Damage at base of mast when unstepping Nacra 500

I don't see any damage. I would drill a hole side to side and bolt the base to the mast extrusion, you don't want that to happen with the mast up. Crazy as it may sound, it happened to me once, I was on the beach pushing the boat backwards from the mast, totally unaware, and suddenly the base rotated backwards and the mast came out of it into the trampoline. I was lucky enough to get help before it went down. Scary! I could have killed someone.

I don't see any damage.

+1
simply slipped / popped out:

I was on the beach pushing the boat backwards from the mast, totally unaware, and suddenly the base rotated backwards and the mast came out of it into the trampoline. I was lucky enough to get help before it went down. Scary! I could have killed someone.

HOllllllY crap
i was about to say - your mast isn't gonna pop out when it is up, as it wont have the room to "lift" - guess i was wrong about that

so, the Nacra's base isn't attached to the mast with say rivets or anything? Seems odd.

ne-sail2 wrote: I 'm a newbie -- just bought a used Nacra 500. Today when I unstepped the mast for the first time I somehow caused some damage at the base of the mast. Here are a couple photos: https://www.thebeachcats.com/pictures?g2_itemId=135314 https://www.thebeachcats.com/pictures?g2_itemId=135319
Is this a major problem or not a big deal? How do I repair it?

Send another picture of image #0835. Include another 6-12 inches higher to view on the mast. Something doesn't look right.

. . . and, is that a wasp nest? How in the hell are the wasp getting in? Something ain't right . . .

As for the mast base, it should be sealed to the mast extrusion, and at least riveted in place.

Your diamond wires should be tight enough to hold the mast base in. I see the bolt head in the mast base and slot for the diamond wires (where the bees come in). If you try to sail the boat with no tension on the diamond wires, you will likely break the mast.

MN3 wrote:

I don't see any damage.

+1
simply slipped / popped out:

I was on the beach pushing the boat backwards from the mast, totally unaware, and suddenly the base rotated backwards and the mast came out of it into the trampoline. I was lucky enough to get help before it went down. Scary! I could have killed someone.

HOllllllY crap
i was about to say - your mast isn't gonna pop out when it is up, as it wont have the room to "lift" - guess i was wrong about that

It was a different mast base, with a shorter edge, but i wouldn’t defy Murphy’s law

Photo 835
Is the white plastic looking bit, the mast ball? I’m not familiar with the 500, but if it uses the same sort of ball as the 5.0, you need to rotate the mast when dropping it.
See the slot, on each side of the mast base?
That has to be lined up, (turn mast 90*), otherwise, if you drop the mast, you are pulling the base out of the mast.
I see now it’s not quite the same as the legacy Nacras, but it looks like if you don’t rotate the mast, the base, (near where you see the blue lines), will contact the cross bar. That locks the base & for the mast to come further, it has to pull off the base.

Edited by Edchris177 on Jul 27, 2021 - 04:19 PM.