Damage Survey - 52 ft. Sailboat Dismasting
Imagine being part of a family with extensive offshore racing experience, buying a used boat in great condition, having it surveyed by an experienced surveyor, trucking it to a top-notch yard for commissioning, sailing it a few times from that yard to be sure everything is OK . . . and then having the mast break on the final delivery to your home port.
"These things happen . . ." and the more customized a boat is, the more you need to be careful. I would suggest talking to the designer, boatbuilder, spar builder, sailmaker, and previous owner to be sure you know of any special features or quirks that may not be apparent - even to an experienced sailor.
Experience in the spar-building field was a big asset in this case, but huge credit goes to Phil Powell, Senior Spar Designer at Hall Spars, for his expert assistance as a consultant. It should also be noted that the spar builder (which was not Hall Spars) was hugely helpful in determining the cause of the breakage - a great example of professionalism and integrity.
