The hulls and masts of modern sailing boats and yachts are increasingly being made from seawater-resistant aluminium. The material does not rust and unlike timber it does not have to be regularly cleaned and sealed, which costs time and money. Thanks to their light weight, aluminium sailers can also reach significantly higher speeds. And aluminium masts are much stronger than those made from timber.

ScanWass Wassertechnik GmbH based in Tribsees in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany, has now demonstrated that it is also possible to refurbish historical ships with aluminium.

As the owners of a historical sailing ship were unable to find a suitable manufacturer of aluminium masts, they turned to ScanWass, which has considerable experience with aluminium in pipeline construction, and commissioned the company to manufacture three new aluminium masts. The 40-metre long masts are now being produced at the company’s manufacturing facility.

ScanWass is producing three masts in total, with the booms and gaffs made from aluminium and the bowsprit made from steel. The planned delivery time is a mere seven weeks, with the complete manufacture being carried out in Tribsees.