Seldén Mast's tallest mast debuts on Oyster 745
by Zella Compton 5 Oct 2020 14:30 BST
Oyster 745 undersail with Selde´n Mast and Boom © Selde´n Mast
The tallest mast ever made by the world's largest mast manufacturer, Seldén Mast, has made its debut on a stunning Oyster 745.
Made from three pieces of extruded F406 aluminium mast section, the new furling mast tops out at 33 metres (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 for this bluewater cruiser to meet the structural loads which will be generated under sail.
Following the initial build, the bare mast spent time in Seldén's state of the art paint booth. "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. Ideal for the bluewater sailing and extended cruising which Oyster Yachts' are known for.
Handed over to her Canadian owners earlier this month, this Oyster 745 will spend its first season in the Caribbean, where the owners intend to spend up to six months of the year sailing her.
Having already built over 50 masts for Oyster Yachts in the last ten years on models ranging from the 475 to the 745, this is not the first time Seldén Mast has worked with the prestigious yacht builder, and certainly won't be the last. Seldén currently has two Oyster masts on order or in build (with more due in spring 2021) and the partnership is going from strength to strength as both companies grow in terms of product size and capability.
"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."
For more information on Seldén Mast visit www.seldenmast.com