33m mast the tallest Seldén Mast has made
The tallest mast ever made by Seldén Mast has debuted on a stunning Oyster 745.
Made from three pieces of extruded F406 aluminium mast section, the new furling mast tops out at 33m (108ft).
The Oyster 745 which now sports Seldén Mast’s three spreader cutter rig was ordered in November 2018 and is the extended transom version of the model. Using Finite Element (FE) analysis on pumping response in seaways, the mast was custom designed and reinforced specifically to meet the structural loads which will be generated under sail.
“Once the basic assembly, filling and fairing had taken place, we moved the mast into the paint booth to undergo our specialist painting procedure,” says Steve Norbury, managing director at Seldén Mast.
“We’re one of the only mast companies with the capability to paint over anodising, which allows for an aesthetically pleasing, as well as protected, finish to a mast. It’s industry leading processes, such as this, that are attractive to luxury yacht builders, like Oyster Yachts. This particular mast was painted white, but custom colours are available.
“When installed in 2018, our paint booth was the longest in the UK, and at 41m long, we’re still not at capacity with this, our longest mast to date.”
The hydraulically powered furling mast will allow the yacht’s new owners and crew to sail from the cockpit, reefing, furling and trimming the mainsail at the touch of a button.
Handed over to her Canadian owners earlier this month, the Oyster will spend its first season in the Caribbean.
Seldén has built over 50 masts for Oyster Yachts in the last ten years and currently has two Oyster masts on order or in build.
“Oyster has had a long-term relationship with Seldén which made the decision to take the 745 masts from them an easy choice,” says Matthew Townsend, Oyster 745 project manager. “Both companies share similar values in engineering and attention to detail, making the specification and supply of these masts an extension of this partnership.”
