Mast Material Wood vs. Bamboo

[vincent]

Hello
for building a 10" Mast with the size 2-1/4" partner, 1-3/4" Throat of Sail, it would be planed to use wood.
If i will get a bamboomast with the same size - do i have a Mast with the same strength? or how much thicker a Bamboomast would have to be to be the same?

the same would be for the MizzenMast and the MainSprit and MizzenSprit

thanks for your feedback

have a nice weekend
vincent

[Pernicious Atavist]

What kind of boat--how much sail? The thicker the wall, the better, and maybe increase the mast diameter by 10-15%. Of course, our not having any idea what you're talking about doesn't give us much opportunity to help you.

Here's a couple articles that may:
http://canoesailingmagazine.com/index.php/Issue-5/Bamboo-as-Mast-and-Spars.html
http://canoesailingmagazine.com/index.php/Issue-6/Bamboo-II.html

[vincent]

@Pernicious Atavist
thanks for your feedback
it is a boat Lumberyard Skiff - and because i am lazy i wish to add a sail. This is also possible i have allready asked.
the topic is just about how it is to compare wood for mast vs. Bamboo.
have a nice day
vincent

[Mrleft8]

Bamboo has been used for masts for thousands of years, but I wasn't aware that Switzerland was a place where Bamboo grew....

[Pernicious Atavist]

Vincent--preferring to sail your boat rather than row it does not mean you are lazy; it means you are a man of great character and breeding!

[Cuyahoga Chuck]

Vincent,
Bamboo is a member of the grass family. There are hundreds of different types of bamboo. There is no chart that says bamboo of X mm diameter is the equivalent of Y mm diameter of wood. You will have to be your own research laboratory.
On problem with all bamboo is it does not accept metal fasteners, like screws, well. In fact, drilling holes in it may weaken it or cause it to split. Therefore, how you attach hardware like cleats becomes a problem. You may have to bind them with cord.

[Dave Wright]

There's some pictures at this site to inspire you to experiment with bamboo:

http://www.wharram.eu/photos/index.cgi?mode=album&album=/Ethnic-Designs/Child%20of%20the%20Sea/Sailing%20Glenn%20Tieman%27s%20Manu%20Rere

[Richard Jones]

I like solo canoes, but I built a double canoe so that my WIFE could paddle while I fished. Hasn't worked out as I planned.......

[oznabrag]

Bamboo experiment?

I got yer 'bamboo experiment'!

http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc250/woodjunkie/IMG_0337.jpg

[paladin]

Bamboo works fine for masts and other spars. The chinese have used it for hundreds/thousands of years. Sampans use masts that are bound together like a bundle of sticks and flex precisely as needed without breaking. You may be able to glue it with a flexible epoxy...I haven't tried it.

[vincent]

@all
thanks for all the feedbacks, but now - should i do this the same way thick like with wood - or a bit bigger?

and a picture of the shop i found selling Bamboo
http://www.bambuswelt.ch/produkte/bambusrohre.htm

have a nice day
vincent

[Pernicious Atavist]

Wow! Now that's a bamboo store!

Okay--again--thick-walled, about 10-15% larger diameter. My two-inch diameter, 12-foot mast supported an 80-square foot main and a 20-square foot jib.

[ssor]

Seizing the hardware to the mast in the manner of seizing guides to a fishing rod will work very well with bamboo. Turned wooden blocks can be installed in the ends to prevent crushing.

[WX]

Bamboo taken from the base or lower part of a stem will have thicker walls...also depends on the species. The joints in bamboo are called Nodes, the space between the Nodes is called the Internode. if the ends are open, that is cut on the Internode then glue in a solid timber plug, that will stop the end from splitting. If you need to put a hole through it then use a drill but be careful if you use a spade bit as bamboo will split very easily. I would also suggest any fittings be lashed on.
Have fun and let us know how you go with it.

[Pernicious Atavist]

All my fittings are lashed on. The spar ends are plugged/extended with hardwood when through-holes are needed for say, the mains'l backhaul.

[vincent]

I have this bamboos
http://www.weltmeer.ch/index.php/lumberyard-skiff/375-ein-mast-aus-bambus
have a nice day
vincent