: Hi John,
: How far do those spring butons stick out in use, and are they solid or hollow
: where it goes through the alu?
: If it's solid, you could file it down to level with the outside of the mast.
: It won't be as 'secure' as original but the downhaul will keep it from
: moving verticaly anyway.

: I've found that even a small thing like a rivet will snag, usually at the
: most critical moments, unless you use beaded parrels.

: Mike Savage
: South West Cork

Hi Mike, The spring buttons on my AKA's stick out 1/4 inch but I would be afraid to file a button down. To be safe keeping an AKA outrigger bar together that use spring buttons, most have a tie rope running along the bar just incase a section comes loose. So a spring button wouldn't be a solution for the mast that uses sail ring slides. I would build a mast out of wood but I have no idea how to make one out of wood that breaks down but yet would be strong at the joints. I once built an 18- foot mast out of wood laminated together with contact cement and it held up through 10 years of hard sailing.
John