Comp Tip

While out sailing this weekend, I looked up the mast (while on a beat) to see how much mast bend there was. On a Port tack it was as I expected a slight consistent bend. However on a Starboard tack it was different. The Comp tip was leaning to windward, and the mast seemed to be kinked (for lack of a better word) right at the connection of the lower and upper sections.

So I dropped the mast and inspected the section of the comp tip that inserts into the lower section. It looks like it was sanded down to fit into the lower section, which I think is a normal manufacturing procedure. The comp tip fit snug into the lower section, however there was a gap (more sanded off) on the port side. Using Duck Tape (to experiment) I built up the port side and took her out sailing again and found the “kink” to be reduced quite a bit.

So now I’m looking for a more permanent fix and wonder what I should use to build up that portion of the comp tip. One spot already looks like it was patched; the material is similar to JB weld, but that’s just a guess.

Any suggestions on what to use would be appreciated.

Charlie

Automotive Bondo. Easy to use and hard as a rock.

_________________
Matt Miller
Former - Director of Parts and Accessory Sales
Warranty and Technical Support
Hobie Cat USA
(Retired 11/7/2022)

Great, Thanks Matt

So I finally got the time to work on my comp tip. After checking the fit and gaps, of the insertion section and the lower mast section. I added some filler to the lower port side and upper starboard side, it didn't take much. Then shaped it to fit like a glove. Tried it out today and now the mast bend is the same on both tacks and what I would expect to see.

Charlie