My mast became bent above the gooseneck after a mishap raising it, when the bottom came off the ball and went to ground.
I read all the threads I could find on the topic, and tried putting it on two fixed objects and applying force with various methods on the bend in the opposite direction. I even left it bent in the opposite direction for 1 week. After releasing it always returned to its original bent shape.
In one post someone mentioned that they were only able to remove the bend by applying heat while straightening the mast.
My question is, Is there any risk of weakening the mast by torching it?
My mast also has a slight dent on one side at the spreader bar attachment. The only solution I have read was by Wouter lowering into the mast a hydraulic device from a body shop to re-expand at the dent. I think these are called porta-power and you need a book press attachment or something.
Has anyone rented such a thing or asked a body-shop to assist in dent removal?
Persevere with the reverse bending. I have successfully corrected mast bend with the use of 3" steam pipe underneath a trolley jack. Attach the mast to the pipe with 3" webbing straps and use a sturdy piece of wood between the jack and mast to spread the load. You may be surprised at how far you need to go to permanently straighten the mast.
With regard to the spreader ding (sounds like it's been dropped sideways on the spreader) if it isn't affecting mast bend - leave it. Just make sure spreader lengths are 'corrected' to ensure equal mast bend on each tack. If it's a big problem you can always apply an external plate wrapped around the section. A good friend had a good sized ding just above the gooseneck on an 18-2 mast(same section). He welded an external plate to the area and never had any problems on his heavily-sailed boat.
Cheshirecatman
