A good straight spruce 2x4 will work just fine and in my opinion be much
nicer than an aluminum tube but you may want the mast a little thicker
than 1.5 inches at the base which will require gluing a couple of cheeks
on before shaping. Consider buying a 2x6 since they often are better
quality than a 2x4. Just taper it to about 1.5 x1.5 on the top and about
2.25 inches on the bottom. Mabey thinner. You want the mast to flex so
it will spill wind in a gust. Go at it with a circular saw then a draw
knife, then a hand plane. Easier then it sounds.
Also, here is a link to some basic sail making info that will work.
http://www.dragonflycanoe.com/stephe...d_rigging.html
Personally I'd go with a sprit rig with a loose foot because there is no
boom to duck when tacking and the mast can be kept short enough to fit
in the boat when not up.
A sail like this could be made of cheap cotton muslin as is sold for
painters drop cloth. This may be the cheapest way to go but you will
need to dry the sail before putting away or in will rot eventually.
Tyvek? Ugh. Polyester sailcloth would be the best way to go.


sandy wrote:
We're not quite finished with our first try at boat building. It's a
10' nesting sailboat of our own design and for novices, I must admit
that it actually looks like a boat! Now I need help figuring out what
to do for a mast and sails. I'd hoped to find some cheap sails on
Ebay but haven't seen anything much of the right size. So I'm
currently considering making the sails and probably the mast too.
We're thinking of maybe a spirit rig. All the info that I've found on
the web on sail making seems to center on tarps. I'm not convinced
that that's the way I want to go but I also don't want to have to buy
a snazzy new sailmaking sewing machine for this boat (my sewing
machine doesn't like trying to go through heavy sail material). I've
been looking at some probably nylon material at Walmart that looks
fairly similar to the snark type sails. Do you think this would work
or do you have any other suggestions?

Also appreciate any suggestions or links on making a mast. We're
thinking of either aluminum tubing or using a good 2X4.

Appreciate any and all suggestions.

Thanks!

Sandy