"Why not a small gas powered life preserver type thing on the top of the mast that inflates on consistent contact with water? Or has some type of pull thing that you could run down the middle of the mast. Wouldn't be as big as a bob.
This could be easily replaced and relatively cheap."


That may be fine for the boats that are already in existence...but why can't the boat manufactures just do it right when designing them...what’s so hard about making the mast sufficiently buoyant in the fist place by increasing the section size? This is by far the simplest and easiest way to solve the problem? It doesn’t have to look like a giant football or tootsie pop on the top of the mast.