How to Keep a Small Sailboat Mast Afloat

Small sailboats are more inexpensive to own and operate then standard-sized sailboats. However, their small size makes them prone to capsizing more easily due to rogue waves, strong gusts of wind or uneven weight distribution onboard the small sailboat itself. This is why it is important to have a sailboat mast that floats in water if the small sailboat does happen to capsize and, when it does, what to do so that your sailboat does not sink.

Things You'll Need

  • Buoyancy foam
  • Knife
  • Nylon rope
  • Screws
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Instructions

    • 1

      Install a mast that is naturally buoyant in water. This means the mast should first be made from wood. While the most buoyant wood is balsa wood, a mast cannot be made out of this material as it is not strong enough to support harsh gust of wind or other tensions that will be put on it while you are using your sailboat on the water. CLC Boats (see Resources) recommends using Sitka Spruce (which is rare), Douglas-Fir (which is more common) or Western Red Cedar, which is light but solid. All of these types of wooden masts are strong enough not to snap while being used but are also buoyant, so they will more difficult for the weight of a waterlogged boat to pull them under.

    • 2

      Wrap the mast in foam. Foam products are sold primarily to help give buoyancy to boat docks that are sitting on the water. These are also called buoyancy billets and are made of a Styrofoam or polyethylene material that is incredibly light weight and absorbs very little water when it is immersed. This foam material is used by the United States Coast Guard for a number of different applications, as well as in automobile gas tanks and inside the bodies of canoes. Use this foam and attach it firmly to the wooden mast by either wrapping it with nylon rope or by attaching it with screws. Do this before setting sail so that if the sailboat does capsize, the mast won't even be exposed to water and the sailboat will remain afloat.

    • 3

      Cut the sail off the mast itself in order to keep the mast afloat if the small sailboat does happen to capsize and you do not think you can right the boat. Sails can quickly become waterlogged and pull the mast and subsequently the boat underwater. These sails can also catch on objects below the water and pull the boat down in this way. A sharp knife should be kept on your body when you are sailing in a small sailboat just in case this happens.