Mast step truss, inevitably:(

[Den149]

Hi everybody. Thank you for all the descriptions and photos - it’s been a great inspiration and help. I am the worrying type (I guess) so after reading about your investigations of the truss and having talked to a fellow danish ballad-sailor (with an almost corroded away truss) I decided to remove my truss even though I had no obvious signs of corrosion - only some thin cracks in the poor...
this is what the truss looked like.. I am now planning on a refit (after sandblast, reinforcing and galvanize). I lean towards the “no poor solution” as described by Bob McGovern earlier in this post. Does anyone know of any followup? All input is welcome:-)

[prjacobs]

Just curious .... what is the hull or sail number of your Ballad?

[Den149]

Sailnumber 1069. I think the build is in 1976.

Regards Jens Chr

Just curious .... what is the hull or sail number of your Ballad?

[Bob McGovern]

That's really useful, to see a galvanized (later sail #) truss out of its encapsulation. It looks pretty good! Astonishing they didn't galvanize the early steel.

We haven't launched yet, but I believe any mast step solution that drains away water and allows air circulation will last forever if built of good materials. You could probably de-scale the old truss, hit it with some spray galvanizing (or take it to a dip-galvanizing shop) and put it back in place. You want to brace it well to keep the foot in place & hold it in column; provide some limber holes to carry water into the main bilge, and you are good.

[prjacobs]

Sailnumber 1069. I think the build is in 1976.

Regards Jens Chr

Mine is #1085, and I was told it was also a 1976 model. I'll rest easy now that I know what a truss of that vintage looks like.
I check the shroud tension periodically with a Loos Gauge. Loose shrouds would be a good warning flag of a collapsing mast step truss.