eye out for is wear on the plastic sleeve. Over time sand and salt can wear this down making the joint between the upper and lower mast loose and can move while sailing. These Sleeves can be replaced.
Now let's have a look at the Aluminium Upper mast.
The aluminium mast has been the same since the introduction of the laser back in the 70s. It is great due to it being inexpensive and readily available worldwide. Things to keep an eye for,
Permanent Bending over time with extended us can mean your sail shape is off and losing speed. Metal will hold its shape and not spring back. This is why the carbon masts were introduced to stop this from happening.
Salt Water corrosion around the rivets of the sleeve is the most common place where aluminium mast breakages look for signs of bubbling and corrosion will save you from damaging your sail if the upper ILCA spars breaks. Just remember to always wash the salt and grit off of your mast after sailing.
When it comes to the lower mast it is similar to the Aluminium upper mast for ILCA Spars. Salt and corrosion around the rivets of the fitting is a very common cause of breakages.
The other part to keep an eye on is the Lower mast plug. The lower mast plug has groves moulded in tot he the plastic to disperse gravel and grit in the hull's mast step/foot. This can get in when racing the mast just remember to keep the mast of the ground and it is clean when inserting into the mast foot.
Something that is often overlooked is turning your boat over and emptying and grit or salt water of the mast step. If you leave water in your boat over the winter it can cause osmosis and if the water freezes it can expand and possibly damage your mast step. Repairs can be very expensive around the mast step.
When it comes to the Boom it is similar to the upper and lower mast. Salt and corrosion around the rivets of the boom eyes and wear on the plastic caps is something worth maintaining.
A great ILCA Spars Upgrade is to replace your old blue block with the Ball bearing XD block this is a great time to inspect the eye strap fixing and use the Duralac Joint compound on the new rivets to prevent galvanic corrosion between the Stainless steel eye strap and the Alloy Boom section
The ILCA Protection pack include all the items you need to protect and maintain your boat and ILCA Spars.
The tapes are a selection of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene tapes with a strong acrylic adhesive.
ILCA Protection Pack
