MookaCB wrote:My DS2 must have been dismasted by a PO. The mast is at least 6" short.
Which end of the mast got shortened.
MookaCB wrote: Im mostly concerned with raising the boom back up by gaining that height.
That sounds like the loss is somewhere below the boom.
MookaCB wrote:I am thinking of getting into racing next year so i want to remain class legal.
Check out the main site (
http://www.dayailer.org) and look for the class hand book (specifications) that has a complete list of all the measurements that you must adhere to).
MookaCB wrote: I will have to move my shroud attachment points, halyard pullies and spreaders down when i raise the mast step.
Why would you need to do that? From your own account, the lost length is below the boom, so restoring this, the spreaders, hounds etc would all be in the correct position.
MookaCB wrote: Do i need to plug weld the old holes or are they ok to leave open?
This makes it appear that their position wasn't moved by the PO as a result of the suspected dismasting. Could it be that the PO shortened the shrouds? If so, the correct thing would be to restore them to their original length by getting a replacement set made (or by ordering one from D&R Marine - from their list of DS specific parts).
Replacing the shrouds occasionally is a good idea, anyway, they don't last forever.
But I would want to make sure that your mast really is too short. Just measured mine, and it came to 24'6" from the mast step (which itself is about 1"-2" because I have a mast jack on my DS1). So, in the raised position, the mast would be about 24' 8" above the top of the keelson or about 25' above the bottom of the hull. With the different types of mast step, there's some (small) variability in actual mast lengths among the different models for the DS; the class rules therefore govern only the distances above the deck. The length of the mast is not controlled, but the highest point the sail can be hoisted to, as well as the location of the hounds (attachments for the shrouds).
The latter are supposed to be 15'3" above the deck. If raising your mast would make them come higher than that, your mast would have lost 6" off the top, which is a bit unusual, but, of course, not impossible.
So, before we go deeper into the advice here, let's confirm where the lost 6" come from.