Where would the "Load" be focused, and where would it snap, if you stepped it on a dock and sheeted it in? At the hounds? Or at the spreader attach point? Or would it crumple? How about if you put zero downhaul on it, would it still break, and where?

Most of the masts I've seen break were rolled up in the surf or over-downauled and then side loaded by some other force being added, ie. crew falling on it in a capsize, or the mast hits something on the way over, ie. a mark, or the water, hard. I'm sure you can 'overload' any mast, buy hanging say, five 200lb. guys on trap wires off a mast built for only two trappers, but that would be caused by the downforce of the 1000lbs. hanging down from the trap wire attach point, right? What force does the base add, and why does it care?