Western larch (Larix occidentalis) would be an excellent choice for a mast.
They grow tall, straight, have clear wood, tight grained and extremely
resilient to bending pressure.
I am not familiar with Eastern larch (Larix laricina). On the West Coast,
Douglas Fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) is often used as Sitka spruce (Picea
sitchensis)
of mast quality is becoming harder to obtain.

regards...Ken

"max camirand" wrote in message
...
Hi group,

I'm wondering what wood to use for an unstayed mast (junk rig). I have
the book Practical Junk Rig here. The authors (British) recommend
Scots Pine as the best, but a Canadian government publication tells me
that Canadian Scots Pine is a much lower-quality wood than that grown
in Europe, on account of inferior seeds having been used to introduce
them here. They also recommend larch, of which we have plenty.

I have access to several woodlots with appropriately-sized trees, so
I'd appreciate a recommendation on what wood to use. I'd like to get
it cut before the sap starts to flow back into the trees this spring.

Alternatively, I know of a telephone pole factory that could sell me
my sticks, but I'm not sure how well I could control what species I'd
get in that case.

Regards,
-Maxime

On Feb 27, 11:40*am, "Island Teak" wrote:
Western larch (Larix occidentalis) would be an excellent choice for a mast.

Not the least bit foolish Maxime, at least I don’t think so.

My pole was soaked in Tung Oil before she saw stepped and since then I
occasionally give her a quick coat just to spruce (pun partially
intended) her up.
I discounted using varnish for the reasons you mention but mainly
‘cause varnich is pain in the ass to get right and keep looking smart
whereas slapping on some wood oil is easy.
As for the chaff I’m afraid the parrels will eventually do that
whatever your mast is made of. There is plenty of good advice on chaff
prevention in PJR.
I have heard of junk riggers sheathing their masts with fibreglass and
epoxy to prevent chaff but me thinks that will cause more harm than
the varnish.
For my parrels I've used the slippest but softest rope I could find,
not that nylon stuff it too hard and will soon cut into the mast. So
far I haven’t had too much trouble with it cutting in. But I am
considering slipping some polythene tubing over some of the parrels.
By the way there is an excellent yahoo group for junkriggers. It
really is the best place for Junk Rig advice.

Mike.

http://timmynocky.terapad.com

I can't help but think that the pole would be more prone to rot if it
were varnished. Certainly it'll develop checks, so the rainwater would
get into it and get trapped under the varnish. I'd rather leave it
unfinished so that it can breathe. At most, if I see that the lines
are starting to chafe grooves into the mast, I'd give it a coat of oil-
based paint so that I could see the chafe spots and touch them up as
needed. I will abundantly tar the ends and use a masthead fitting to
cap the top.

Does this plan strike anyone as foolish?

Regards,
-Maxime