Kurt wrote: <<Hi all , I gotts me a dilemma. I have a perfectly good mast 26' long sittin in the back yard. I want a mast about 7' high to mount on top my trawler to handle the paravanes and hold up antennas and a radar. I am tempted to just hack 7' of the top of that perfectly good mast and feed my lust for leaving my rag bagger past behind BUT, a part of me says DON'T YOU DARE CUT THAT MAST YOU SCHLEMOZEL.>> Kurt, I know how you feel but masts generally outlive s--l boats. Check any boatyard and you will find orphan masts of all sizes, some complete and some damaged. Unless you find someone who needs a 26' mast, go ahead and cut yours. This will probably be less expensive than having a stub mast custom made or buying the fittings for a surplus boatyard section. Use the top section with its sheaves and transfer the base plate to the bottom of the cut section. You might also keep the spreader sockets and other fittings intact as convenient spots to attach stays and paravane lines. If you intend to travel canals, fit a tabernacle so that mast lowering is easy. Larry Z